Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

As streaming platforms inundate users with endless content, Spotify playlists have become a handy resource for people who want to curate and easily discover content that's aligned with their personal tastes. How can brands provide music fans with personalized and participatory user experiences?

Bopdrop is an app that enables social music sharing through integration with Spotify and Apple Music, where users post one song per day. The platform appeals to Gen Zers who are seeking more human ways to find music, share music, and build their identities as music fans.

Spotify has launched an in-app experience called Playlist in a Bottle, designed to let users capture their current music tastes to be revisited in exactly a year. The platform is leaning into nostalgia as a way to help its consumers relive their favourite musical moments.

Apple is launching a live concert feature to run alongside its Apple Music streaming platform. As virtual experiences become an increasingly common aspect of live events, the success of the feature will be a litmus test for the role digital will play in post-pandemic spectacles.