The quest to give people what they didn’t even know they want has been the holy grail for streaming services, and Spotify succeeded almost by accident.
Discover Weekly actually began as a Hack Week project, but it was the technology they had from acquiring “music intelligence” firm The Echo Nest which allowed the idea to flourish. What’s genius about Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists is its personalization. It’s capable of delivering content from artists the listener hasn’t heard but should like based on their established tastes.
Source: The Playlist That’s Helping Spotify Win The Streaming Music Battle – Vocativ