15 Things You Didn't Know About Spotify

I use Spotify every day and I'm convinced that the $10 I pay monthly for Spotify Premium is one of my best investments. So, I was surprised to find that there are marvellous things within Spotify that I didn't know until now. If I was unaware that there was more than just music on Spotify. I imagine many others are too. As a result, I decided to compile 15 things you might not know about this amazing app.

1. Discover Weekly.

I'm sure most of you know about this feature already, but I would never forgive myself if I didn’t mention how much I love Discover Weekly. For me, the only reason I get out of bed on Mondays is that there's a brand new, perfect playlist waiting for me as soon as I open Spotify. Those 30 songs that I am almost guaranteed to love are what gives me strength to face the week. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I would marry my Discover Weekly without blinking an eye.

“Even though there’s an algorithm programming it for you, we wanted it to feel a bit like a friend, a bit like a mixtape,” said Matt Ogle, the genius behind Discover Weekly and soon-to-be receiver of a cookie basket from me.

Want one more reason to love Discover Weekly? It doesn’t benefit just you. Thanks to this Spotify feature, thousands of up-and-coming musicians are being discovered.

2. Discover more music.

You've already listened to your Discover Weekly a million times, you've saved each and every song and you have a new favorite artist none of your friends have even heard of. Now, what?

On the main menu, click on 'Browse' and you will find the following:

Charts: What are the top 50 songs in every country?

Genres & Moods: This is perfect for when you're searching for a new playlist. There are dozens to choose from and all you have to do is pick the mood you're in.

New Releases: the name speaks for itself. Here you will find new releases by artists you follow and singers you've never heard of.

Discover: Spotify’s flawless algorithm strikes again. This page will link you to your Discover Weekly, list the top recommendations for you, show new releases that you might like and suggest artists and singles based on music you’ve listened to recently.

3. Concerts.

I only found out about this while researching for this article and it's an amazing feature. Spotify will let you know when artists you follow are performing in a concert near you. It provides a link to tickets, too. If this isn’t beautiful, I don’t know what is.

4. Personal running playlist.

Now, this is for all of you active people out there. The app Runkeeper, when connected to your GPS, allows your Spotify to play music matching your tempo. Or, if you'd like to push harder, modify your speed manually on the app and Spotify will obey.

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5. Collaborative playlists.

We all know the worst part of having a party with your friends is trying to decide who gets to brings the music. No matter what, there will always be someone in the group constantly complaining about the music tastes of the person in charge. But, now that pain is gone; you can just right click on your party playlist and select “Collaborative Playlist” (this is only available on the desktop version). Now, share your playlist with your friends and they'll be able to add music to it.

Problem solved.

6. Make your playlists grow.

Since we're on the topic of playlists, click on any of the playlists you've created and scroll all the way down. At the bottom, you'll find a section called “Recommended Songs." There, you'll find six recommendations based on the rest of the songs in your playlist. The more songs you add, the more recommendations you'll get. It’s like a little taste of Discover Weekly.

7. Recover old playlists.

Did you make an unfortunate move and accidentally erase one of your playlists? Been there, done that. My playlists are like my children -- without them, my life is missing something. The good news is that I, my friend, have a solution.

Go to your account and click on “Recover Playlists.” After that, simply find your long lost love and click “Restore."

8. Playlist folders.

If you're an organization freak like me and hate having things just lying around, this feature is for you. When using Spotify on the desktop version, go to File and click on New Playlist Folder.

Now, your Movie Soundtracks will be far away from your workout playlists. You are very welcome.

9. Learn how to play an instrument.

Do you have time on your hands and you’ve also always wanted to learn how to play the banjo? Now you can. Simply go here and you'll find guitar and banjo lessons by legendary folk hero and social activist, Pete Seeger.

10. Learn a language.

Are you on your way to a vacation in a foreign country? Add some of these playlists to your offline music and listen them on the plane. You won’t be a fluent speaker, but they are incredibly useful and best of all: free.

Here are the links to audio resources to learn the following languages:

• Spanish
• French
• Portuguese
• Italian
• Chinese
• German
• Arabic
• Russian
• Irish
• Swedish

11. Audiobooks.

This is the best news I've had in months. A friend of mine recently told me she was listening to an audiobook on Spotify and I felt tears of joy start to run down my cheeks. That’s right! You read correctly: there are free audiobooks on Spotify.

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All of you with a long commute ahead of you, rejoice, for now you can listen to "The Great Gatsby," "Pride and Prejudice" and many other classic novels on those dull, long commutes.

12. Short stories and poetry.

If novels aren't your thing or you don’t have a very long commute, these two playlists are for you!. Or, (like me), you're just willing to take advantage of Spotify's many wonders:

Poetry: poems read aloud by their authors. There are more here.

Short Stories: stories by James Joyce, Edgar Allan Poe and many others. Plus Benedict Cumberbatch’s angelic voice reading Flat of Angles" by Simon Cleary.

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13. Stand up.

If you're in the mood for something less serious, you can check out a 477 (and growing) hours long playlist titled "Stand Up Comedy." In it, you can listen to Aziz Ansari rant about gay rights, Chris Rock talking about women and Amy Schumer being her amazing self. Enjoy.

14. Radio dramas.

In the early world, before Netflix and chill, people listened to radio dramas. So, if you're trying to convince your grandma that Spotify Premium is worth it, or you simply love radio dramas yourself, check out Spotify’s official playlist to listen to Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera." Or this one, which is just as great.

15. Speeches.

Last, but not least, if you have worn out everything and you're still days away from your fresh Discover Weekly and need some motivation, try listening to inspiring speakers talk about what they believe in. That’s right, I’m talking about historic speeches for you to listen to whenever you want.

You can start with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream." In fact, there's a whole playlist devoted to him. Or, you can go ahead and discover more powerful speeches here.

What's your favorite non-music gem on Spotify? Comment below! Mine is Alan Rickman reading aloud, Shakespeare's Sonnet 130.