Spotify Announces Major Update Focused on Entertainment and Curated Content

Three weeks ahead of the rumored debut of Apple's new streaming music service, Spotify has announced some feature additions to its own streaming service, with a major focus on curated content and original tracks, plus an expansion into entertainment with video and news clips.

Spotify is introducing a new "Now" start page that offers mood-based music playlists to users, much like Beats Music's "The Sentence," which provides users with curated music options to fit different moods and scenarios. Spotify's "Now" music feature will include curated song selections and its recommendations adapt over time to fit an individual user's tastes.

Another new feature, Spotify Running, focuses on original music. It combines "running compositions written by the world's foremost DJs and composers" with song recommendations based on user listening history and multiple-genre playlists. It matches tempo when running and will be integrated into the Nike+ and Runkeeper apps.

Other original (and exclusive) content will include radio shows presented by various artists like Icona Pop and Jungle, and "Dance Move of the Day" from Amy Poehler's Smart Girls brand.

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Spotify's push for more original content and its renewed focus on curated content mirrors some of what Apple is rumored to be doing with its upcoming Beats Music revamp. Beats Music is well-known for its human-curated content, which Apple will keep in the new service, and Apple may be introducing its own radio shows as well, possibly in a simultaneous iTunes Radio revamp.

Apple is also rumored to be pushing for exclusive content from artists for its new music service, to set it apart from competing services. Some of this may come in the form of artist social networking pages built into the new music service, which will allow artists to share clips, videos, concert updates, and more.

Spotify's new "Now" experience will begin rolling out to iPhone users today in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Sweden. Spotify Running is also rolling out to iPhone users globally as of today.