This season, you can jam to your favorite music with Spotify’s holiday offerings, from playlists and festive mixes to features built to help you throw a perfect party. Whether you’re collaborating with friends or crafting a curated playlist, Spotify has you covered.
When it comes to hosting, especially around the holidays, I always use Spotify to set the mood for my guests. It’s a staple for this season, and I cannot go without using some of its best features for hosting parties. Here’s what you need to know.
Spotify Jam for parties
Jam is one of the best collaborative features that Spotify has, and I’ve used it for many occasions, from long car rides with my friends to intimate house parties. Spotify Jam is a handy tool for holiday hosting, and I use it regularly when my guests want to switch up the queue.
To start a Spotify Jam, go to a song or playlist you want to play, then tap the three dots at the top of the screen. Alternatively, click the speaker icon on the song that’s playing. Select “Start a Jam” and scan the generated QR code, or copy the link to share and invite people.
You can also control which device is playing music. If a Spotify user is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as you, they will get a prompt to join the Jam automatically, so it’s easier to collaborate with your close ones during parties.
Curated playlists to match the vibe
The best way to prepare music for holiday parties with Spotify is to create unique playlists that suit your tastes. While you can build a holiday playlist from scratch if you want something more than Spotify’s offerings, there’s a quicker way to get festive playlists for impromptu holiday meet-ups.
Create an AI playlist
Spotify’s AI Playlist lets you create any playlist in a few seconds using specific prompts. Although I don’t use it very regularly, this feature has helped me create specific playlists quickly when I don’t have time to craft a custom playlist.
To create a custom AI playlist, tap the “Create” button in your Spotify mobile app, then tap “AI Playlist.” From here, choose Spotify’s preset prompts or type your own. Be specific with your prompts (for this example, my prompt was “Festive playlist for a cozy Christmas party at home”) to generate better results. Spotify will then assemble a playlist that suits your prompt, and you can always delete individual tracks or refine the prompt until you’re satisfied. Tap “Create” to see the playlist in your library.
You can also take advantage of Spotify’s ChatGPT integration to create a holiday playlist in seconds.
Make custom cover art
Once you make a holiday playlist, be it AI or your own, you can make it feel even more festive by creating holiday-themed cover art. Spotify’s cover art feature is a customization tool that you can use on any playlist you create. You can upload your own images or add Spotify’s backgrounds and decorative elements.
To use this feature, open a playlist you created on Spotify’s mobile app, then tap the three dots under its name. Tap Create cover art > Create cover art, then customize the cover as you like using a new image from your gallery, labels, stickers, and text. Tap “Save” to finish.
AI DJ for a festive queue
If you want a long song queue that matches your holiday vibes without constantly looking at your device or using a short playlist, then Spotify’s AI DJ comes in clutch. This is one of the most promising Spotify features (that I’m hoping will get a string of improvements soon) that’s perfect for an effortless, vibey music set at your holiday gatherings.
You can find AI DJ in your Spotify mobile app’s home tab. Scroll down until you find the AI DJ card, or search for “AI DJ” in the Search tab. Tap the card to start a random session, and tap the DJ button in the lower right corner to switch up your queue’s vibe. You can use text or voice prompts to change your DJ’s set.
Spotify Connect for easy hosting
My favorite feature that Spotify offers, Spotify Connect is a very convenient way to control which device is playing music. With Connect, you can remotely control listening on one compatible device (essentially using it as a speaker) from another. This comes in handy when I’m playing music on my Mac, and I can control the queue and shuffle from my phone.
If you haven’t used it yet, ensure that Spotify Connect is enabled by navigating to your profile in the home tab, then navigate to Settings and Privacy > Apps and Devices > Other Devices > Spotify Connect Control. Toggle this on to allow your device to work as a remote for Spotify Connect.
To use Spotify Connect, play a song on Spotify (on mobile or desktop), then press the speaker icon at the bottom of your screen. Choose the device you want to listen from, and continue using the first device to control your music queue. Spotify Connect can also be used for speakers and other Bluetooth devices.
Before you begin using some of these Spotify features to set the mood for a perfect holiday season, make sure you explore Spotify’s large library of curated holiday-themed playlists and mixes—especially the chill lo-fi playlists for a cozy night in.
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Spotify is a pioneer in music streaming. It features a vast library, impressive bitrate, curated and custom playlists, as well as offline streaming. Spotify is available for free and for a monthly or annual fee.
