You’ve already read dozens of streaming service comparisons. Even Soundiiz has done many of them. But let’s not kid ourselves: what matters most to many users these days is playlists. And that’s what we’re going to focus on today. Which streaming service has the best playlists and algorithm? We’ll help you choose!
Which streaming service has the best playlists and algorithm? Why playlists matter?
Music streaming first radically changed our listening habits, then the arrival of algorithms swept everything away again. And in a profound way. With algorithms came playlists, and with playlists came recommendations. So much so that from a tool for listening to music online, streaming platforms have also become recommendation tools. They have replaced or acted alongside media and magazines in the role of talent scout, and it’s not uncommon for music lovers to never leave their platform to discover new artists.
It’s convenient: these recommendations are based on their tastes, thanks to the way algorithms work, and they are therefore, in theory, guaranteed to find something that suits them. In this context, playlists have become a preferred way to listen to music. The consequence? Albums have lost their importance in favor of song catalogs. Playlists are exchanged, shared, and constantly updated, and have become the holy grail of both listeners and artists. Being included in a widely listened-to playlist is almost a guarantee of success.
And streaming platforms have understood this well. Some have invested millions in their algorithms to ensure that the playlists they offer are as close as possible to their customers’ tastes. They aim to be the most accurate, the most comprehensive, and the most forward-thinking. Having good playlists and being perceived as a service that encourages discovery is a significant competitive advantage and a key factor for listeners when they decide to subscribe to a music streaming service.
Thankfully, Soundiiz provides a comprehensive comparison of the ‘Playlist’ dimension of each central streaming platform, empowering you with the information you need to make an informed choice!
Which streaming service has the best playlists and algorithm? A toe-to-toe comparison!
Does Amazon Music have the best playlists?
Amazon Music impresses with the diversity of its playlists and its AI-generated content. It’s still an emerging streaming platform, but it’s attracting more and more users. The diversity and number of its playlists could well appeal to a broad audience. They almost seem infinite, based on a robust algorithm that could use some further refinement. It doesn’t have the best playlists, but let’s see what the futur holds! No doubt Amazon Music Unlimited will be a major player in the coming years.
Does Spotify have the best playlists?
The competition lags behind Spotify. Both in their diversity and accuracy, the Swedish platform’s playlists are popular with the majority. It’s simple: users and media alike agree that Spotify is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and algorithmically efficient service. If playlists and recommendations are of paramount importance to you, the choice should be easy. Spotify doesn’t really have an equivalent at the moment, with the possible exception of Apple Music!
Does YouTube Music have the best playlists?
Like Amazon Music, YouTube Music hasn’t based its appeal on its playlists and algorithm, but rather on its catalog and offerings alongside the brand’s other services. The result is a balanced streaming platform that offers something others don’t: playlists based on times of day and moods. It’s as if your streaming platform were adapting to your location. It’s a different approach, and one we find interesting, with the potential to create an experience tailored to your needs. But YouTube Music is not, yet, the best option if you’re looking to tailored playlists.
Does Apple Music have the best playlists?
Apple Music operates slightly differently from its competitors. With its personalized radio stations and Discovery Radio, it’s based on a streaming experience that’s both personalized and genre- and artist-oriented. After several tests and extensive customer feedback, this approach is successful and gives a “premium” feel. These positive points make Apple Music a benchmark in music recommendations.
Does Deezer have the best playlists?
Deezer is a little-known service internationally, but popular in France. Deezer has also understood how essential playlists are for any music lover. With their “Flow,” mixes based on specific songs, and playlists chosen by an editorial team of experts, they have invested heavily in their algorithm and their playlists. So much so that we don’t think we’re wrong in saying that Deezer is now one of the most relevant references on the market when it comes to algorithmic playlists.
Does TIDAL have the best playlists?
TIDAL certainly stands out, but playlists are clearly not its main attraction. It’s been said here many times: the service’s audio quality is optimal, as are its catalog and user-friendliness, and this is where TIDAL differentiates itself from its competitors. This doesn’t mean its playlists aren’t up to scratch: they are effective and numerous, but lack the depth of the market leaders.
Which streaming service has the best playlists and algorithm? Does Qobuz have the best playlists?
Qobuz has interesting playlists, but they don’t work in the same way as its competitors. By playing on the notion of proximity and asking experts to handpick songs, Qobuz has based its DNA on something other than its algorithm. Choosing Qobuz for playlists means agreeing to go with the flow and stepping away from the constant flow of new releases and artificial selections of its competitors. It’s a radical choice, but one that can prove to be an enjoyable and enriching experience for those who want to give it a try!
Which streaming service has the best playlists?
We’ve chosen to focus solely on the technical aspects of streaming platforms, without delving into the controversies and disruptive factors surrounding some of them. And Spotify remains the benchmark. Why? Simply because they’ve gotten ahead of their competitors by investing heavily in their algorithm, but also because they’ve made it one of the cornerstones of their offering.
Apple Music isn’t far behind, if not just as effective. With a robust catalog and a leading algorithm, they also manage to outperform their competitors and ensure their customers are inundated with discoveries every day. If you have other devices in the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music can be an excellent choice.
Make your own playlists and synchronize them with Soundiiz’s AI!
If streaming service playlists don’t satisfy you, there’s an easy solution: create your own, based on your own tastes! A few months ago, we launched our playlist generation tool based on Artificial Intelligence. This tool, a clever blend of existing AI and our own AI, allows you to create personalized playlists that adapt to your listening habits and preferences.
The goal is to offer a tool that’s easy to use, user-friendly, efficient, and, above all, tailored to your needs. Many users regularly complain about the lack of precision of the algorithmic playlists of the streaming platforms they use. They sometimes differ from their listening habits, feature artists they’d never listen to, or go round in circles. Soundiiz wanted to remedy this.
Prompt!
To enable us to generate tailor-made lists of songs or albums, we offer two modes: the “Tags” mode or the “Query” world.
In the tags section, you can enter one or more musical genres, moods, or decades. For each of these sections, Soundiiz offers you a list of choices that should, hopefully, cover all your needs. The possible decades cover the 1920s to the present, while the moods “exciting,” “melancholic,” peaceful, “reflective,” and dozens more should cover all your moods. So you don’t leave anything to chance!
Also, remember to choose, in the “I Want To Generate” section, what you want to generate: songs, albums, or artists. Once you’ve entered these parameters, click “Generate the list.” A playlist will be created based on all of this and can be added directly to your Soundiiz account and then deployed, if you wish, on your streaming platform!
Another option is available: entering your queries in text format. In the “Query Mode” section, there are no tags, moods, decades, or musical genres; just your pen. You can enter, in the form of a sentence, exactly what you want to listen to. Soundiiz will analyze your query and translate it into a playlist format. Here, too, you can choose to generate artists, albums, or songs.
After a few months of launch, our AI tool is generating a certain amount of enthusiasm! We’re making improvements and trying to make it as intuitive and accurate as possible. One feature our users particularly appreciate? The ability to request that the playlists you’ve generated be updated at the frequency you want, without you having to do anything. This way, you can receive new references based on your preferences directly on your streaming platforms.
Enough to improve your music streaming experience, enrich it, and facilitate it! This is, ultimately, the mission Soundiiz has set for itself since its launch twelve years ago.
To discover everything Soundiiz has to offer, click here!
