Spotify is giving Premium users in New Zealand direct control over their recommendation algorithm through a new beta feature called Taste Profile. Users access it by tapping their profile icon and selecting Taste Profile from the sidebar menu. The tool shows which artists you listen to most and surfaces trends in your listening habits, then lets you actively adjust what the algorithm weighs.
This matters because algorithmic feeds have historically been black boxes. Spotify is now exposing the inputs and letting users push back. Too much of one artist? You can tell the system to dial it down. That is a meaningful shift from passive consumption to active curation.
The Verge piece includes a demo clip showing what a real Taste Profile display looks like in practice, which is worth seeing before this rolls out more broadly. New Zealand is the test market. No confirmed date for a wider release.
[READ ORIGINAL →]