Spotify, a leading music streaming platform, is increasingly encouraging users to embrace the AI era. Despite limited success with previous AI-based music recommendation tools, Spotify is advancing once again by launching a new feature. "Prompted Playlist" In collaboration with OpenAI, Spotify premium members can now create playlists through prompts on ChatGPT.
Prompted Playlist is a new feature allowing Spotify users to connect directly with ChatGPT. Users can type prompts to search for songs, artists, albums, playlists, or podcasts based on the mood, genre, or topic they are interested in at that moment, or tailor it to their current feelings.
An example prompt would be "A playlist of upbeat pop and hip-hop songs for a 5K run lasting 30 minutes that helps maintain a steady pace, gradually transitioning to relaxing tunes for the cooldown."
The results appear in ChatGPT and can be played directly in the Spotify app. Users can also interact with these recommendations, allowing for more detailed customization than the traditional like/dislike buttons.
Additionally, this vibe-based feature lets users type in feelings or memories to instantly create a personalized playlist.
A Spotify spokesperson said that the prompts for playlist creation represent "an opportunity to discover new music, suitable for listeners who want to revisit old favorites or extend ChatGPT conversations with soundtracks that match the moment."
This opt-in feature can be enabled or disabled anytime. The company assures that no music or podcast content will be shared with OpenAI for AI model training, alleviating concerns over unauthorized use.
Currently, the feature is available only to premium members in the United States, Canada, and most recently, New Zealand.
In the competitive music streaming market, technology companies are intensifying efforts. Apple and Amazon have both advanced AI-driven music recommendation systems, such as Apple Music’s "Playlist Playground" beta featuring interactive AI chat.
Previously, Spotify invested in AI technology and launched AI-related features continuously. In 2024, it introduced AI DJ, which offers listeners access to new music similar to radio, encouraging them to explore beyond their usual comfort zones.
Spotify executives consistently emphasize AI as the "core" of their strategy to increase long-term user retention. In their latest earnings report, the company highlighted AI-driven music search improvements as a key factor in boosting user time on the platform.
Alex Norström recently appointed as Co-CEO, while Daniel Ek stepped down, said, "Our investments in personalization and AI are starting to pay off, with users engaging more frequently and across more varied times."
"It allows you to set the rules and create your own playlists — essentially writing your own algorithm," Alex Norström explained.
However, many artists have withdrawn from streaming platforms including Spotify, demanding a system overhaul. They argue that recommendation algorithms are unfair, new artists lack promotional space, and AI-generated music is increasingly present. Concerns also include unfair artist compensation.
Michael Pachter, senior media, sports, and entertainment analyst at Wedbush Securities, who has long followed the streaming industry, stated, "The cost of switching music platforms may seem minor but is actually significant because users have built extensive libraries, playlists, and trained algorithms over many years."
Therefore, Spotify’s connectivity to over 2,000 device types and AI chatbots strengthens its platform ecosystem.
Michael Pachter believes that "Integration with ChatGPT will be widely used and highly successful. Competitors may follow, but the more playlists you create on Spotify, the higher your switching cost becomes — and that’s what Spotify is betting on."
Bank of America notes that Spotify is directly confronting AI risks by leveraging AI to strengthen its platform.
Gustav Söderström, another Co-CEO of Spotify, said creating a music app that converses with and understands users will transform music listening. For example, if a user likes Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses but dislikes Def Leppard, the new AI tool can exclude disliked artists directly, which was difficult with previous systems. Gustav Söderström concluded,
"The key isn’t the existing songs but the new data being generated." He further explained, "We had song-to-song datasets before, but never a language-to-song dataset like this." . Source: CNBC [