Spotify takes a ride with Cadillac's infotainment system
You won't see any "sleep" playlists when you use Cadillac's new Spotify app while driving, but your "pump up" playlist will be ready to rev up your morning commute.
The music app and auto company have teamed up to provide drivers with a car-friendly version of Spotify's well-known desktop or smartphone experience.
By downloading the app through Cadillac's infotainment system and logging into a Spotify Premium account (no freemium users yet), drivers will be able to use a modified version of the platform with these options: Home, Recently Played, Library, Browse and Mini Player.
Your Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Daily Mix playlists will be available along with your personal playlists, and all will update in the car if any edits are made. If you're listening to something on your phone walking to the car it'll pick up where you left off once you start the car — even if it's mid verse.
Notably, this collaboration is a specially made app intended for a car experience, not just the same app as your phone's. "They aren't just projecting a version of your iPhone apps," Global Connected Customer Experience at GM spokesperson Stefan Cross said at a demo event.
Cadillac already has a Pandora and iHeartRadio app, but this app should be more sophisticated. It was collaboratively created over the course of a month with Spotify and Cadillac employees working together in Detroit.
Cadillac and Spotify didn't say what the crossover is for Spotify listeners and Cadillac drivers but Spotify's manager of automotive business development Jonathan Tarlton said 70 million Spotify users listen to the platform in the car. But it isn't easy as pushing a button.
"There's lots of friction. My phone is in my bag. I need a certain wire. People say, 'Forget it' and drive off," he said.
This much easier connection with the integrated app is supposed to make for a better listening experience. It helps that the car has its own modem and 4G LTE data plan.
The integrated app is available in 2018 Cadillacs like the XTS, CTS, ATS, CTS-V and ATS-V. More cars with access to Cadillac's app store will be able to add the app soon.
Turn up that commute playlist, it's time to drive.
Reporting from Kerry Flynn.
Topics Music
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
