Spotify has introduced Prompted Playlist, a new AI tool that creates personalized music lists based on user descriptions of vibes, ideas, or moments. The beta feature, which builds on the company's existing AI capabilities, is now rolling out to Premium subscribers in the US and Canada after testing in New Zealand. It incorporates listening history and real-time cultural trends to curate tracks.
Spotify unveiled its Prompted Playlist tool on Thursday, allowing Premium users to generate playlists by describing a specific feeling, scenario, or cultural moment. Unlike the simpler existing AI Playlist feature, which remains available, Prompted Playlist offers more detailed control over recommendations. It draws from a user's full listening history, real-time information on pop culture, charts, and music trends to produce tailored results.
The company describes the tool as a way for subscribers to "control the Spotify algorithm." As Spotify stated in a news release, "You're not just asking for music, you're shaping how Spotify goes about discovering it for you." For instance, users can request playlists of saved but unlistened songs, or tracks from a particular TV show or movie.
Beta testers in New Zealand have used it creatively: creating lists of "songs tied to specific moments, like late nights during the winter, while filtering out tracks they've overplayed recently." Others have mixed in "artists connected to current pop culture moments and viral trends," or requested "long, lyric-free electronic playlists to power through a workday."
To access the feature, users tap Create in the Spotify app, select Prompted Playlist, and enter a description. Generated playlists include short notes explaining each track's selection. Options allow editing the prompt or setting automatic refreshes daily or weekly. Shared playlists adapt to the recipient's preferences.
This rollout comes ahead of Spotify's recent price increases, affecting new US customers immediately and existing ones in February. Prompted Playlist will be available to Premium users in the US and Canada by the end of the month.
