- Spotify’s SongDNA tool is rolling out to more beta users
- At the moment it appears to only be available on Spotify for Artists, but some listeners have reported early access.
- Spotify hasn’t said when it will launch, but it’s already a hit
Spotify has put its upcoming SongDNA feature on the back burner for a few months, but now that more users are finding it in beta, it’s never felt closer, and is shaping up to be a serious rival to Tidal’s similar tool.
References to SongDNA, a mind mapping feature that shows what other songs your favorite artists have contributed to, were first spotted in October, but at the time they were simply rumors without hard evidence. Now we can put all speculation aside, because Spotify has officially confirmed that SongDNA is on the way and a handful of beta users are already offering their verdicts, and they’re all positive.
A post in the r/truespotify community on Reddit (see below) shows that SongDNA is available through Spotify for Artists Preview, an app that gives artists and their teams early access to upcoming features before they are released to listeners. If you’re an admin or editor on Spotify for Artists, have at least 10 monthly active listeners, and are using version 9.1.28 (or higher) of the Spotify mobile app, you qualify for early access.
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SongDNA is a cool feature of r/truespotify
It appears that SongDNA is not yet widely available in AB tests for standard listeners, although some have reported seeing it on their Spotify accounts. We’ve reached out to Spotify for more information and will update this story when we know more, but what we do know is that those with access are happy with what they’re seeing.
Beyond its immersive visuals and insights into song production, users find this feature one of the best ways to learn about connections between their favorite songs, as well as discover new artists. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg; SongDNA goes the extra mile to show tracks that have been sampled for a song and covers, and I think it might be the most valuable tool Spotify releases this year.
If you love Wikipedia black holes, you’ll crave SongDNA
Between October and now, Spotify has expanded its Song Credits tab, which now reveals the full list of contributors to a song, as well as its handy About Song tool. But the platform has never offered anything like SongDNA before and, based on early reactions, will introduce a new, interactive way to discover new music.
For me, music discovery is one of the essential parts of the best music streaming services, but I often stumble upon Spotify because my usual discovery tricks work brilliantly some days and then stop working for a certain period of time. SongDNA provides a constant flow of information and I can definitely see rival platforms adopting similar features.
Tidal has been highlighting collaborators and producers for a while, and Apple Music has also been experimenting with a tool of its own. Last year it launched Listening Guides for Apple Music Classical, a feature that gives you information about a piece of music, highlighting key details and explaining the story behind the work.
Do you have access to Spotify SongDNA? If so, let us know what you think in the comments.
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