Spotify's playlist algorithms have provided them with a leg up on their competitors. The playlists specifically curated for the user have helped introduce artists to the masses while also giving the listener the perfect soundtrack suited to the vibe.
In a press release titled, "Amplifying Artist Input in Your Personalized Recommendations," Spotify revealed that they'll be testing out a new feature for artists and labels that will allow them to recommend songs specifically to your playlist. The service will give artists the opportunity to spotlight a track, be it a new single or the anniversary of a prominent track, and have that feed into the algorithm that would place it in your recommendations. Of course, this will also be based on their refined algorithms. They won't be placing random songs that you probably wouldn't listen to on your playlist.
This feature will only be offered for the algorithm that determines radio and autoplay, rather than fixed playlists they curate on their own.
The feature is meant to help artists have a say in how people discover their music. Of course, this service does come with a price. Though no numbers have been revealed, artists will have their pay-outs reduced if they agree to "promotional recording royalty rate for streams in personalized listening sessions where we provided this service."
This could either be a dope feature that helps artists out even more or it could turn into a new way to manipulate streams. Given Billboard's recent decision to nix merch bundles from official album sales, it seems the latter will somehow be inevitable.
