Spotify launches AM:PM and Secret Genius artist-led playlists

Standing out in the increasingly crowded streaming music market isn't easy. Exclusive content has been the obvious way to do it, with the likes of Apple Music and Tidal offering exclusive access to albums, videos and live shows in recent months.

Spotify has tended to focus on editorial content and that continues with today's launch of two new and exclusive Spotify playlists: AM:PM and Secret Genius.

Both playlists are curated and hosted by the artists, with AM:PM having musicians talk through their favourite tracks for the morning (AM...) and evening (...PM), while Secret Genius is an interview-style feature focusing on famous songwriters.

The features are presented in track-by-track playlist format (with two playlists for AM:PM), flipping between the artist talking and the track discussed. As with other Spotify playlists, you can 'follow' individual playlists so they're added to your Spotify menu screen.

The first AM:PM playlists are by Ellie Rowsell from Wolf Alice, Jean Michel Jarre, Terry Hall from The Specials, and Tinie Tempah. De La Soul, Hot Chip and Kaiser Chiefs are said to be in the pipeline. Secret Genius launches with Ed Drewett, James Blake and Nick Van Eede.

All the playlists are posted under the Spotify Originals account, so you can 'follow' that account to see all of Spotify's original content, alongside these two new features.

Whether the new playlists will have the same impact for Spotify as exclusive albums from Beyonce and Kanye West had for Tidal, which claimed to have added 1.2 million users in one week, remains to be seen.

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Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is Content Director for T3 and What Hi-Fi?, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for more than 15 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).