Taste Profile: Spotify users can customize their algorithm

More control over your own recommendations: Spotify has introduced “Taste Profile”, a way for users to steer the algorithm a little. The feature is currently being tested as a beta and is initially only available to premium users in New Zealand, who Spotify likes to use as guinea pigs for innovations. When a larger launch is planned remains to be seen.

According to Spotify, Taste Profile should give users insight into how the algorithm understands their taste – for music as well as podcasts and even audiobooks. Taste Profile provides information on why the Spotify algorithm suggests certain genres or artists.

Taste Profile can practically hold up an algorithmic mirror to the user: Spotify explains that the function can inform users, for example, that they are currently experimenting with alternative rock from the 90s. More exciting is the possibility to actively influence recommendations.

“I want to hear more Justin Bieber”

In a free text field, users can tell the Spotify AI what they find annoying about the recommendations and what they would like to see improved. In one example, a user tells Spotify that they would like to hear more Justin Bieber, after which a Justin Bieber playlist compiled by Spotify appears on the homepage.

Taste Profile is another AI feature that Spotify has been introducing more frequently recently. At the end of last year, for example, the Swedish music streaming service introduced Prompted Playlists for New Zealand users: Users can freely type an AI command into a text field, from which Spotify then automatically creates a playlist. To achieve this, Spotify accesses a user's entire listening history. Users can therefore also make more personal requests for playlists.

In the USA, Spotify increased its subscription prices at the beginning of the year.

(dahe)