Gustav Söderström, one of Spotify’s new co-CEOs, has only been at the helm of the Swedish streaming giant for a couple of months. But he’s already making his mark with a whirlwind of features designed to give users more control over how they consume music. His latest move, unveiled onstage at this year’s SXSW yesterday (March 13), allows listeners to edit Spotify’s interpretation of their personal taste.
Users will soon be able to review and tweak their Taste Profile, the algorithmic summary of their preferences that shapes their home page, generated playlists and experiences like Spotify Wrapped. They can then ask for more or less of a specific genre, artist or even “vibe,” directly steering how the recommendation engine responds.
“Taste is not fact. It’s an option,” said Söderström while speaking at SXSW.
Söderström and fellow co-CEO Alex Norström took over the Stockholm-based company in January, after longtime chief Daniel Ek stepped down at the end of 2025 to become Spotify’s executive chairman. Both are veterans: Söderström has been with Spotify for 17 years and Norström for 15.
The duo previously served as co-presidents, with Söderström also acting as chief product and tech officer and Norström as chief business officer. They will keep their focus on product and business, respectively, but say they plan to synchronize their work rather than run separate fiefdoms with distinct teams and meetings.
Even before becoming co-CEO, Söderström had ramped up Spotify’s product cadence, with the company rolling out 50 new features and updates last year. Recent launches include the Prompted Playlist tool, introduced in January, which creates customized playlists based on user prompts and listening history, and Spotify DJ, an interactive A.I. assistant first released in 2023.
The updated Taste Profile builds on these personalization bets. Users will be able to see how Spotify “reads” their listening habits—for instance, noticing that they have been leaning more into 90s alternative rock or hip-hop—and then nudge the system in a new direction. Typing feedback like “I want to start listening to more Justin Bieber” will push that preference across their recommendations.
Personalization is also central to Spotify’s broader strategy to dominate not just music, but also podcasts and audiobooks. The company has expanded its video podcast offerings through partnerships with platforms like Netflix and is doubling down on its audiobook while moving into physical book sales. Spotify now has 751 million monthly active users and counts about 3.5 percent of the world’s population as subscribers, and it is aiming to grow that figure to 10 percent or even 15 percent.
The new Taste Profile features will roll out to Premium listeners in New Zealand in the coming weeks before expanding more broadly. Users can opt in to fine-tune their preferences—or simply keep listening as they always have.
Observer
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