Spotify Launches Prompted Playlists Beta in New Zealand

Spotify has launched a beta test of a new feature called Prompted Playlists, allowing Premium subscribers in New Zealand to generate personalized music selections by describing their preferences in natural language. The rollout began on December 11, marking an effort to give users greater influence over the platform's recommendation algorithm.

The feature enables listeners to type prompts that guide the creation of custom playlists, drawing from their complete listening history since joining the service. Unlike automated options such as Discover Weekly, which rely solely on algorithmic predictions, Prompted Playlists incorporate user-specified instructions to curate tracks that align with both current tastes and past favorites. For example, users can request "music from my top artists from the last five years, plus deep cuts I haven't heard yet" or "high-energy pop and hip-hop for a 30-minute 5K run that keeps a steady pace before easing into relaxing songs for a cooldown."

Spotify's algorithm processes these prompts without restrictions on specificity or breadth, supporting complex requests like deep cuts from recent movies or TV shows tied to preferred artists. If the initial...