Launched in February 2023, Spotify AI DJ sounds like something from a Sci-Fi movie.
If you told someone 20 years ago that some tool could analyze your music taste and then produce a custom radio station just for you with a talking DJ, they would have thought you were crazy.
Yet here we are, with Spotify DJ in full force. And it’s only one of Spotify’s AI-driven features alongside their AI Playlist maker. Let’s talk more.
Transfer your Spotify playlist to any other streaming service using Tune My Music.
What is Spotify DJ?
Spotify AI DJ is a personalized playlist with an AI-generated DJ giving context to chosen songs for a radio-like experience.
The foundation of AI DJ is Spotify’s recommendation algorithm used across the streaming service. Then, the knowledge library of Spotify’s musical experts is combined with the OpenAI technology.
Finally, the content generated using OpenAI tech is combined with Spotify’s AI generation tool. The company uses Sonatic, an AI generation platform Spotify bought in 2022.
In case the Spotify DJ’s voice sounds similar, it was modeled after Xavier “X” Jernigan, Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships and also the host of “The Get Up” show, Spotify’s first-ever morning show.
How Does Virtual DJ Spotify Work?
We just covered the key components of the Spotify AI DJ, but let’s see how it works in action.
- • Spotify algorithm makes a recommendation playlist based on your listening habits or taste. Think Discover Weekly or the Spotify Daylist.
- • Spotify generates the text for the AI DJ using OpenAI and its knowledge library from in-house music experts. For example, while listening to Taylor Swift’s “Fearless” album, you may learn that Taylor was the youngest solo artist to win Album Of The Year.
- • Using Sonatic, Spotify generates a human-sounding, AI-generated radio DJ voice. You will hear this voice between the songs and voila – radio!
How to Get Spotify DJ
Spotify DJ is available to Premium users in about 4 dozen countries. It’s very easy to find, and if you’re struggling to do so, chances are you’re in a restricted area. Anyway, this is how to open Spotify AI DJ.
- 1. Open your Spotify mobile app (IOS or Android).
- 2. Select “Music” from the top filtering menu on the Home page.
- 3. Scroll down and tap the Play button on the DJ card.
After the music starts playing, you can hit the DJ button in the Now Playing bar to change the music.
How to Get the Most From Spotify DJ Mode
Spotify AI DJ is based on your listening habits and how you interact with suggestions. So if you like a song that’s suggested, you can expect more similar suggestions. Skip the track or hit the Spotify DJ button to change the music, and chances are you will get fewer similar tunes.
Spotify AI DJ Not Working: 1 Main Reason
If the Spotify DJ feature is not showing to you, there’s pretty much just one cause – the feature is not available in your region.
The AI DJ was initially rolled out in the US and Canada and then spread out across the UK and, ultimately, Europe and more regions globally.
At the moment, the list of countries where Spotify DJ is available includes: Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Botswana, Burundi, Canada, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Now, technically, there are two other reasons why Spotify DJ isn’t working for you. One is that you are a Free user. The feature is for Premium users only. And the second one is that you are offline; Spotify DJ is not available in offline mode in any way. Try the Spotify Offline Backup Playlist for that.
How Spotify DJ Improves the Cross-Platform Experience
Consider this–when you discover a new song while listening to Spotify DJ, you can easily add it to one of your pre-made playlists.
This playlist can then be shared to other platforms via Tune My Music. Plus, by combining Spotify DJ with Tune My Music, you can enjoy a more exciting music experience across platforms.
For example, if you’re switching services but want to maintain the personalized touch of your Spotify DJ, Tune My Music makes this possible. You can move your Spotify playlist filled with your new favorites to the new platform, ensuring you don’t miss a beat when making the transition.
Similarly, if you have friends or family members on different platforms, Tune My Music combined with Spotify DJ can help bridge the gap with the Tune My Music Share feature. By sharing your AI-curated playlists, you’re giving them a taste of your personal musical journey, no matter which platform they use.
This creates wonderful opportunities for sharing new musical discoveries and igniting engaging conversations about your favorite tracks.
Is Spotify DJ AI Any Good?
Personally, I think Spotify AI DJ is all right. Now, as Allison from The Verge rightfully points out, Spotify DJ just can’t beat the real thing because it lacks the human, social factor. Music (and music discovery) is a lot about human interaction, and while Spotify’s DJ mimics the experience quite nicely, it’s not the real thing.
That said, I say take this feature for what it is. In my opinion, it’s Spotify’s usual recommendation playlist with an AI gimmick. And I don’t mean “gimmick” in a bad way. The “gimmick” makes music discovery more fun and gives you extra incentive to explore new music—I can’t complain about that.
When it comes to the quality of recommendations, I’ve seen people praise and bash this one. It’s solid, if you ask me. All the songs it suggested were in line with my taste. Some were from artists I’m well familiar with, and others were more obscure. Keep developing this one, Spotify – who knows what it might develop into.
Marcus Bronzy from How to Kill an Hour said in his honest review of the Spotify DJ:
“For me, as an ex-radio presenter, do I feel scared? No. Should radio presenters be scared? Not just yet, I’d like to think.
“But maybe you can be a radio presented where your voice gets created as an AI and then you get broadcast out…
“I really, really like it. Let’s have some more of this – let’s see how it goes, man. I still think there’s a real place for speech radio, there’s a real place for conventional radio. but if you can enhance playlists with maybe more information from X – it would be nice if they dropped some gems about the tracks.”
FAQs
Who is the Spotify AI DJ voice?
The Spotify AJ DJ voice is AI generated but it’s modelled after Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships, Mr. Xavier “X” Jernigan. The AI generation uses tech from Sonatic, the AI generation platform Spotify acquired in 2022.
Is there a Spotify AI DJ desktop mode?
No, there is no Spotify AI DJ for desktop devices. And this means both the Spotify desktop app and the web player. It doesn’t matter which operating system you use, either.
How to use Spotify AI DJ?
The Spotify DJ is available on mobile apps only in the Made For You section of your Spotify library. To start using it, just hit the play button. Then, interact with the DJ by liking songs you enjoy or skipping the ones that you don’t to shape the algorithm for future suggestions.
How to get the AI DJ on Spotify?
The Spotify AI DJ is built-in for all Premium users in supported regions, but only on mobile. You get it by default, just open the Music section of your library and find the DJ under Made For You.
Why is Spotify DJ not showing up for me?
There is only one reason for Spotify DJ not working for you is that the Spotify DJ feature is not supported in your region. The feature is currently limited to about 50 countries, including the US, the UK, and Canada.
How to remove DJ from Spotify?
If accidentally saved a Spotify DJ playlist and are now wondering how to get rid of DJ on Spotify, just open the playlist, tap the three-dot icon, and select “Remove From Your Library” from the menu. It’s the same as deleting a regular Spotify playlist.
Is Spotify DJ only for Premium users?
Yes, the Spotify AI DJ is a Premium-only feature. It’s not available to Free users but it’s also unavailable on desktop devices, regardless of the OS.
Give Spotify’s DJ Mode a Try
Overall, Spotify’s AI DJ feature is cool. It’s not quite perfect and may not hit the right notes for everyone, but it’s an innovative step forward. And, again, I’m all for anything that will get people to explore new music, including AI-generated DJs.
For more tips and tutorials like this, check out our How-To blog page. Stay safe and have a good one!
