The Vergecast Spotify and Disney have everything-app dreams
22 snips
Nov 15, 2023 
Gustav Söderström, Spotify's Co-president and chief product officer, shares insights into the platform's evolution beyond music, tackling audiobooks and user experience challenges. He discusses the balance between AI-driven recommendations and keeping the core music experience intact. Meanwhile, technology journalist Alex Cranz delves into Disney's strategy of merging Hulu and Disney Plus, emphasizing branding dilemmas and the competitive landscape of streaming. Together, they explore the future of media and the push towards all-in-one apps.
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Foreground Discovery
- Spotify aimed to improve "foreground discovery," helping users find new music outside their usual tastes.
- The redesign emphasized visuals and rapid evaluation, lowering the penalty for exploring unfamiliar genres.
Redesign Backlash
- Spotify's redesign received negative feedback due to perceived similarities to TikTok and disruption of established user habits.
- Users struggled to find familiar playlists and podcasts, highlighting the importance of balancing discovery and recall.
Cross-Content Challenge
- Spotify aims to be a comprehensive audio platform, integrating music, podcasts, and audiobooks.
- This requires carefully balancing similarity and difference in user interface and algorithm feedback.