How Spotify is changing the way it delivers listeners’ music

I was worried that the new feed would make the experience shallower. In fact, there are many opportunities for deepening. My own feed is a big reflection of my general tastes and what I’ve been listening to lately, and short video clips take me to albums, playlists, and songs. It’s actually pretty good and, at least to my Gen X mindset, it’s far less offensive than other services.

The new feed launched in full after Spotify’s latest Stream On event in Los Angeles earlier this month. This is Apple’s keynote for the streaming service, revealing all the latest features.

A more controversial announcement was the expansion of “Discovery Mode”, which allows labels and distributors to accept lower payouts in exchange for more playlists. and is seen as a potential race to the bottom. For now, my own view is more neutral. There is evidence that it offers opportunities for lesser-known music. And at the end of the day, it’s the same age-old principle of being prominently displayed in a record shop, and it all pays off.

Digital burnout?

But industry experts also point to other downsides. The new feed is another digital space for artists and labels to create content at a time when “digital burnout” is already an issue. Eventually, ads will also appear in your feed. Spotify is under pressure between artist payments and huge rivals, and investors want profitability. Music Business Worldwide noted that only one-fifth of his plays on Spotify are driven by that algorithm. In my opinion, that’s a good thing, suggesting a healthy percentage is active and on demand. As you can imagine, we need to show that we can recommend content as effectively as TikTok.

The Chinese social giant’s music service is coming soon. It has already launched in several test markets and the industry is eager to see what impact it will have. Will Facebook become Spotify’s MySpace? TikTok is a social media platform, Spotify is not. If the combination of streaming and social makes music consumption like Asia, TikTok is in a strong position.

But if Spotify isn’t a social media platform, TikTok isn’t a global streaming player. Short video platforms face unique challenges. That music service would probably require an entirely new app. Signing up for a free social media account is one thing, but installing a new app and paying for a subscription is quite another. Additionally, the US government is still exerting regulatory pressure.

No matter what happens, it will be a fascinating fight to watch.