European music streaming service Deezer has turned to artificial intelligence to help users build playlists. The new AI-powered Playlist feature produces a list of songs based on text prompts describing everything from a music genre or time period to your current emotions or activities.
Playlist with AI is currently in beta, with a random 5% of Deezer subscribers selected to try out the feature. The company is likely keen to push it out to more customers, given that the idea of a text-to-playlist AI tool is spreading quickly. Spotify’s AI DJ , Amazon Music’s new Maestro , and YouTube Music’s AI-generated radio are all out or in their own testing phases. Like its rivals, Playlist with AI interprets text prompts provided by users, using an AI model to sift through Deezer’s music library for suitable tracks, including songs the user has never played before.
“We are excited to bring this AI-powered feature to Deezer users around the world,” said Alexandra Leloup, Deezer’s vice president, in an interview with Deezer. rack“Whether you need the perfect soundtrack for a workout, a romantic evening, or a nostalgic trip down memory lane, our AI-powered Playlist curates a new musical experience in seconds, offering endless possibilities to easily discover new music.”
DJ AI
Deezer has been playing with AI for a while now. Users can already use the Flow feature to curate AI-generated playlists, though these are limited to specific moods, genres, and songs that have previously been added to a favorites list. There’s also the AI-powered tune identification tool SongCatcher.
AI-powered playlist creators will only increase the rivalry between the platforms that offer them. As personalized playlists become more popular, streaming services may consider them a necessary, standard feature. There are also broader implications for the music industry. AI-powered recommendations could help emerging artists gain exposure. By including lesser-known tracks that meet users’ specified criteria, AI can introduce new talent to audiences that might otherwise never discover them.
That’s all fine and dandy, except of course when the music labels pay to increase the weight of their clients’ music in the algorithms in order to play more often on more possible text prompts: a kind of postmodern Payola (the scandal where radio stations were secretly paid to play certain songs by record labels). That could ruin playlist personalization and annoy music fans if it’s not done in an open, well-marked way.