Episode
Gustav Soderstrom: Spotify
1:47:10
Published: Mon Jul 29 2019
Description
Gustav Soderstrom is the Chief Research & Development Officer at Spotify, leading Product, Design, Data, Technology & Engineering teams. This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on iTunes or support it on Patreon.
Chapters
Lex Friedman talks to Gustav Soderstrom, the Chief Research and Development Officer at Spotify about the use of AI in personalizing the music experience, among other things including their personal favorite songs and movies.
00:00 - 01:53 (01:53)
Summary
Lex Friedman talks to Gustav Soderstrom, the Chief Research and Development Officer at Spotify about the use of AI in personalizing the music experience, among other things including their personal favorite songs and movies.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Before recorded music, people had to be present when music was played in order to hear it.
01:53 - 08:57 (07:04)
Summary
Before recorded music, people had to be present when music was played in order to hear it. Music has always had a social component, and listening to music together is a way to form intimate relationships.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast episode discusses the evolution of music and radio.
08:57 - 22:58 (14:00)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses the evolution of music and radio. It covers radio's transition from an information medium to music, the emergence of music streaming services, and the shift towards an access model for music.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The CEO of a streaming service describes audio as a key component of their platform, highlighting the similarities in time spent on audio versus video.
22:58 - 26:10 (03:11)
Summary
The CEO of a streaming service describes audio as a key component of their platform, highlighting the similarities in time spent on audio versus video. While the service also offers video content, they view it as backgroundable.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Playlisting is a tool for creating custom soundtracks for your life using a meta programming language for music.
26:10 - 33:50 (07:40)
Summary
Playlisting is a tool for creating custom soundtracks for your life using a meta programming language for music. However, it can be challenging to keep up with new releases and maintain a well-curated library.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The company acquired Tunigo and leveraged its professional playlisters to build AI-powered playlists based on semantic vectors to make them more meaningful and less random.
33:51 - 38:29 (04:38)
Summary
The company acquired Tunigo and leveraged its professional playlisters to build AI-powered playlists based on semantic vectors to make them more meaningful and less random.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Spotify's VP of Product, Todd Yellin, discusses the opportunities for expanding the workflow of musicians and podcasters by combining user data with content-based data.
38:29 - 43:46 (05:16)
Summary
Spotify's VP of Product, Todd Yellin, discusses the opportunities for expanding the workflow of musicians and podcasters by combining user data with content-based data. By creating a software tool chain with a DAW, artists can have access and leverage to data to help mold and promote their content.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The technology used in Adobe should be incorporated into music creation tools to assist music creators during the creative process.
43:46 - 48:51 (05:04)
Summary
The technology used in Adobe should be incorporated into music creation tools to assist music creators during the creative process. Adobe recently acquired Anchor, a mobile focused and easy to use podcast creation tool.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
Anchor's main objective is to make podcasting accessible to everyone, and having both podcasts and music in the same app is seen as an opportunity to offer a more seamless experience to their listeners.
48:51 - 55:29 (06:38)
Summary
Anchor's main objective is to make podcasting accessible to everyone, and having both podcasts and music in the same app is seen as an opportunity to offer a more seamless experience to their listeners. Their mission statement focuses on putting the creators first, to ensure that they can live off their art.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The experience of the audience is a significant factor in keeping listeners in podcasts, thus they tend to stick with certain hosts or shows.
55:30 - 59:15 (03:45)
Summary
The experience of the audience is a significant factor in keeping listeners in podcasts, thus they tend to stick with certain hosts or shows. However, there is still a great opportunity for the discovery of new shows as the podcast catalog grows rapidly.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The challenge of machine learning in product development is to determine how it fits in with product management, engineering and design.
59:15 - 1:06:48 (07:32)
Summary
The challenge of machine learning in product development is to determine how it fits in with product management, engineering and design. If a discovery product is the goal, then setting the expectation with users that much of what is shown will not be relevant is key.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
A product manager discusses the process of creating a playlist and identifying a product need for something like "songs to sing in the car".
1:06:48 - 1:14:31 (07:43)
Summary
A product manager discusses the process of creating a playlist and identifying a product need for something like "songs to sing in the car". They curate a list of thousands of popular songs and come up with a concept for a playlist.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The music streaming platform is testing out a new feature that builds on its recommendation algorithm to help users discover new tracks via playlists.
1:14:31 - 1:21:59 (07:27)
Summary
The music streaming platform is testing out a new feature that builds on its recommendation algorithm to help users discover new tracks via playlists. The new system allows users to package their discovery efforts into a playlist, suggesting new tracks the system thinks they might enjoy.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The future of home assistants will involve them serving as more advanced and interactive agents rather than just voice speakers, and they will serve as access points to the internet in the home.
1:21:59 - 1:26:20 (04:20)
Summary
The future of home assistants will involve them serving as more advanced and interactive agents rather than just voice speakers, and they will serve as access points to the internet in the home. While there will still be a need for phone use for the more complicated tasks, home assistants will focus on providing low friction interactions.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The music industry and streaming companies have had to adapt to new business models in the digital age.
1:26:20 - 1:33:13 (06:53)
Summary
The music industry and streaming companies have had to adapt to new business models in the digital age. Companies like Spotify have had to find ways to make money while also paying artists and labels, while other companies have different business models that allow them to still be profitable without people paying for music.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The music and audio industry is more complex than it may seem, as it taps into a core human need.
1:33:13 - 1:41:34 (08:20)
Summary
The music and audio industry is more complex than it may seem, as it taps into a core human need. Utilizing game theory can provide a deeper understanding of this industry and what consumers want.
EpisodeGustav Soderstrom: Spotify
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The future of computing may move towards specific purpose devices and become more integrated into our lives.
1:41:34 - 1:47:00 (05:25)
Summary
The future of computing may move towards specific purpose devices and become more integrated into our lives. Love is simpler than people think, regardless of whether it's real or fake.