Spotify’s new features let listeners explore the people and stories behind their favorite music

On Wednesday, Spotify rolled out new functionalities aimed at highlighting the individuals behind beloved tracks, including producers, engineers, songwriters, and background vocalists. This initiative is designed to enrich the listening experience by revealing the intricate connections between songs and the inspirations that shaped them. One of the standout tools introduced is an interactive feature named SongDNA. This feature allows users to discover the tracks that have been sampled in a chosen song, identify who has covered it, and explore other projects associated with the song's collaborators. The development of SongDNA was first hinted at by reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, who spotted references to it in the app’s source code, as reported by TechCrunch in October. With SongDNA, Spotify users will have the opportunity to delve into the broader artistic landscape surrounding their favorite songs. Previously, the Song Credits section primarily included top-line performance, songwriting, and production credits. The information about sampled music is sourced from WhoSampled, a community-built database that has recently joined Spotify. Additionally, Spotify is set to introduce a feature called “About the Song,” which will present swipeable cards in the “Now Playing” interface. These cards will provide insights into the song's inspirations, narratives, and cultural significance. The information will be drawn from various third-party sources, offering links to platforms like Wikipedia and notable news outlets. This revamped approach to music background information follows Spotify's earlier collaboration with Genius, which highlighted select track stories. Unlike that previous feature, which was restricted to Genius' database, the new functionality promises a broader range of sources. Spotify has confirmed that the expanded Song Credits will begin rolling out on mobile devices starting Wednesday, with plans to extend to desktop in the coming months. Notably, SongDNA and the About the Song feature will initially be exclusive to Premium subscribers, with a preview set for early next year aimed at ensuring accuracy with input from the music creators themselves before wider public release.