Retail News CRM

Tag: playlist

  • Unleash Your Mood with YouTube Music’s New AI-Powered Playlist Feature

    Unleash Your Mood with YouTube Music’s New AI-Powered Playlist Feature

    Recently, Google announced that a YouTube Music premium subscription is now required for some users to access song lyrics, a feature that was formerly complimentary. While Google classified this development as an “experiment,” it assured users that the majority would not experience any changes to the lyrics feature.

    The Role of Gemini AI in YouTube Music

    Google has always been forthcoming about its operations, but the criteria used to decide which customers now have to pay for formerly free features remains unclear. It has also introduced a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature to YouTube Music which requires a premium subscription. This feature, powered by Gemini AI, allows users to create a playlist that matches their current mood, using natural language to communicate with the integrated AI prompt in the YouTube Music app. This feature has started rolling out on both the iOS and Android versions of the app.

    To leverage this feature, users need to open the YouTube Music app and tap the Library tab at the bottom of the screen. Next, they should tap the “New” button that appears in the bottom-right corner of the page. If they have a premium YouTube Music subscription, an ‘AI Playlist’ option will be visible. By tapping on it and describing the mood they wish their music to reflect, users can customize their playlist. They can either use natural language and voice or type in their mood to the prompt.

    It’s important to note that YouTube Music is not unique in utilizing AI to help users curate playlists. Spotify’s Prompted Playlist also leverages natural language to enable users to tailor their playlists based on their current mood and listening history.

    The Cost of a YouTube Music Premium Subscription

    AI-generated playlists on YouTube Music require a premium subscription, which offers ad-free music, background play, and offline downloads. The premium subscription is available at the following rates:

    – Individual: $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year.
    – Family: $16.99 per month (For up to six people per household).
    – Student: $5.49 per month. Annual verification from SheerID is required.

    Purchasing a YouTube premium subscription might be a more value-for-money option as it includes ad-free videos, offline video downloads, and background play for the main YouTube app in addition to the premium YouTube Music subscription.

    Google has incorporated the Gemini AI icon into many of its apps, including the YouTube Floating Action Bar. By tapping on the Gemini icon while watching a video, an “Ask panel” will open on the right side with several preset queries that can be submitted with a simple tap. These questions can ask for a summary of the video, recommended related content, and more. A prompt at the bottom is ready for users to ask anything they wish.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the new feature in YouTube Music?
    The new feature in YouTube Music, powered by Gemini AI, allows users to create customized playlists based on their current mood, using either voice or typed natural language.

    What is the cost of a YouTube Music premium subscription?
    The cost of a YouTube Music premium subscription varies. For individuals, it’s $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. For families (up to six people), it’s $16.99 per month. Students can avail it at $5.49 per month after annual verification from SheerID.

    What is the Gemini AI icon on YouTube?
    The Gemini AI icon on YouTube opens an “Ask panel” with several preset queries when tapped during a video. These queries can ask for a summary of the video, recommended related content, and more.

  • Spotify expands AI Playlist feature to more countries

    Spotify expands AI Playlist feature to more countries

    Spotify, just like many other companies that provide services to bigger audiences, jumped on the AI bandwagon ever since Microsoft and Google made a big deal out of it.

    The company has been testing a new AI Playlist feature since April, but only Premium subscribers in the United Kingdom and Australia had access to this tool that allow them to discover music that perfectly match their needs.

    Today, Spotify announced that it’s expanding the availability of the AI Playlist feature to even more countries. As of right now, AI Playlist in English is rolling out in beta to Premium users on Android and iOS devices in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

    The Playlist AI feature combines Spotify’s personalization technology with generative AI. It offers users an easy way to create and curate the perfect musical mix. According to Spotify, since it launched in the UK and Australia back in April, Premium subscribers made use of AI Playlist to create millions of playlists.

    Since it’s powered by AI, Spotify users can create a playlist with the help of this feature by simply using unique prompts in the chat, such as “upbeat pop music for my European summer vacation” or “a romantic playlist for date night at home.”

    Spotify also says that the best playlists are generated with prompts that contain a mix of genres, moods, artists, or decades. The music streaming service mentions that users can also reference places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, and even emojis when creating playlist using this AI-powered feature

    If you live in one of the countries mentioned above and you’re subscribed to Spotify, here is how you can access the AI Playlist feature:

    • From Your Library, tap the “+” button at the top-right corner of the app and select “AI Playlist.”
    • Select one of the suggested prompts or type your own.
    • Spotify will curate a personalized playlist featuring the tracks, artists, and genres we think you’ll like.
    • From there, you can easily manage the selection of songs by previewing and deleting tracks, or ask Spotify to refine the playlist with additional prompts.
    • Tap “Create,” and your new playlist will be saved automatically in Your Library.

