Hello! Hello! Welcome back to a new issue of Spotify Newsletter. I hope everyone is having a good Friday and is feeling as happy as the ‘Young woman holding tablet with spotify app’ directly above appears to be.

Love Spotify stock art. If you have any please send along - I will definitely use it.

I ask: if Spotify Wrapped arrived today what would be your #1 most listened to song of the year?

For me it’s gotta be Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years.” I have loved the song and the band since their debut back in 1985. For some reason, this year the song has been played even more than usual. I always listen to their music, but this year there’s a big uptick for this particular tune. It’s that perfect, in my opinion.

Holding Back the Years - 2008 Remaster Simply Red

I just checked my On Repeat playlist, and yes … right at the top is still “Holding Back the Years.”

On Repeat is definitely the coming attractions to what will likely be your top 5 when all the data is processed - and our year in music is presented to us in a few months.

Another question: I listen to Spotify quite a bit via my desktop computer. I have the desktop app as well … but usually connect by browser.

So… Why will the songs in my Liked Songs playlist not play? It works everywhere else. Is that simply a glitch for browsers? Or is it something deeper, darker? :)

Regardless, it’s annoying.

Have a great weekend!!!!

★ SPOTlight★

⭐️ 'If I ran Spotify...' How to improve the world's top music streamer

Spotify’s first decade was all about getting every listener to spend $10.  Spotify’s next decade should be all about turning listeners into fans.  But in their pursuit of podcasts, they’ve lost sight of where music’s going: Interactivity. Fandom. Experience. 

It’s opened a hole in their armor – one that TikTok Music is coming for. If I ruled Spotify, I would turn it into music’s super app, where you listen, engage, buy, share, create & connect. Here’s how: 

⭐️ Spotify will not ban AI-made music, says boss

Daniel Ek told the BBC there were valid uses of the tech in making music - but AI should not be used to impersonate human artists without their consent. He said using AI in music was likely to be debated for "many, many years."

⭐️ Spotify's new Jam feature lets friends collab on party playlists

Spotify is rolling out a new feature called "Jam," which will give friends a way to curate a single playlist on the service and listen to it together in real time. Participants in a Jam session can contribute tracks to a shared queue, which they can access whether they're in the same room or in various places around the world.

⭐️ You can finally ask Siri to play Spotify on a HomePod

A clever workaround in iOS 17 will automatically AirPlay a Spotify session from your iPhone when you use Siri voice commands on a HomePod.

🗣 Podcasts 🗣

• Spotify is going to clone podcasters’ voices — and translate them to other languages

▶️ Playlists ▶️

• Spotify’s ‘daylist’ is coming for radio… but radio still has some aces to play

• Your statistical chance of being featured on Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist is 0.47%

• These Netflix Soundtracks Are Surprisingly Popular on Spotify

• The perfect Spotify playlist for every zodiac sign

🎧 Streams 🎧

• Mandopop music is generating 500m streams a month on Spotify

• Over 500 songs will be in the Spotify Billions Club by end of 2023

• Spotify Wrapped: The songs most likely to feature this year, according to a new study

• Chris Brown's 'Under the Influence' Reaches 1 Billion Streams on Spotify

🎼 Spotify 4 Artists 🎼

• All About Marquee, Spotify for Artists' New Marketing Tool

💡 Tips & Tricks 💡

• How To Find New Music On Spotify To DJ: Crate Digging Tips For The World's Largest Streaming Platform

• How To Use Spotify's New Jam Feature (And Where To Find It)

🤖 Spot(ai)fy 🤖

• Spotify's AI-powered DJ tool is making listening more personal

⚡️ Ek Notes ⚡️

• How A 23 Year Old Introvert Built A $31 Billion Business!

🖌 Design 🖌

• Metrics-Driven Developer Productivity Engineering at Spotify

• Developer Enablement at Spotify with Pia Nilsson

💰 Stock 💰

Not great.

🔥 News 🔥

• India’s Classical Music Takes Center Stage in Spotify’s Echo Campaign

• Spotify expands analytics to give 'a 360-degree view of your audience'

• Spotify Taps Into a Mexican Music Genre Exploding Among Gen Z

🎵 New Adventures 🎵

New Madrid Uncle Tupelo

If I Was The Priest Bruce Springsteen

I Was Made To Love Her Stevie Wonder

Ha Ha Ha Ha (Yeah) White Denim

Keep on Keeping On Curtis Mayfield

Pain and Misery The Teskey Brothers

Someday Soon Journey

Now My Heart Is Full Morrissey

We Could Send Letters Aztec Camera

No Regrets Ella Fitzgerald

📧 Get in touch 📧

If you have a question, idea, request, or simply a desire to chat about Spotify, please email me at jeff.spotifynewsletter@gmail.com.

😀 Have a Nice Weekend! 😀