Challenge Accepted: Amazon Music's Maestro Takes On Spotify's AI Playlists

Amazon isn’t going to let Spotify have all the glory in the AI playlist generating space, as the company officially launches its own AI playlist effort dubbed Maestro. The new feature is now available to Amazon Music customers across all tiers and plans in the United States participating in the beta program on iOS and Android. However, only a certain number of Android and iOS users will be able to take Maestro for a spin.

Amazon says that Maestro is “an AI playlist generator that helps you create any playlist you can think of—plus all the ones you can’t.” According to the company, users will be able to utilize prompts of varying lengths that can contain emoji, sounds, or activities to generate a playlist. However, if a user is unable to come up with something they like there will also be pre-made prompts available for use.


Amazon is leaning in heavily on the use of emoji. The company points out that “within seconds, you’ll be able to admire your use of emojis to evoke the perfect songs, and get a unique-to-you playlist that brings a selection of electronic and robot-like tracks to life.” Amazon also provided a short list of example prompts, which are mostly emoji laden.

Users will need to keep in mind that this very much a beta, with Amazon trying to keep expectations in check as it rolls out Maestro. The company says that “as you play around, just remember that the technology behind Maestro is new and won’t always get it right the first time.”

It will be interesting to see this AI battle shake out as Amazon Music and Spotify compete to keep current customers happy while trying to siphon off users from one another. How important these AI features are to customers still isn’t known, so time will tell if these investments will pay off for either service.