Spotify is reviving the radio through online streaming through the user-uniquely generated Daily Drive playlists.
The art of radio has slowly been seeping its way out with the spread of music streaming via Spotify, YouTube and Apple music. But what if radio could co-exist with a streaming service like Spotify?
Introducing the Daily Drive playlist. Like the Daylist or other generated playlists on the app, Daily Drive incorporates artists, genres and songs that are often included in users’ own playlists. Yet, unlike the usual repetitive Spotify playlist, there is a twist: news excerpts and audio clips are programmed between songs. Rather than flipping through FM radio to find the right tune, Spotify Daily Drive incorporates both the needed news and pleasant tunes.
For example, after jamming out to some Doja Cat and Saweetie, the music may have a needed interruption to delve into “The Journal’s” coverage on the Arizona Supreme Court’s ban on abortion in the state. Rather than listening to a radio host pass along the news, Daily Drive incorporates different music and different journalistic sources, educating and informing listeners as they cruise through their day on Spotify.
Though the Daily Drive has been an ongoing feature on Spotify, it is incredibly unique in terms of how it is able to source both music and news for listeners. Curated to each users’ tastes, the playlist is vastly superior to the generalized music heard on the radio, while being able to source news from more than just one publication.
Aside from “The Journal,” the Daily Drive also includes sources like CNN, local news, podcasts – any news audio that could find itself on Spotify and pertain to a user who loves kpop, the “Trolls” movie soundtrack and Sabrina Carpenter.
Yet, there are some rather apparent flaws with the generation of Daily Drive mixes. Though the idea is ingenious in concept, the lack of musical variety (a common issue with most generated playlists) and the very tight parameters of the playlist have been a major gripe for users. Yet, even though it is a common gripe that Spotify-generated playlists are repetitive, the playlists are rather dependent on music that users are often dependent on. Listeners are not able to really edit or adjust the Daily Drive, with specific songs listed in order, and then a 5-minute news clip after the first few songs. Furthermore, because Spotify takes existing clips from podcasts and news stations, the length of the actual news is totally out of users’ control. Some are 45-seconds to a minute, while other audio clips are 15-or more minutes long.
A possible solution for users is that they have greater control over their generated playlists. Maybe if they are interested in using the Daily Drive on their daily drive to work or commute, a possible place in the app for users to list their preferences in news, music, and possible news sources like podcasts and companies that they would like to hear from.
Despite the superficial flaws of the Daily Drive, it is a unique and interesting reinvention of the radio. With more and more people getting their news and knowledge from social media, it really isn’t a bad idea for Spotify to take some initiative to inform its users. The Daily Drive is able to incorporate recent and relevant news in between popular songs specially selected for users.
Taking a different direction in terms of auto-generated playlists, Daily Drive is able to incorporate a new routine for listeners on Spotify.
