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Spotify Announces New Features, Including One That Will Change The Way You Run

Spotify Just Gave Every Runner What They've Always Wanted
Gary Burchell

There's nothing worse than finally hitting your stride on a run before being brought to a halt by a ballad popping up on your playlist. Sure, you could curate some tunes or try some of our suggestions, but once you start pounding the pavement, you might end up going a little faster (or slower) than the beat.

Luckily, music streaming app Spotify is looking to solve the pace problem by launching a new service that detects the tempo of your run while simultaneously matching your preferences to create the perfect personalized running playlist.

“Music is moving away from genres,” Spotify founder Daniel Ek said while announcing the new feature at an industry event on May 20. Ek went on to say that people are now searching by activity and experience. Spotify's competitor, Songza, already has a good grip on this market by curating playlists based on mood and activities alongside classic offerings like decades and genres.

But Spotify seems to have taken this technology to another level. According to Tech Crunch, the running app taps into sensors that already exist in your phone to determine your pace — so you don't even have to buy a new device to try it out. The tech site also explained that Spotify has partnered with musicians to create original tracks that can be reconfigured for a minute and a half to match your energy, giving the runner a feeling of euphoria. Spotify currently has six of these specialty tracks.

And it's a good thing the new service makes the lists for us instead of letting us curate our own. The CBC reported in April that most people stop listening to new music at the age of 33, and if the person becomes a parent early, they might stop even earlier.

The online streaming service also revealed they would be expanding their inventory to include video and podcasts in a $10 US premium package, Wired Magazine reports. There is no word on whether or not the video services will be available in Canada.

Spotify, which launched in Canada in 2014, has yet to announce a release date for the new running app.

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