Spotify spotted working on a 'SongDNA' feature that showcases the people behind your favorite music | TechCrunch
Key Takeaways
- Spotify is developing a feature called "SongDNA" for music discovery through song credits and collaborators.
- The feature was discovered in the app's code by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who provided screenshots.
- SongDNA would allow users to visually navigate connections between writers, producers, and other contributors.
- The feature could potentially compete with TIDAL's existing interactive credits system.
- Spotify removed references to SongDNA shortly after the initial leak, but has not denied its existence.
Spotify has been observed to be developing a new feature called "SongDNA," which aims to revolutionize music discovery by allowing users to explore tracks based on the credits and all the individuals involved in their creation, such as writers, producers, and engineers. The feature was initially spotted by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who managed to generate visual mockups showing how users could navigate connections between collaborators and explore their broader bodies of work. If launched, SongDNA could pose a challenge to TIDAL's existing interactive credits feature by offering a people-centric approach to music exploration. Industry professionals might find it useful for identifying potential collaborators, while general users could gain deeper insight into the music creation process. Although Spotify has since updated its app to remove visible references to SongDNA after the initial leak, the company declined to comment further without issuing a denial. Another technologist, Chris Messina, confirmed the feature's existence by finding supporting code, suggesting a focus on mapping the network of contributors rather than analyzing musical traits like Pandora's Music Genome Project.