    Keep in mind that AI Playlist is still in beta, so it might not provide the results you want all the time, especially for non-music-related prompts (i.e. current events, specific brands).

  • Spotify’s new Enhanced feature will upgrade your playlists

    Spotify’s new Enhanced feature will upgrade your playlists

    Spotify’s new Enhanced feature promises to further improve your playlists with personalized recommendations. The music streaming service announced the new feature is rolling out this week to all its Premium users, so if you don’t pay for a Spotify subscription, you won’t be getting this one sadly.

    So, how is this Enhanced feature going to work for your playlists? First off, you’d need to toggle the feature on by tapping the new Enhance button at the top of each playlist. Once that’s done, recommendations will be added to the track list. According to Spotify, one recommendation will appear after every two tracks, for a max of 30 recommendations.

    Of course, you can choose to not add a recommendation to your playlist, but if you want to include it on your tracklist, simply press the “+” icon next to each track. All songs added through this method will never be replaced, but you can turn off Enhance at any time just like you enabled it.

    Spotify’s Enhanced feature will be rolling out to Premium users on Android and iOS in the following markets: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, U.K., and the U.S.

    Lees ook:

  • YouTube Music introduces assistive playlists on Android and iOS

    YouTube Music introduces assistive playlists on Android and iOS

    YouTube Music has added a lot of new features and improvements in the last couple of months, but the most recent one is quite useful for those who’d like to listen to similar songs that made it their favorite playlists.

    As the title says, YouTube Music now features so-called “assistive playlists,” an easy way to provide users with suggestions of relevant songs based on playlist name, existing songs in the playlists, and listening history.

    Google’s algorithm will now know what music you like and suggests songs that are not on your playlists but you might like. The new feature offers up to seven suggestions when editing playlists, but you can add even more when you hit the Refresh button.

    If you missed any of the previous new features introduced by YouTube Music in recent months, here is a quick rundown of the most important ones. First off, we have collaborative playlists that let you create and modify playlists with other YouTube Music users.

    Then, there are the profile page playlists that allow you to browse other listener’s public music playlists and uploaded music videos from their profile page on the music streaming service.

    With the new “Mixed for You” section in the YouTube Music home feed, users can easily find playlists created by Google including Discover mix, New release mix, Your mix, and Liked songs playlists.

    Last but not least, YouTube Music has been improved with programmed mood and genre playlists for those who want to listen to specific tunes. All the new YouTube Music features are now available worldwide on Android and iOS devices.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Apple Music trial may shrink from three months to just one

    Apple Music trial may shrink from three months to just one

    One way for music streaming services to expand their subscribers base is through trials. Offering their services for free for a limited is a great way to convince potential subscribers whether or not a service suits their needs.

    Apple is one of the not so many companies that offer a generous 3-month trial to those who want to try out its music streaming service. However, the situation might change.

    A new banner published on Apple’s page for accessories offers a one month free trial of Apple Music instead of the standard three-month free trial. It doesn’t look like this is a mistake, but it’s possible that Apple will start offering 1-month trials in addition to the usual 3-month trials.

    If you click on the banner, you will get the prompt for a three-month free trial in iTunes, so that’s encouraging. Also, Apple hasn’t yet officialized the move on the Apple Music website, so it remains to be seen whether or not this a mistake or the company plans to change the duration of its Apple Music trial.

    Lees ook:

  • Spotify starts testing voice ads on Android and iOS devices

    Spotify starts testing voice ads on Android and iOS devices

    Spotify has decided to be more aggressive with its ads and announced over the weekend that it will launch voice-enabled advertisements. They are meant to encourage customers to use verbal commands to take action on the ad’s content available through Spotify.

    TechCrunch reports the audio ads will initially redirect listeners to a branded Spotify playlist or a podcast. These voice ads will only be available to a limited number of Spotify’s free mobile listeners on both Android and iOS platforms, but they required users to have voice controls enabled.

    The good news is Spotify users can opt out of voice ads in the Settings menu by turning off the Voice-Enabled Ads option. Moreover, the app will also allow users to completely disable microphone access via the mobile device’s Settings.

