Spotify launches Jam to provide a shared music queue to groups

In an effort to take the group listening to the next level, music streaming giant Spotify has launched the ability to create “Jam” for its paid users across the world. It’s a personalized, real-time listening session that you can enjoy in a group.

Jam is a new way for Premium users to invite a group of friends or family members to join in a real-time listening session, where Spotify will create a musical listening experience that everyone will love. When you create a Jam, Spotify will use its personalization technology to find what type of music you and the rest of the members like and deliver recommendations based on that.

Premium users can invite other Premium and free users into a Jam. Also, you’ll be able to see who’s added what and thank them for their contribution. However, there is a limitation to who can join your Jam and from where. Premium users can join from anywhere in the world, whereas free users need to be in the same room as you must be connected to the same Wi-Fi you’re connected to for participation.

If you’re a host of a Jam, you’ll enjoy certain capabilities that no one else in the group will get. For example, a host can decide who remains in the Jam, change the order of the tracks, or remove a song. But for everybody else, Jam will allow you to add songs to the queue, see who added which song, and receive recommendations on your device.

There are multiple ways to invite your friends and family members to start a Jam, as explained by Spotify in its official blog post. One way is turning on Bluetooth and then tapping the phones together. This is possible when the person invited is in the same room as you. The other way is to scan the QR code on the host screen. But if your friends or family members live in a faraway region, you can hit “Share” to send the link through social, text, SMS, and more.

To start a Jam, tap the speaker icon at the bottom of your screen when playing music, and you’ll see the “Start a Jam” button. You can also start a Jam by hitting the three-dot menu within your playlists and albums. If you’re a Premium user but still not seeing any of these, update your app to the latest version.