Spotify set to add TikTok-style swipe music discovery

Spotify will announce the addition of a TikTok-like music and podcast discovery stream at its Stream On event on March 8th.

A new mobile homepage similar to TikTok will allow listeners to swipe vertically through content recommendations with visuals from Canvas’ looping short videos and the GIFs already found alongside some tracks, according to a report from Bloomberg News.

Pros & Cons of TikTok-style music discovery

Music discovery via a quick swipe or other methods that encourage skipping to the next track within seconds have often been criticized as constraining songwriters, producers, and performers who may prefer a slow build to the hook or other song structures.

For Spotify, the change is about appealing to younger users. As of last year, one in three Spotify users was between 18 and 24, and CEO Daniel Ek told Bloomberg that the company “could be doing better” at appealing to Gen Z.

Last June, Co-President and Chief Product and Technology Officer Gustav Söderström said that the launch of swipe-to-discover could unite the platform’s various verticals – music, podcasts, and audiobooks – in one place.

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a professor for the Berklee College Of Music.