How to Customize Playlists Created by Spotify
Spotify’s algorithm-generated playlists try but don’t always hit the target. If you want to tinker a bit with the recipe, try Nelson , a Spotify playlist generator that lets you customize what appears in your playlist based on what kind of music (or musical elements) you like.
Nelson , created by engineer Spotify Developer Advocate Ariel Vaniderstayn , offers more detailed options of what you want to hear more. You start by choosing up to five genres that interest you, and then adjust the sliders to suit specific musical elements (you can adjust the settings from 0.0 to 1.0). Then: watch as a custom playlist is created right in front of your eyes. You can of course save this newly created playlist to your Spotify account.
What sliders actually do
If you’re wondering how each setting affects the songs that appear in your playlist, take a look at the Spotify documentation for each setting and how it relates to the music shown. It also highlights how predictable your totally original and irrelevant musical tastes are. For example, danceableness (according to Spotify) “… is based on a combination of musical elements, including tempo, rhythm stability, punching force, and general regularity. A value of 0.0 is the least danceable, and 1.0 is the most danceable. ” Want songs with fewer words? Decrease the “speech” factor, which “determines the presence of spoken words in the track.” The more words a song has, the closer its speech rating is to 1.0.
Spotify is already learning a lot from your previously played tracks, but making changes to these ten parameters, along with choosing the right list of genres, can be a deciding factor in whether your home party playlist is going well or not.