Why Spotify Turned Everyone Into a Playlist Curator

Spotify didn’t win streaming by having more music. They won by making playlists the center of everything.

And it wasn’t an accident.

Editorial playlists constitute around one third of all Spotify listening time. Think about that - a third of all time spent on Spotify is people listening to playlists curated by Spotify’s editors.

Spotify’s “Daily Mix” and “Discover Weekly” alone account for 29% of listening time among regular users.

But here’s the part most people miss: Spotify isn’t just serving playlists. They’ve turned playlists into their entire strategic moat.

Why playlists specifically? Three reasons:

Let’s break down how this actually works.

Spotify changed the fundamental unit of music from albums to playlists.

This wasn’t just a UX decision. It was strategic.

Playlists are identity markers. They reflect taste, mood, personality. And most importantly - they’re designed to be shared.

Think about the last time you shared an album link with someone. Now think about the last time you shared a playlist.

By turning every user into a DJ, Spotify created an organic growth machine where people naturally share Spotify links in personal, non-spammy ways.

“Check out my workout playlist” “Made you a road trip playlist”“Here’s my studying playlist”

Each one is an invitation to Spotify, wrapped in genuine personal connection.

But playlists aren’t just about growth. They’re about data.

Every time someone creates a playlist, Spotify learns:

This data feeds the algorithm that powers Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Daily Mix - the algorithmic playlists that keep users coming back.

Premium users average 6.7 playlists followed, compared to 3.2 for free users. More playlists = more data = better recommendations = higher retention.

The innovation over time has been relentless:

Each feature makes playlists stickier, more personal, more valuable.

Here’s where it gets strategic.

Spotify doesn’t own the music. Never will. They license everything from labels and rights holders.

So how do they build defensibility? Curatorial power.

A study found that placement on Spotify’s “Today’s Top Hits” playlist can generate between $116,000 and $163,000 in additional royalties for an artist. Viva Latino generates between $303,000 and $424,000.

Think about what that means. For independent artists and labels, getting featured on a Spotify Editorial Playlist is one of the most powerful growth levers available.

Viva Latino currently has 15.5 million followers. Today’s Top Hits has over 34 million followers.

When Beéle debuted on Viva Latino in 2019, his streams surged by 168% within a month. Artists featured in Viva Latino’s Radar Latino series enjoyed an average 49% increase in streams.

This is power. Real, measurable, industry-shifting power.

Since Spotify doesn’t own the music, playlists became the mechanism through which they exert influence over the industry.

In 2020, 19 of the top 20 most-followed playlists were created by Spotify’s editorial team, totalling nearly 161.5 million followers.

Nearly every screen in the app funnels users toward Editorial Playlists:

For artists, this creates a new gatekeeper. Want to break through? You need Spotify’s curators to notice you.

Anitta’s “Envolver” appeared on Viva Latino 132 days before hitting #1 globally. Myke Towers’ “LALA” appeared 99 days before topping charts.

Spotify’s playlists don’t just reflect hits - they create them.

Most streaming services compete on catalog size or audio quality or price.

Spotify competes on curation.

They’ve built a system where:

The result? Spotify doesn’t just host music. They shape what people listen to.

That’s the moat. Not the technology. Not the catalog. The curatorial power that comes from having the world’s largest playlist ecosystem.