Music streaming giant Spotify is expanding its AI-powered “DJ” feature, bringing personalized music recommendations and commentary to Spanish-speaking users around the globe.
The move comes on the heels of a significant surge in social media conversations about a Spanish-language DJ, with discussions increasing by 215% in recent months, Spotify told MBW in an emailed statement.
Spotify’s DJ feature launched in beta in February 2023, offering a personalized listening experience driven by artificial intelligence. Spotify described it during launch as an “AI DJ in your pocket” that serves as “a personalized AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you.”
DJ provides curated playlists alongside insightful commentary on the chosen tracks and artists. In August 2023, Spotify announced its global expansion.
The original English-speaking DJ, voiced by Xavier “X” Jernigan, will now be joined by Olivia “Livi” Quiroz Roa as the voice of the new Spanish-speaking DJ. Spotify says the AI-driven Livi isn’t just a voice, but a seasoned music expert with extensive experience in the industry.
“After an extensive international casting call, Livi’s voice resonated the most with listeners, with continuous feedback around her relatability and users feeling like they were hearing music recommendations from a friend.”
Spotify
“Livi is currently a Senior Music Editor at Spotify based out of Mexico City, but she is also a music expert who has spent her entire career in the music industry. After an extensive international casting call, Livi’s voice resonated the most with listeners, with continuous feedback around her relatability and users feeling like they were hearing music recommendations from a friend,” Spotify said.
Spotify says the Spanish-speaking DJ will allow the company to connect with millions of Spanish listeners and offer them a brand new way to experience the platform. The feature will initially be available for Premium users in markets where DJ is currently available, and the company plans to expand the feature to select Latin American countries and Spain.
The move marks Spotify’s continued push into artificial intelligence. Back in April, Spotify unveiled another AI-powered feature: a playlist generator based on text prompts.
The AI Playlist tool lets users describe their desired mood or theme using a few words. They can type in, for instance, “an indie folk playlist to give my brain a big warm hug,” “relaxing music to tide me over during allergy season,” or “a playlist that makes me feel like the main character.” The AI Playlist generator will then curate a selection of songs that match the prompts.
Recently, Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek said there are 8 billion user-curated playlists on Spotify, with 725 million created since the start of 2024 alone.
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