AI-generated playlists are here!

It’s the topic of the moment. Perhaps even one of the hottest topics of the decade. AI is everywhere, and we must learn to live with it and use it to our advantage. The music streaming market is no exception, and many areas have been affected by AI. AI-generated playlists are here!

Focus on two particularly evocative initiatives: Spotify‘s and our own!

AI-generated playlists: what’s the use?

Streaming services have added new features and options to their tools year after year. They’ve created needs we never thought existed. They reinvented themselves, reworked their ergonomics and the audio quality they offered, and did everything they could to gain market share from their competitors. Since the first decade of our millennium, when the music industry was at a turning point, music streaming has become a technological innovation rapidly adopted by millions worldwide. Since the arrival of iTunes, then Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, TIDAL, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Qobuz, everything seems to be turned upside down.

But there’s also a certain weariness about it. Over time, the platforms, studying their competitors’ offerings, have smoothed out their proposals. The result? A standardization of platforms. It’s not as if they all look the same, but they do have similar functionalities. How do you stand out from the crowd? How do you nibble away at even more market share?

Spotify has managed to get ahead of its competitors, investing heavily in expanding its podcast and audiobook offerings and in its music recommendation algorithm. As the market leader and the benchmark for its algorithm, Spotify has a slight edge over its competitors. We’re not saying this to heap praise on the Swedish company but rather to point the finger at its flair. Perhaps earlier than its competitors, Spotify understood that the sinews of war now lie in Artificial Intelligence.

The new revolution?

If all the platforms look the same, with the same functions, options, catalogs of artists and podcasts, and subscription prices, how can they stand out from the crowd? By betting on the intangible and the invisible: algorithms.

This strategic choice reflects market reality. Music fans are consuming fewer and fewer albums and more and more playlists. They are drowning in a flood of information daily and struggle to find relevant information and new artists to listen to. On any given Friday, there’s a plethora of music on offer. It’s only logical that music lovers should find it hard to browse. How do you choose from dozens of new references?

That’s where playlists powered by algorithms and Artificial Intelligence come in. They take the hard work from the listener’s job and stick as closely as possible to their tastes. In many cases, the finesse of the playlists is one of the arguments driving users to switch platforms. That’s how important they are! They are also vital to the artists themselves: being included in a playlist widely listened to can guarantee success. This convenience is a breath of fresh air in the overwhelming world of music streaming.

Recommendations have improved, and every music streaming platform relies heavily on them. Are AI-generated playlists the next revolution in the music world?

Given their importance and listening statistics, the answer could be positive! AI-generated playlists’ potential to revolutionize the music world is not just a possibility but a thrilling prospect that could reshape the way we discover and enjoy music.

AI-generated playlists: the Spotify case

It’s been said that Spotify is always trying to stay one step ahead of the competition. In April 2024, the Swedish company began rolling out a Beta version of its AI-based playlist generation tool. Reserved for Premium members, this feature works on a simple principle: the user enters a query in the form of a text, more or less precise, and Spotify’s AI proposes a suitable list of songs.

Spotify explains:

“You can use prompts that reference places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, even emojis. The most successful playlists are generated with prompts that contain a combination of genres, moods, artists, or decades”.

Initially, only the United Kingdom and Australia could test the tool. At the end of September 2024, Spotify is looking further afield: the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand can take advantage of the feature.

For now, this AI is only available in several countries. Spotify is seeking to gather as much feedback as possible to refine its technology. It should be made available worldwide shortly, undoubtedly in 2025.

AI-generated playlists: Soundiiz is here!

You’d be wrong to think Soundiiz would let the Artificial Intelligence train pass by without reacting. We’ve done just the opposite.

A few months ago, we unveiled a tool we’ve been working on for a long time: our AI-powered playlist generator. It’s the result of combining our passions for music and new technologies. With it, you’ll be able to benefit from precise recommendations for new albums and songs, all quickly and without too much effort.

One of our prides is that our tool is not linked to any streaming platform. Soundiiz is, and remains, independent, as we have been since the beginning. This gives us unlimited freedom of movement and creation and allows us to focus solely on the quality of our services. Our AI-powered playlist generator is no exception. Instead, you can link our tool and the songs or albums it generates to your streaming platform. This will create a bridge between Soundiiz and Deezer, Apple Music, Spotify, and others, where you’ll find your playlists. In short, Soundiiz complements your platforms.

But how does it work?

Our AI playlist generator lets you explore options other than those your usual streaming platform offers. It’s almost sure that you’ll discover something new. The good news is that you can ask Soundiiz to generate new songs or albums every week based on the criteria you’ve entered. And your playlist will start to come alive without you having to do a thing!

To design our AI tool, we based ourselves on already existing AIs, coupled with our ingredients, the secrets of which we can, of course, not reveal. It’s a long and precise process.

We offer two search options—the first works with pre-registered tags. You can search by decade, mood, or musical genre. Alone or combined, these three options are all you need to generate a list of songs or albums. The second option gives you even more freedom. You can enter text elements describing what you want to discover or listen to. If you enter, for example, “songs inspired by Beyoncé’s country album,” Soundiiz will take care of the rest!

Note: we also included a “Deep Search” function. If you look for a particular material, such as a list of songs by only one producer/composer or music only released in a month of a precise year, in only one musical genre, you can cross this box. Our AI-powered playlist will be as accurate as possible. The list will be shorter than if you use the general search function (25 references against 100), but it should fit your needs.

Once the playlists have been generated, what can I do with them?

You have several options: import Soundiiz playlists directly into your streaming platform. They will be included in your account just like any other playlist. Or, as with any other playlist created on a streaming service, you can export your Soundiiz playlist. This will enable you to store it safely and import it later. The third option is the most “magical”: you can activate a “Sync” function that will automatically update the playlist generated by the Soundiiz AI at your chosen rate.