Spotify is rolling out a suite of new features designed to give users greater control over their music discovery and listening experience, including a redesigned Queue system for Premium subscribers, an intuitive Hide button, and a new 30-day Snooze feature that temporarily removes songs from recommendations.

Enhanced Queue Management System

Spotify's Queue management has long been criticized as "extremely unintuitive" by users, with many begging for improvements like separate "add to queue" and "play next" options. The latest update addresses these pain points with a completely revamped Queue interface for Premium subscribers. The redesigned system now features easier access to essential controls including Shuffle, Smart Shuffle, Repeat, and Sleep Timer all within the Queue view. A standout addition is the new transparency in algorithmic recommendations - Premium users can now see which songs Spotify plans to play after their queued tracks end, allowing them to approve or remove these suggestions before they play. Users also gain more control with the ability to completely disable both Smart Shuffle and Autoplay in Settings, addressing a long-standing request from those who prefer to maintain complete control over their listening experience. This update brings Spotify's queue functionality more in line with competing services while maintaining its unique approach to music discovery and personalization.

30-Day Snooze Feature

The 30-Day Snooze feature represents one of Spotify's most thoughtful additions for listeners who need a temporary break from overplayed tracks. Unlike the Hide button which permanently removes songs from specific playlists, Snooze offers a middle ground by temporarily removing a track from all your recommendations for exactly 30 days. This feature acknowledges a common frustration among users: sometimes you don't want to completely banish a song, you just need some space from it. Currently being tested with Premium subscribers before a wider rollout, the Snooze function addresses the algorithmic blind spots that can plague even the most sophisticated recommendation systems. When a song appears too frequently across your Discover Weekly, Smart Shuffle, or other personalized playlists, you can now temporarily "snooze" it rather than hiding it forever. This feature complements Spotify's existing controls like the enhanced Hide button, which now works consistently across all your devices, ensuring that when you hide a track from a playlist, it stays hidden everywhere you listen.

Redesigned Hide Button Functionality

Spotify's refreshed Hide button brings significant improvements to how users can curate their listening experience. The redesigned button is now more intuitively positioned in the interface, making it easier to access when you encounter a song that doesn't match your current mood. Unlike its predecessor, the enhanced Hide feature now works consistently across your entire ecosystem - when you hide a track from a playlist, it remains hidden on all your devices, not just the one you're currently using. To hide a song using the mobile app, simply tap the three dots next to the song title and select "Hide Song" (iOS) or "Hide this song" (Android). Once hidden, the song will appear grayed out in playlists and will be automatically skipped during playback. If you change your mind, unhiding is equally straightforward - navigate to the hidden song (which appears grayed out), tap the three dots, and select "Hidden" to restore it to your rotation. This cross-device consistency addresses a long-standing user frustration and complements the new 30-Day Snooze option for a more personalized listening experience.

Pioneering experimental composer Alvin Lucier, who died in 2021 at age 90, continues to create music through a groundbreaking art installation called "Revivification," where cerebral organoids cultured from his donated blood cells generate electrical signals that trigger mallets striking brass plates, creating an ongoing sonic composition that extends his artistic legacy beyond death.

The "Revivification" installation at the Art Gallery of Western Australia represents a groundbreaking fusion of neuroscience and art, utilizing cerebral organoids grown from Alvin Lucier's white blood cells. These organoids—miniature brain-like structures developed by Harvard researchers—are mounted on an electrode mesh connected to 20 brass plates throughout the exhibition space. When the neural tissue generates electrical impulses, these signals trigger transducers and mechanical hammers that strike the plates, creating complex resonances that fill the gallery with sound.

What makes this installation particularly remarkable is its interactive nature—the organoids not only produce sound but also respond to it. Microphones capture ambient noise, including visitor voices and the sounds generated by the brass plates, which are then converted into electrical signals and fed back to the organoids, creating a closed feedback loop. This design reflects Lucier's lifelong artistic exploration of brain activity and sound, while raising profound questions about creativity, consciousness, and whether an artist's "creative essence" can persist beyond biological death. As Nathan Thompson, one of the project's creators, observed: "When you look down into that central plinth, you're crossing a threshold. You're peering down into the abyss and you're looking at something that's alive – just not in the same way as you."

A Stradivarius violin has shattered records by selling for $23 million, marking the highest price ever paid for a violin. The 1715 ‘Baron Knoop’, celebrated for its exceptional quality, volume, and articulation, was crafted during Stradivari’s renowned ‘golden period’.

The violin was previously owned by US collector David L. Fulton, who purchased it for $2.75 million in February 1993. This time, it was sold to an anonymous buyer.

Earlier this year, a 1714 Stradivarius, anticipated to set a new record, sold for $11.25 million (£9.1 million), falling short of the world record. Stradivarius violins are among the most valuable in the world, renowned for their unrivaled craftsmanship and favored by virtuoso musicians.

When it changed hands previously, the violin required a lengthy restoration to remove an orange-red varnish that had been applied poorly. It took three months of cleaning to uncover its original, rich varnish.

Fulton’s collection once included 27 musical instruments, most of which have since been sold. Notable pieces, such as a 1793 Guadagnini viola and an 1898 Voller Brothers copy of the 1735 ‘d’Egville’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, are now part of the David and Amy Fulton Foundation.

