How Spotify Randomly Blending in BTS to your Playlist
Following the release of their Blend playlists last year, Spotify announced on Friday that it is expanding its function to include K-pop artists - and yes, that includes the megapopular boy band BTS.
Spotify Blend playlists are a quick way for users to create shared playlists based on each user's listening preferences. In March, the company released updates for the music discovery feature, which included the ability to "mix" up to 10 people as music artists. This new expansion of K-pop is an example of the latter.
K-pop Blend artists include BTS, Stray Kids, ENHYPEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Nmixx and AB6IX. This feature will mix your favorite songs with named bands. Of course, this is not a Spotify feature because it does not contain any data. After mixing playlists, you get a "shared card" with a "taste-match" score that identifies which songs you have in common. Cards can be shared on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter.
One of the reasons why K-pop has become a worldwide phenomenon in recent years is the fact that bands are active online. Idols are encouraged to interact with fans on various social media platforms, which in turn stimulates parasocial relationships between fans. Spotify's Blend has slots that are good at this dynamic because it makes you feel like you already know about a particular band or idol.
When the playlists created by Spotify are in place, something is perfect. My BTS Blend playlist seems to suggest BTS and I like to listen to a lot of Post Malone ... and I'm fine.