Skip to Content

Spotify Taps Hannibal Buress to Create Playlists

Spotify relies heavily on algorithms to offer its listeners interesting music. Today the company decided to see what happens when a human comedian gives it a try.
January 27, 2016

It’s interesting to see that Spotify has tapped the comedian Hannibal Buress to create interesting playlists combined with colorful commentary, as part of its In Residence show.

Last year, we looked at how Spotify, Apple, and others generate their playlists. With millions of songs now instantly available for streaming, the only way for companies to distinguish their services is to offer clever, compelling music recommendations to users. And while Apple Music launched with big name DJs and musicians providing playlists, Spotify has in the past focused more heavily on personalizing music by mining users’ behavior, and cross-referencing the habits of like-minded music fans.

These music selection algorithms are ingenious, and they can help you discover some amazing stuff (I’m personally a big fan of Discover Weekly, which auto-generates a list of songs you haven’t heard, and will probably like, once a week). However, there’s really no match for the human touch when it comes to putting together a creative playlist.

Anyway, I think Buress’s comedic commentary highlights this nicely. Previous hosts of the Spotify show have mostly been musicians, but it’s actually pretty cool to hear selections and banter from a music fan. You can judge for yourself by listening here. Be warned, though, the language isn’t exactly PG-rated.

(Sources: Fader, Billboard, Quartz)

Keep Reading

Most Popular

This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI

The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. 

Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist

An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.

Data analytics reveal real business value

Sophisticated analytics tools mine insights from data, optimizing operational processes across the enterprise.

Driving companywide efficiencies with AI

Advanced AI and ML capabilities revolutionize how administrative and operations tasks are done.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.