Spotify seems to be testing a playlist feature that will shuffle podcasts in with its algorithmically-generated music recommendations, the Verge reported on Wednesday. A test witnessed by The Verge shows how several short podcast episodes are placed alongside personalized music suggestions in a playlist that are meant for the drive to work. The Verge’s Dan Seifert says, “This playlist is intended for listening during morning commutes, but it evidently has some kinks to work out if it plans to see a wider rollout down the line.”
Spotify may now start promoting podcasts by inserting suggested episodes into your playlists. Just as Spotify already sends customized music suggestions, subscribers may soon get personalized podcast suggestions too based on their preferences. As a result, while listening to “Your Daily Drive,” you might receive a suggestion for a home renovation podcast or a current news podcast. However, To shuffle them in together feels a little chaotic and disruptive, therefore, we will have to wait and see what this new feature has to offer to the users.
Spotify has already acquired a ton of podcast real estates with its purchases of Gimlet, Parcast, and Anchor, and it has big plans to continue expanding its offerings in that arena.
“Growing podcast listening on Spotify is an important strategy for driving top of funnel growth, increased user engagement, lower churn, faster revenue growth, and higher margins,” the company said. “We intend to lean into this strategy in 2019, both to acquire exclusive content and to increase investment in the production of content in-house.”
However, Spotify hasn’t announced any plans for the feature yet, but it would make sense. The company is clearly committed to podcasting, and it needs a way to promote its new content with its 217 million users.