Spotify adds controls for tuning Release Radar recommendations
The new Release Radar options let Spotify listeners filter the weekly playlist by genre, new-to-you artists and editorial picks.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Spotify is adding controls that let listeners steer what appears in Release Radar, its weekly recommendation playlist. The change gives users more direct influence over a discovery feature that Spotify describes as one of its most popular playlists.
Spotify announced the update on July 10, saying the controls are rolling out across its mobile and desktop apps. The company said the options will appear at the top of a user’s Release Radar playlist once they are available on that account.
The controls let listeners narrow the playlist in several ways. Spotify said users can focus the playlist on a specific genre, prioritize artists they have not heard before, or select other discovery modes.
Spotify said listeners can choose from as many as five options. Examples listed by the company include “Discover new artists,” “Editors’ picks” and “Pop.”
Recommendation changes and a new look
Spotify said it is also changing the Release Radar recommendation system to provide “more personalized recommendations.” The company did not describe the algorithm changes in detail in its announcement.
The playlist is also getting updated artwork. Spotify said Release Radar will have new cover and header art as part of the refresh.
The update adds a layer of user choice to a playlist that has largely been driven by Spotify’s automated recommendation systems. The controls do not remove Spotify’s role in selecting tracks, but they give listeners a way to signal what kind of weekly mix they want to hear.
Part of a wider push on discovery
The Verge’s Terrence O’Brien reported that the Release Radar update follows other recent changes to Spotify’s main playlists and music discovery tools. He cited Spotify’s launch of new-release recommendations selected by its editorial staff as one example.
That editorially selected feature put more human curation into an area often shaped by recommendation algorithms, according to The Verge. The Release Radar controls move in a similar direction by letting listeners adjust the output of a major playlist without leaving Spotify’s recommendation system.
Spotify’s latest changes are limited to Release Radar, based on the company’s announcement. The rollout applies to both mobile and desktop users, with availability showing directly inside the playlist.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.