I once swore by the Release Radar playlist – here’s Spotify’s plan to make it great again
Spotify has announced some tweaks to its weekly Release Radar streaming playlist that’s supposed to bring you the latest from artists and genres you’ve previously enjoyed, but has been a bit hit and miss in recent times.
I used to swear by this playlist. It delivered all the tracks from my favourite bands, others I’d listened to before, and the occasional curve ball that I loved anyway. I’ve found some of my favourite music this way. However, it has fallen off and Spotify appears to have acknowledged this.
In a blog post, the streaming giant confirmed the music discovery playlist now includes refined controls that give users more input into what appears in the weekly digest of incoming tracks. A new tab above the track listing will allow listeners to focus on discovering new artists, enjoying editor’s picks (good to know there’s still a human element to this – assuming the editor is human and not AI), or narrow things down to genres like pop and easy listening.
“With these controls, you can adjust the playlist so that it narrows in on a specific genre, focuses exclusively on new-to-you artists, or only serves up other personalised options tailored to your taste,” Spotify says.
The company also wants to ensure that the playlist is more suited to the listeners tastes and this is the part I’m more excited about. More recently I’ve been seeing stuff that’s well out of my wheelhouse, to the point that I don’t really bother listening to Release Radar all that much anymore.
“We’re making Release Radar even more relevant with sharper, more personalised recommendations to make sure you see tracks that best fit your taste. Plus, the playlist is getting a fresh look with new cover and header art that captures the classic energy of Release Radar—reflecting a continuous scan for new music to ensure your Friday drop looks as good as it sounds,” Spotify adds.
The proof of the pudding will be in the… erm… listening, I suppose. So I look forward to checking out Release Radar in the next few weeks.
