Spotify Introduces Browse: New Curated Playlists Similar To Songza

Spotify, the music streaming service popular for its on-demand song and artist selection, announced on Monday that it will offer curated playlists to users of its iOS and Android mobile app. Browse, the new service from Spotify, will offer “carefully chosen” playlists from the company’s employees for different “moods” and activities, like going for a jog or getting ready for a “night out,,” according to a press release.

Spotify Browse will be available to users of the company's "Premium" service who pay $9.99 a month and receive access on iPhone and Android devices. Spotify said that the Browse update will start rolling out today on mobile devices, and will “soon be available across all platforms,” including Windows and OS X.

Spotify originally gained steam for providing on-demand song selection as opposed to the “radio” style of music streaming services like Pandora Internet Radio (NYSE:P), which offers customizable playlists based on artists, songs and genres. Spotify became popular in the U.K. shortly after its launch in 2008, but did not become available in the U.S. until 2011 due to negotiation issues with major record labels.

Spotify introduced Discover in July of 2012 -- an algorithm-based “radio” feature similar to the service offered by Pandora.

Spotify’s Browse feature is similar to Songza, a recommendation service that offers playlists based on themes such as “songs in Apple Commercials” and “90s One-Hit Wonders” in addition to playlists like those offered by Pandora. Songza introduced the feature, which it calls the Music Concierge, in a experimental “beta” form in the fall of 2011. Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play Music All Access, released earlier this year, also offers playlists hand-picked by employees.

Spotify has made deals with artists in the past months who had originally requested not to be included on the service, such as Metallica, Pink Floyd, and The Eagles. The Beatles are excluded from online streaming due to an exclusive distribution deal with Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes.

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