Today, Spotify has announced the launch of its new social listening feature called Jam. This feature is designed to be used in real-time where both Free and Premium users can contribute to a playlist, while it also draws from all of the participant"s listening preferences to find song suggestions which match everybody"s listening tastes.
Launching today for users of the most recent version of the Spotify app, you can start a Jam session by inviting a group of friends or family by clicking on the speaker icon at the bottom of the screen, or the three-dot menu, and selecting "Start a Jam." This will also prompt anyone on the shared Wi-Fi with Spotify open to join the Jam.
To invite other participants, the host can either use Bluetooth and tap phones together similarly to Apple"s new NameDrop feature included with iOS 17, have friends scan the QR code on the host"s screen, or share a link via social media, text, SMS, and more.
Both Free and Premium users can join a Jam, however Premium users get the ability to start a Jam as well as join from anywhere in the world. Everyone can add songs, see who has added each song, receive recommendations all on their own devices, but only the host has the ability to determine who is in the Jam, change the running order, or remove a song.
This further expands Spotify"s offerings of collaborative experiences, making using the app and listening to music more social. Following the release of Blend in 2021, and the use of Collaborative Playlists increasing since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
With Spotify showing no sign of slowing down in recent months, it looks to continuously innovate in the face of competition from the likes of Apple Music and others so that it always has the upper hand.