The ‘Baron Knoop’ now holds the title for the most expensive violin ever sold, surpassing the 1741 ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, which held the record until its sale in 2013. The ‘Vieuxtemps’ is currently on a lifetime loan to US violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.

The private sale was arranged by Joseph Bein of Bein & Co.

Previously, the record for the most expensive violin was held by the ‘Lady Blunt’ Stradivarius, which fetched $15.9 million in 2011.

British composer Daniel Blumberg has won his first Oscar for his second-ever feature film score, for Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist.

At 34, Blumberg picked up the Bafta award for the score just last month, which has garnered widespread acclaim for its prominent role in the film. The Brutalist tells the story of László Tóth, a fictional Hungarian architect who relocates to the US after surviving the Holocaust.

Blumberg’s score blends piano and saxophone jazz with intense brass and percussion, mirroring Tóth’s inner turmoil. The music has drawn comparisons to that of Mica Levi, the young British avant-garde composer known for her collaborations with director Jonathan Glazer. Before The Brutalist, Blumberg’s only other feature film score was for Mona Fastvold’s The World to Come, which earned him an Ivor Novello award. Fastvold, along with her husband Corbet, co-wrote The Brutalist. The film is dedicated to the memory of Scott Walker, who scored Corbet’s previous works.

Blumberg was a founding member and lead singer of the band Cajun Dance Party (2005-09), before joining indie rock band Yuck as a guitarist and vocalist. He released his first solo album in 2013 and has since worked from Cafe Oto in Dalston, east London. His most recent album, Gut, came out two years ago. In his acceptance speech, Blumberg gave a shoutout to his friends at the venue and to the "radical, uncompromising" musicians who contributed to The Brutalist score. He expressed how much it “means” to be championed in this way and thanked Corbet, calling him an “artistic soulmate.”

Blumberg’s other work includes composing music for a short film by Peter Strickland and for the British Film Institute’s 2018 Agnès Varda season. In addition to his music, Blumberg is a visual artist, specializing in silverpoint.

ASCAP has announced the nominees for the 2025 ASCAP Composers’ Choice Awards. Voting is open to eligible ASCAP writer members through March 7 at 11:59 p.m. ET on the ASCAP website. Winners will be revealed on April 30 during an exclusive party celebrating the 2025 ASCAP Screen Music Awards in Los Angeles. 

Film Score of the Year

(Films released in the U.S. in 2024, whether theatrically or via another medium)

Challengers – Trent Reznor

Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer

Inside Out 2 – Andrea Datzman

Nosferatu – Robin Carolan

Wicked – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz

Young Woman and the Sea – Amelia Warner

Television Score of the Year

(Episodes originally airing in the U.S. in 2024)

Agatha All Along – Michael Paraskevas

Mr. & Mrs. Smith – David Fleming

Only Murders in the Building – Siddhartha Khosla

Palm Royale – Jeff Toyne

Slow Horses – Daniel Pemberton & Toydrum

Television Theme of the Year

(Episodes originally airing in the U.S. in 2024)

Bad Monkey – Jamie Jackson & Waz

Franklin – Jay Wadley

Nautilus – Nainita Desai

Only Murders in the Building – Siddhartha Khosla

Palm Royale – Jeff Toyne

Documentary Score of the Year

(Documentary films or series released in the U.S. in 2024)

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life – Marc Shaiman

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes – Logan Nelson

Jim Henson Idea Man – David Fleming

Planet Earth III – Sara Barone & Hans Zimmer

The Real Red Tails – Stanley A. Smith

Will & Harper – Nathan Halpern

Video Game Score of the Year

(Games originally released in the U.S. in 2024)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 – Jack Wall 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle – Gordy Haab

Helldivers 2 – Wilbert Roget, II

Star Wars Outlaws – Wilbert Roget, II, Cody Matthew Johnson, Jon Everist, Kazuma Jinnouchi

Tales of Kenzera: Zau – Nainita Desai

Spotify has officially opened its Stockholm studio to artists across Europe in celebration of its Spotify Singles program reaching a massive 10 billion streams.

As Spotify’s longest-running original music franchise, Spotify Singles has showcased over 750 artists from all genres, creating more than 1,000 recordings across 45 countries. To mark this achievement, the Stockholm studio, which first opened in 2018, has now expanded its reach beyond Nordic artists to include musicians from all over Europe.

The first artist to record in the newly expanded studio was Damiano David, who released a cover of Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” earlier this month.

“We’re incredibly excited to hit the 10 billion stream milestone for Spotify Singles,” says Bryan Johnson, International Head of Artist and Industry Partnerships at Spotify. “Since its launch in 2016, the program has given countless artists a platform to connect with their fans, release new music, and reach listeners worldwide.”

“Opening up our award-winning Stockholm studio to artists from across Europe will further elevate the program, offering new opportunities for collaboration and creativity,” Johnson adds.

Federica Tremolada, Spotify’s General Manager for Europe, shares, “We’re thrilled to reopen our Stockholm studio, where it all began for us. This studio isn’t just another recording space – it symbolizes our commitment to creative diversity and collaboration across Europe.”

“We believe these values drive economic growth, cultural exchange, and social unity. By expanding access to the Stockholm studio, we’re reinforcing our ongoing dedication to supporting talent from Europe and beyond, empowering artists to thrive and share their work globally.”

In 2025, the Stockholm studio will also feature various projects, including a Spotify Singles collection celebrating the Eurovision catalog.