Spotify is experimenting with another method to increase user engagement while leveraging the power of social recommendations. Some users in Vietnam are being prompted to record a playlist reaction with their voice. This segment will be included in a podcast episode.
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Those who see the prompt, which was discovered by a Reddit user, can record a voice reaction all at once or piecemeal with shorter clips by pausing the recording. They have the ability to edit their captures and add background music. Before posting their episode, they will be able to link to the playlist.
Spotify confirmed the test to TechCrunch, but did not reveal how it will moderate the recordings or whether it plans to expand the feature further.
In theory, this could lead to people dabbling in audio creation for the first time, but whether people want to press the record button in response to a playlist remains to be seen.
For years, Spotify has been testing an in-app podcast recording option on and off. In a recent New Zealand trial, it published podcast episodes that a user recorded to that person’s profile.
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That appears to be a smart way for the company to leverage Spotify’s friend connections — a playlist recommendation from a friend may be more effective than one suggested by the algorithm. However, it appears that recording a reaction podcast to offer a recommendation is unnecessary.
