Echo Nest was once a top name in music recommendations. The startup was acquired by Spotify in 2014, and since then its technology has been leveraged into some wildly popular personalized playlists for that streaming service. Now, a former Echo Nest exec has flown the Spotify coop and is striking out with a new approach to personalized discovery. Continue Reading
Pandora’s latest personalized playlist is a curated selection of new music releases just for its Premium listeners. The Drop is a customized collection based on machine learning models. The programming includes new music from artists each listener already favors alongside recommended performers. Continue Reading
SoundCloud is hopping on the bandwagon of weekly discovery playlists. The audio platform released a new feature called SoundCloud Weekly that offers recommended listening based on the other music each user has listened to, liked, reposted, and shared. Continue Reading
NuVoodoo Media Services has released the latest installment of its NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study, with a focus on music discovery. AM/FM radio topped the survey results overall, but YouTube posted a sizable lead among younger respondents. Continue Reading
Apple Music is expanding its standard set of discovery playlists. The streaming music platform has added a Friends Mix, which collects 25 songs that a listener’s friends on the platform have been listening to in heavy rotation. Apple has been expanding the social side of its streaming service with recent operating system updates. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio has launched a new music discovery feature called Your Weekly Mixtape. The playlists can contain 30-75 songs, refreshed every Monday. The blog post announcing the feature notes that the playlists will also include “new releases and personalized trending music.” Continue Reading
Deezer is updating the signature Flow feature in its streaming music service. Flow is a lean-back option designed to deliver songs tailored to the individual’s taste with minimal engagement from the listener. Now, Deezer has added an option that gives listeners more control over what they hear. Continue Reading
Pandora has unveiled a new feature called personalized soundtracks. These playlists use the Music Genome system alongside human curation to provide a new batch of suggested listening based on each individual’s moods, activities, and favorite genres. Continue Reading
Google Play Music has rolled out its New Release Radio personalized playlist to all listeners across its free and subscription tiers. The curated playlists contain newly released music that Google’s machine learning platform determines each user would like. The feature debuted in June as an exclusive for the owners of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus smartphones. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has introduced a new discovery feature for its members. The Upload is a personalized list of song recommendations. The selections are based on a listener’s past track choices, and it promises better suggestions the more a person listens within the SoundCloud ecosystem. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Norm Pattiz preaches podcasting in Cannes; Content is key in Apple Music strategy; “I hate the person my music algorithm thinks I am;” public radio leader lays out radio’s creative disruption. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has announced a new discovery feature called Suggested Tracks. This tool makes personalized recommendations based on your past listening activity, including likes and plays. It relies on an algorithm to refresh the recommendations. Continue Reading