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If you use Spotify regularly, you’ll undoubtedly have created some playlists in your time. And Spotify will also have created playlists for you, includingyour annual Wrapped roundups. However, if you want something a little different, we have pulled together a list of ways to make more interesting Spotify playlists.
1Explore Your Own Niche Mixes
Spotify is renowned for its curated playlists, with the streaming service offering each user multiple playlists made specifically for them. There are Mood Mixes, Decade Mixes, and Genre Mixes, to name just a few. And these all live inside theMade for Yousection of the app just waiting to be discovered.
In May 2023,Spotify added Niche Mixes. These are personalized playlists for almost anything you can think of. Again, you can find these in theMade for Yousection of the desktop and mobile apps. But you can also search for any activity, vibe, or aesthetic and add “mix” to the end to find new ones.
These Niche Mixes are great playlists in their own right, as Spotify crafts them for each individual based on their listening history. Which means no two Niche Mixes are the same. My “Running Mix” will be different from your “Running Mix,” for example. However, you can also use them to inspire your bespoke playlists.
2Use Spotify’s Search Operators
While everyone knows that you can search for songs, albums, and playlists on Spotify, fewer people realize that Spotify boasts its own search operators. You can add these tags to any search to narrow the results down. You can use these search operators to find exactly what you’re looking for and, in turn, create more interesting playlists.
You can find a full list of advanced search operators onSpotify’s support page, but they include (with examples) “year:1977”, “genre:metal”, “label:domino”, and “tag:new”. The latter only shows music released within the last two weeks. You can also combine any of the above to create very niche searches. For example: “genre:rock year: 1992”.
These are perfect fodder when you’re looking to create new playlists. Looking to create a playlist full of rock music from a certain year? Now you can. Scroll through the songs with that search operator, and your playlist will start coming together.
3Use the Fans Also Like Function
One really simple but effective way of finding new music related to what you’re already listening to is the Fans Also Like function. You’ll find this on every artist’s Spotify page. Just visit your favorite artist’s Spotify page by searching for the name or clicking on it when browsing the app. Then, scroll down past the popular songs, discography, and list of playlists featuring that artist until you seeFans also like.
On the desktop app, you’ll seeShow Allon the right-hand side. Click that to reveal the full list. On mobile, you’ll see a smaller number of artists that you can browse by scrolling across.
Whatever app you’re using to access Spotify, you’re able to use it to find similar artists and songs to add to your playlists. Be warned, however, that it’s very easy to get lost in the daisy chain this creates, with you hopping from one artist to the next ad infinitum.
4Combine Odd Word Combinations
It’s important to remember that you may search for whatever you want on Spotify. So don’t feel limited to searching by artist, genre, or song. Instead, try typing random words in to see what Spotify surfaces.
To get started, navigate tothe Search tab, which is present on both the desktop and mobile apps. Then type 1-4 random words in to see what comes up. As a purposely bizarre example, I searched for “short dinosaur eating.” Unsurprisingly, most of the playlists Spotify presented to fit that search were full of dinosaur-related songs for children. However, there were a few gems more suited to your average Spotify user, including a 1,759-song playlist called “Dinosaurs Are Cool.”
you’re able to either just follow the playlists these odd searches bring up or use them as the basis for your own creations. Personally, I browse the playlists these searches surface, listening to the songs that appeal to me and using them as inspiration for my own playlists.
5Use an Online Playlist Generator
If the above methods sound too much like hard work, let someone else take the strain. There are plenty of online Spotify playlist generators, includingUniversal Music’s Playlist GeneratorandSony Music’s MOOD Playlist.
My personal favorite isChosic’s Playlist Generator, which enables you to generate playlists based on a song, artist, category, genre, or playlist. You can then refresh the songs based on how similar they are or filter the list by mood.
You can use these online playlist generators to either create ready-made playlists or to provide inspiration for your own efforts. By tweaking the setup and employing the filters these playlist generators provide, you can bend and shape the song selections to your will. Then, just add the ones that appeal to your own playlists.
A word of warning: Most of these online playlist generators ask you to connect your Spotify account. While this is generally fine, it does mean sharing your data with a third-party app. So, you should proceed with caution. If you want to avoid connecting your Spotify, you can usually opt out for limited functionality.
These methods should provide several interesting ways tocreate new Spotify playlists. And despite all being simple to accomplish, they should help you discover new music and broaden your musical horizons, which is exactly what streaming services should be doing.
