Spotify, through a partnership with the world's most popular genealogy company Ancestry, now allows users to make customized playlists on the music streaming service that are based on their DNA.
The new Spotify feature is not free, and it comes with certain risks. However, it shows that the service is aggressively churning out ideas in a bid to fight back against rival Apple Music.
How To Make Spotify Playlists Using DNA
Spotify and Ancestry have entered a partnership that will reveal a user's musical DNA and create a customized playlist out of it.
To participate, users will need to pay $99 to sign up for the AncestryDNA program, then send some of their saliva to Ancestry inside a tube. The genealogy company will then provide users with a Spotify playlist that reflects the geographical origins of their ancestors. For example, users with native North American roots may receive playlists that include songs from A Tribe Called Red, while users from African descent may hear Papa Wemba.
Signing up for the AncestryDNA program, however, does not mean getting only a playlist of songs in return. The program will also provide users with information about their roots, including the regions of their origin, the migrations of their early families, and the possibility of finding new relatives within Ancestry's database. Users will also be able to build family trees and discover historical records related to their family.
However, users interested in signing up for the AncestryDNA program should take note of the risk associated with it. As reported by Spin, an investigation revealed that Ancestry claims ownership of a "perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license" that could be used against people and their relatives as the company sees fit. People who sign up to the program also surrender partial legal rights to their DNA, including damages that Ancestry may cause.
Spotify vs Apple Music
Spotify is currently testing the Active Media feature that will allow free users to skip advertisements on the music streaming service. The company also recently increased the song download limit for Spotify Premium subscribers to 10,000 tracks on up to five devices, from 3,333 tracks on up to three devices.
Spotify might be aggressively making these moves due to rival Apple Music's achievement in July of overtaking it in terms of the number of paid subscribers in the United States. Apple Music eclipsing Spotify was just a matter of time due to the higher growth rate of Apple's music streaming service, but it appears that Spotify will not be giving up without a fight.
