Spotify Blend: Sweet Dreams Really are Made of Nightmares

Spotify Blend is the newest feature on Spotify. It syncs your music taste with whoever you send the Spotify blend link to and generates a playlist with similar songs you each would like. It has a song compatibility reading system, ranging from 0  to 100%, as well as revealing to you both the song that “brings you together.” It also updates daily, so it is always caught up on what one is streaming. It is a great function, allowing one to see the songs your friends like, as well as be turned on to new tracks you might like as well. Spotify Blend is also the reason why all my friends now know I sometimes shamelessly listen to “‘One Piece: Epic Battle Theme.’”

Spotify Blend syncs all of your data, which means even the music you listen to while in a private session, or the music you listen to only when you study (i.e: anime epic battle themes) will be exposed to your friends and are no longer a secret to be kept to yourself. Spotify blends always end up deteriorating into a beautiful disaster at some point, but that is the charm of it all.

When I asked people about their experiences with the new Spotify function, people shared their good (and bad) experiences. One person commented on the blend’s ability to seamlessly create the perfect aux where both parties will enjoy, and know, the songs from the playlist. This is ideal for people who have similar music tastes or are open to discovering new music they may not have been originally into. Another person replied and griped that no matter what they did, the blend would put “Where Them Girls At” by David Guetta onto the playlist. In my experience, if I stream a certain song often, even if only for a month or two, it would appear on the playlist. Even if I wasn’t really all that into “Montero Call Me By Your Name” anymore, it would find a home within my blends, public to everyone.

The last saving grace of Spotify Blend is it solves the issue of figuring out how to answer someone when they ask you what music you like. Now instead of fumbling over your words and involuntarily replying with “The Beatles,” you can make a playlist with the person asking and compare music you know you both like. The blend always makes sure to put in tracks both users stream. It is the ideal party trick for those who crumble under pressure, and it is the easiest way to find what artists the other party may like, and what you have in common. 

Spotify has been pushing forward with its collaborative functions in order to make the app more user-friendly. It initially started with the “friend feed” where you can see what your friends are listening to live, but it has since implemented collaborative listening sessions and now blends. The Spotify blend is a double-edged sword. It is the music elitist’s worst nightmare. Yet, it is one of the most intriguing interactive features that the app provides. It shows us we really aren’t all that different from one another. It is the hubris that shows our humility to one another.

Written by Jax Samsell

Design by Stella Singer