Spotify is testing the ability for listeners to wholesale banish some artists from their playlists.
Some Spotify subscribers are seeing an option reading “don’t play this artist” within the settings menu on the offending artist’s page.
Spotify hasn’t confirmed it is testing the feature, but Trusted Reviews can confirm the feature is present within our installed version of the iOS app.
The option is one of the long-requested features from users seeing unwanted artists appearing in their playlists, or custom radio stations.
While the recommendation algorithms already do a pretty good job of figuring out what individual listeners like to see in their playlists, there are always those artists who don’t quite gel with a user’s tastes, despite genre-based similarities.
Related: Spotify vs Apple Music
The ability to block those artists should ensure those outliers no longer appear in playlists like Daily Mix, Discover Weekly and more.
Users can already skip and give a thumbs down to tracks in order to fine tune their playlists, but this should give the company a firmer push.
The feature was first spotted by Thurrot over the weekend, but Reddit users are claiming to have had access to the feature for up to seven months. For what it’s worth, a Spotify customer service rep said there are no plans to release the feature to the entire user base right now.
If it is rolled out widely, listeners may choose to block artists who they have a personal distaste for. For example, there are probably a few less Spotify subscribers inclined to contribute to R. Kelly’s coffers through streaming revenue at this particular time.
Have you noticed the ‘block this artist’ feature in the Spotify app on your phone yet? Which artists will you be dropping the block hammer on? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
