Spotify is making playlists a little more personal. The streaming platform has launched Playlist Notes, a new feature that allows its editorial team to add written context to individual tracks inside select playlists. At the same time, Spotify is introducing Editor Profiles, giving listeners a closer look at the people behind some of the platform’s biggest playlists.
And Playlist Notes aren’t just for Spotify’s editors—listeners can add their own notes to songs, podcasts and audiobooks inside playlists they create or collaborate on.
Spotify Editors Can Now Explain Their Picks
According to Spotify’s official announcement, editors can use Playlist Notes to explain why a track matters, provide cultural context or simply share why they felt it belonged in a particular playlist.
The feature is initially appearing across six editorial playlists: Today’s Top Hits, RapCaviar, Hot Country, All New Pop, mint and Fresh Finds Hip-Hop.
Users can tap Notes at the top of participating playlists to explore the commentary. Notes may also appear on the Now Playing screen, even when listening to the track outside the original playlist.
Meet the People Behind the Playlists
Spotify is also introducing Editor Profiles, giving its curators public-facing profiles featuring their top tracks, favorite albums and playlists they contribute to.
It’s a small but interesting shift. Editorial playlists can have a major influence on music discovery, but the people actually selecting those tracks aren’t always visible to listeners.
As Music Business Worldwide reports, the move also comes as Spotify continues to emphasize human curation alongside its growing investment in AI-powered music discovery.
Listeners Can Add Notes, Too
Regular Spotify users can also add notes to songs, podcast episodes and audiobooks inside playlists they own or collaborate on.
On mobile, users can tap the three dots next to an item, select Add note, write their message and save it. Anyone who can view the playlist can then see the note. The feature is rolling out on iOS and Android in more than 100 markets worldwide.
Spotify’s editorial Playlist Notes and Editor Profiles are initially rolling out to eligible Free and Premium listeners in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
At a time when algorithms and AI increasingly shape music discovery, Spotify is putting a little more of the human element back into playlists.
And for those of us who take making the perfect playlist way too seriously, we finally get to explain our choices.
