Skip to main content

Spotify gets first major redesign in 10 years with TikTok-like scroll

Spotify held its second annual Stream On event for creators today, and while the streamer didn’t announce the coming of its hi-res music tier, it took the opportunity to lift the veil off its biggest redesign in a decade. The revamp not only brings a new scrolling, image-heavy, interactive visual look reminiscent of TikTok and Instagram to the mobile app’s Home page, but there are several new discovery-based features for music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

The new Spotify home screen.
Spotify

While the Stream On event had a major focus on new tools and resources for music artists, podcasters, and audiobook creators, the beginning of the presentation was big on the new look and features for users — some that will be available to everyone and some to subscribers only. The biggest change comes to the Home screen, which takes the old layout of album artwork and static images and brings it to life with video clips, audio previews of songs, playlists, albums, podcast episodes, and more.

Related Videos

Everything can be tapped and swiped to explore further, or saved for later. Everything, of course, is based on your usage, which helps what Spotify find what you might like. The new feed-style design will be evident across the app, in sections like Discovery Weekly, Release Radar, and New Music Friday. Spotify says it will encourage a “more active experience” that helps creators to “grow, engage, and monetize.”

Other features announced at the event include a new “Smart Shuffle” that Spotify says will breathe new life into playlists by recommending songs based on your playlist’s “feeling.” There’s also “Autoplay for Podcasts,” which will automatically start a new podcast based on what you like when a podcast ends. Smart Shuffle, however, will only be available to subscribers.

These new features complement Spotify’s recently announced DJ feature that adds AI-generated commentary in the form of a DJ’s voice (it’s actually the voice of Xavier “X” Jernigan, Spotify’s head of cultural partnerships) to help personalize the curated selections of radio station-like music Spotify creates for you.

The Jonas Brothers announce a new Countdown Pages feature at the Spotify Stream On event.
Spotify

Spotify also announced some new tools and features for artists, including “Spotify Clips,” a way for artists to interact with fans, a new “Spotify for Podcasters” suite of tools that streamline the process and gives data and analytics on each creator’s podcasts, and a new “Countdown Pages” feature (introduced by the Jonas Brothers) that, yep, counts down the months, days, and hours until a new album release.

Spotify didn’t give a launch date for the redesign features, but they are “beginning to roll out to Premium and Free users globally across iOS and Android.” It added that features will start to appear over the coming weeks and months.

Editors' Recommendations

Apple Music launches standalone app for classical music
Apple Music Classical is a standalone app for classical music fans.

Classical music fans no longer have to wade through an endless list of promotions for the latest pop, hip-hop, and alternative artists to get to the music they love, thanks to the new Apple Music Classical App, a standalone app from Apple that strictly focuses on classical music. You can preorder the app now and it will be available for download on March 28.

To be clear, the app is not a new streaming service and it does not require a separate subscription. Anyone who already has an Apple Music subscription via Individual, Student, Family, or Apple One plans will be able to download and use the app, much the same way as you use the existing Apple Music app. Unfortunately, Apple Music Voice Plan members are not included.

Read more
TikTok just launched a new way for you to make money on the app
Person's hand holding a smartphone with TikTok's logo on screen, all in front of a blurred background.

There are already a handful of ways for content creators to make money using TikTok, but now the app is adding a brand new way for creators to monetize their content with the newly introduced TikTok Series.

Announced today in a TikTok blog post, Series are the same types of videos you'd normally find on the app, but they are hidden behind a paywall that individual creators can set. This means that delivering premium content on TikTok is easier than ever before for both creators and their audiences.

Read more
Spotify’s new AI-driven DJ spins tracks just for you
Spotify app icon on iPhone.

Spotify is the latest company to embrace the AI tsunami with a new feature called DJ. Using an AI-generated voice, Spotify can create what amounts to a radio station built around your musical tastes. In some ways, it's not that different from the company's other algorithmically generated playlists, but now you'll hear the kind of voice introductions and other commentaries we typically associate with the radio experience. The feature is currently in beta and is rolling out to all Spotify Premium subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.

The company says that DJ will use AI technology in two ways. It leverages generative AI tech from OpenAI (the makers of the now-infamous ChatGPT AI), which lets Spotify's human editors "scale their innate knowledge in ways never before possible," while a second AI platform produces the synthetic DJ "voice" you hear when you interact with DJ.

Read more