Playlists 101: Playlist Categories

Playlists (with a focus on Spotify) fall into four general categories, based on who creates and updates the playlists (i.e., retailer or third party) and how much the playlists are “fixed” or personalized (i.e., tailored to the listener’s interests):

• Retailer-generated playlists (i.e., Spotify)
• Editorial 
• Algorithmic (100% personalized)
• Personalized (A mixture of algorithmic and editorial, also referred to as “algatorial”)
• Third party-generated playlists (i.e., individual or another company)
• Third party (user generated or user curated)