Image credit: Spotify

10 years since the launch of Spotify’s beloved Discover Weekly playlist, customisation options are coming for listeners.

Almost exactly 10 years ago, I wrote about the launch of a new playlist on Spotify. It was Discover Weekly, a playlist of 30 songs personalised for each Spotify user that introduced new recommendations based on their taste and listening preferences.

Users instantly connected with the algorithm’s quality of recommendations and the regularity, allowing them to jump into a personal mix of new music each week. In its first year Discover Weekly generated 5 billion streams. Discover Weekly went on to become a fan favourite and has since been streamed more than 100 billion times.

However, there have been reports that the quality of Spotify’s algorithm has dwindled and users aren’t as happy with their recommendations. In May, Spotify revealed that they had updated genre accuracy and the algorithms for recommendations in Discover Weekly.

Now, Discover Weekly has a brand new cover art and something much more major. New personalisation features allow users to change the recommendations Spotify offers by basing them on genre.

Up to five genres will be offered, including Hyperpop, Funk, Electronica, Pop, and R&B. The genre buttons available will presumably be tailored to user tastesand allow users to tailor their Discover Weekly to a particular vibe.

The feature adds a nice level of user-control to the personalisation, departing from a recent focus on new AI tools like their AI DJ and non-musical pursuits in audiobooks and podcasts. User SocialJerm commented on The Verge saying: “More of this and less audiobook sidequests, please.”

User Zedddy108 writes on The Verge: “I’m really disappointed in Spotify’s inability to hone in on my musical taste. I hope this helps fix that. It frequently gives me music I really don’t like. It will range from hip hop to AI-sounding low-fi beats.”

The feature is rolling out to mobile users over the coming weeks for Premium users. This does sadly mean that desktop listeners and free Spotify listeners can’t currently use the new genre selector in Discover Weekly.