It’s quite a retrospective time here at TechRadar as this week marks the 20th anniversary of one of the best music streaming services, Spotify.
The music giant has pretty much tackled everything a streaming platform can do. It’s rolled out a slew of interactive features and doubled down on personalization, but music discovery is the one reason why I’ve stuck around.
From the flagship Discover Weekly to its regularly-updated editorial playlists, these are some of my favorite tools to use to keep up with the latest releases, build my personal playlists, and craft my growing taste profile. That said, there’s one feature which, despite not being designed exclusively for music discovery, has become one of my most-used Spotify tools for expanding my taste and list of favorite new artists.
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Daylists are still super underrated
When Spotify unveiled Daylists in September 2023, I was instantly hooked. Using your listening patterns as a foundation, your Daylist updates multiple times daily to give you a fresh slew of songs from genres you listen to at certain parts during the day. Not only does it show the range of artists and niche genres you listen to between sunrise and sunset, it also weaves in artists you may not have come across before.
For me, it’s a perfect hybrid of the two things I want out of a streaming experience. The first is a circulation of artists that I already enjoy, but one that spotlights the lesser-known songs and one that isn’t mega repetitive. The second being a reliable resource for finding my next music obsession.
Don’t worry, I haven’t left the trusted Discover Weekly and Release Radar in the dark, as it’s still an integral part of my music discovery regime. But Daylist has something different to give, and it’s highly addictive.
From Geese to Wednesday, to Wet Leg and Balu Brigada
I think the reason why my Daylist works for me is because I listen to a lot of different genres daily, so I rarely find myself getting bored from what each updated playlist presents. I could start my day with 90s soft rock downtown vibes, and end it on a high with some new releases from the 2020s — and there’s plenty more in between.
Because of the range of my Daylists, my exposure to new artists has increased significantly, allowing me to build a solid taste profile and open me up to artists and genres I’d a) never have come across anywhere else, and b) wouldn’t have thought twice about listening to.
In the past year alternative pop, indie, rock, and electronic have swarmed my listening habits, and though BBC Radio 6 Music was the catalyst, listening to the artists I enjoy on the radio such as Viagra Boys and Geese on Spotify has done wonders for bringing new artists into my circle through Daylist.
The rock band Wednesday comes to mind who, though I’d heard of them through the grapevine, didn’t really stick out to me until they cropped up in my Daylist. Equally, indie pop band Water From Your Eyes came to me through one of my afternoon time Daylists, the musician This Is Lorelei founded following his solo debut — another artist that I’ve been enjoying thanks to Daylists.
Come to think of it, that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the new finds that can be attributed to discovering through Daylists. My love for singer and producer Caroline Polachek led me to finding English rock band Caroline (oddly not associated with Polachek) with whom she featured on the song ‘Tell me I never knew that’ from the band’s most recent record. Similarly, listening to Wet Leg’s album Moisturizer on repeat subsequently had me hooked on Balu Brigada, and the same goes for my Oklou listening sessions, which Spotify took as a sign to introduce me to the pop duo After.
For as long as Daylists remain in the Spotify ecosystem, I will always refer back to them as one of my main port of calls for uncovering new artists and niche genres alike. What Spotify feature is your go-to for music discovery? Cast your vote in the poll below!
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
