Spotify has launched a new Discover feature for users which will use some clever internal witchcraft to recommend songs and playlists based on their favourite music to help users discover new artists and songs.
The new system works by using a clever algorithm and then combing data from other Spotify apps like Songkick and Pitchfork to collate similar music and artists, which are then presented to the user via the new feature.
This will expand on the social discovery that Spotify has building over the past few years with its Spotify Radio and ‘follow friends’ capabilities, and it will now offer new music to its users at the click of the button, all of which should link to similar music you have liked before.
The Discovery option will offer daily personalised recommendations based on your listening habits as well as a new feature that will alert you with lists of new releases from artists that you are following. It’ll even let you know when they might be playing live near you next, via Songkick.
Features like this have been available for years on services such as Purevolume.com and Last.fm but with Spotify’s recent popularity and success it will be a great new feature to explore new bands.
The feature has currently only come to the web version of Spotify with mobile and desktop apps hopefully getting the feature in the coming months as well.
Spotify is currently facing an influx of new and high profile competitors in the form of Twitter Music and Google Music, so new features and improvements to the service such as “Discover” will be another tool to help Spotify stay on top in the streaming world.