    The voice ads will enable Spotify users to check out the content advertised by saying “Play Now.” If the user doesn’t say the voice command within the required amount of time or says something else, the mic will be turned off and the ad break will continue.

    The voice ads test is live in the United States for free users of the Spotify app and uses the company’s built-in house technology. It doesn’t have a pricing model yet since it’s too early at this time.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Spotify now has 100 million Premium Global Subscribers

    Spotify now has 100 million Premium Global Subscribers

    Twelve months after it first reached 75 million subscribers, Spotify has today announced that 100 million users now pay for its Premium service across the globe. The news represents year-on-year growth of 32% and has helped push Spotify’s revenue figures up an equally impressive 33% to €1.51 billion ($1.67 billion).

    Including users of Spotify’s ad-supported service, the streaming company now has a total of 217 million monthly active users. This figure is up 10 million from last quarter and 44 million when compared to twelve months ago.

    Once again, Europe continued to be Spotify’s most important market followed by North America and Latin America respectively. In North America especially, Premium subscriber growth was driven by Spotify’s continued partnerships with Samsung, Google, and Hulu.

    Specifically, Samsung agreed to pre-install the Spotify app on millions of its smartphones including the recently-released Galaxy S10, buyers of which receive six months of free Spotify Premium. Google, on the other hand, offered Spotify Family Plan users a free Google Home Mini, a promotion which has since been expanded to both the UK and France due to its popularity. Lastly, Hulu and Spotify recently lowered the price of their bundle offer which has boosted interest.

    By the end of this current quarter, Spotify expects to have between 222 and 228 million users, of which 107 to 110 million should be Premium subscribers. Driving this growth will continue to be promotional offers like the ones mentioned above and India, where Spotify registered 2 million users in the month following its launch.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Music Streaming on Amazon for free using Alexa

    Music Streaming on Amazon for free using Alexa

    If you love music and own an Amazon Echo or another device that uses Alexa as a virtual assistant, we have some good news. Late last week, Amazon announced that those in the U.S. can stream top playlists and stations for free, without having to pay for an Amazon Prime or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription. Instead, a free-ad supported tier of music is available for Alexa-enabled devices.

    Alexa will play for free stations based on a song, artist, genre and era. Playlists like Country Heat, Fuego Latino and others are available without any charge. Amazon says that even without a paid subscription, Alexa will respond to the following commands:

    • Say “Alexa, play the playlist Pop Culture” to stream global pop hits.
    • Say “Alexa, play the Imagine Dragons station” to stream a station that plays music “inspired” by the band.
    • Say “Alexa, play 80s music” to stream a station filled with music from that decade.
    • Say “Alexa, play country music” to stream a station playing that style of music.

    Note that with the free ad-supported service, you cannot request specific songs on demand. You can do that if you sign up for Amazon Prime. The cost of the service is $12.99 per month, or $119 a year. Besides streaming ad-free tunes on demand from your Alexa device, you’ll be streaming Prime Video on your phone, tablet or smart television. You also get free two-day shipping, unlimited photo storage, unlimited reading and free same-day delivery (when available).

    You might also consider Amazon Music Unlimited, which gives you unlimited and on-demand access to 50 million songs. After a 30 day free trial, the service is priced at $7.99 a month, undercutting both Spotify and Apple Music by $2.00 a month.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Apple Music wants to expand your musical knowledge

    Apple Music wants to expand your musical knowledge

    Apple Music doesn’t get a ton of attention compared to services like Spotify, but the service quietly has racked up a ton of subscribers simply due to the fact of Apple’s massive hardware install base. Those subscribers are a diverse set of people from around the globe and now Apple wants to highlight some of that diversity with a new playlist.
    The new Apple Music playlist will be called “Suave” and it will be built around R&B songs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The plan is to have a multi-lingual, globally inspired playlist and apparently Apple Music execs were inspired to make the playlist because of the song “Fresh Air” by Melii, which is a pretty catchy tune if you haven’t heard it. The Suave playlist is launching today and will be available worldwide tomorrow.
    Alaysia Sierra, R&B and Hip Hop Programmer for Apple Music, told that the idea was to have the Suave playlist “be the intersection of culture where the music comes first,” because Apple enjoys when music breaks down barriers.
    The plan is to update the playlist with new music weekly with music from artists like by Paloma Mami and Rosalia. Obviously, you’ll need to be an Apple Music subscriber to get the playlist, but the smart money says someone will copy the playlist to Spotify pretty quickly (though we obviously can’t endorse that sort of thing.)
    Lees ook: