Spotify says genres are out, videos are in, and your tempo run gets a playlist

Today in New York, Spotify announced a number of new features to add to its music streaming service, including the ability to stream video clips and podcasts as well as a move away from searching for music within genres to searching for playlists based on situations and previous preferences.

Spotify noted that users have listened to more than 25 billion hours of music on its service. That translates into a lot of data about individual customers, and the company is hoping to leverage that information to serve up smarter playlists based on the date and time (is it Monday morning? Wednesday after lunch? Friday night? All these moments require different kinds of music) as well as the kinds of music that the customer has listened to in the past. “Music is moving away from genres,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told an audience today. “People don’t search for Hip Hop or Country anymore, but rather they search around activities or a particular experience.” In Spotify's new iteration, the option to pick one of these playlists will be found on the start page, and as with other music streaming services, as you keep listening, the playlists will get smarter.

Also, as expected, Spotify announced that it will start serving up video clips from content networks like ABC, Adult Swim, BBC, Comedy Central, Condé Nast Entertainment, ESPN, Fusion, Maker Studios, NBCUniversal, TBS, TED, and Vice Media (note: Ars Technica and Condé Nast Entertainment are both owned by Condé Nast). Podcasts will also be available, and Spotify says it will make audio and video content suggestions based on listening history, just like it does with music.

The company also introduced an interesting new project called Spotify Running, which will tap into your phone's accelerometer and gyroscope to find your running tempo and match your speed with an appropriate playlist.

And like nearly every other over-the-top streaming service these days, Spotify said it will be producing exclusive audio tracks and video under the moniker “Spotify Originals.” Six tracks for Spotify Running will be available at launch, and a range of video and audio shows will also be published on the platform.