Spotify Test Allows Artists To Prioritize Song And Album Recommendations

Spotify is experimenting with a new feature for creators that will allow them to boost specific songs and albums in user recommendations, helping users find new content while giving artists a way to present their best content to potential fans. The company will be introducing this change in a limited way initially, it says, with Autoplay and Radio getting it first.

Spotify uses algorithms that determine which content users may be most interested in discovering based on a variety of factors, including the music they stream. Recommended content is a great way to discover new artists, a process the company says it is 'actively refining.'

As part of that effort, Spotify says that its new experiment will give artists another opportunity to get new listeners by letting them give certain content priority. Under this new test, labels and artists are able to choose the music they consider a higher priority, at which point Spotify's algorithm will take that into account when it makes recommendations.

Artists are being offered this new option without upfront costs, with Spotify instead saying that rights holders will be paid a 'promotional recording royalty rate' when the content is streamed. The company doesn't offer a guarantee that content will get a placement with listeners, stating that 'listener satisfaction is our priority.'

As mentioned, Spotify will first test this new option with Autoplay and Radio because users are seeking new music. Later on, as data from the experiment rolls in, Spotify says it'll expand the priority content test to cover its other personalized offerings