What you need to know
- YouTube Music users are gaining access to personalized mixes from today.
- It's reminiscent of Spotify's Daily Discover Mix in concept and execution
- Google is also adding activity focused mixes to the app.
Google was spotted testing out a Spotify-like Daily Mix feature for YouTube Music a couple of weeks ago. Well, now it's rolling out to general users and should hit all devices pretty soon.
If you've used Spotify's Daily Mix, you should be familiar with the concept. Essentially the app will suggest up to 7 mixes based on your personal tastes. Each one will be distinct from the other, so you may have a K-Pop focused mix, a dance mix, an electronic mix, and so on. There's also a Supermix that blends all these different genres into one long playlist, a Discover Mix, and a New Release Mix.
Google also announced new mixes based around activities. The company has four activities including;wWorkout, focus, relax, and commute. You'll be able to see these four activities as tabs on YouTube Music's home page. Selecting one of these four tabs will show you up to four mixes tailored for the individual activity. Both of these changes are rolling out today.
When it comes to streaming music, curation and personalisation are the tools that services use to differentiate themselves. Merely having a large library of songs isn't enough anymore, it's all about how fast a service can get their listener the song they want to hear before they even ask for it. YouTube Music's disadvantages against Spotify go beyond that. Aside from the former being entrenched in the public consciousness, YouTube Music also lacks social sharing options to apps like Snapchat and Instagram that make Spotify so sticky. These curated mixes are a small step forward in an area that Google has traditionally been good at, but there's still work to be done if Google wants to keep gaining ground.
YouTube Music
Google's flagship streaming service still has room to grow, but it's getting there little by little.
