Pandora has partnered with Astrology.com to curate playlists for every star sign, starting with one for Leo season. The streaming service is tapping into astrology's ability to resonate with people on an individual level, in the interest of generating song collections that feel personalized. We explore the insights behind the campaign, and why a streaming service is consulting the cosmos on its tracklists.
The first playlist in Pandora and Astrology.com’s collaboration features artists who are Leos and songs that reflect specifically Leo-like characteristics, like ‘bold self-expression’. For artists like Mick Jagger, songs were picked from their repertoire that play up their astrological sign’s tendencies – in Mick’s case, ‘Beast of Burden’. “Love- and romance-obsessed, it’s no surprise for Leos to intensely wear their hearts on their sleeve, like in Demi Lovato’s ‘Sorry Not Sorry’, a vengeful shout out to an ex in which she’s ‘Feeling inspired ’cause the tables have turned,'” says Narayana Montúfar, Astrology.com’s senior astrologer. The playlists will continue to roll out as the astrological year continues, with each sign’s collection launched in time with its respective season.
People are expecting more personalization across the board, and music – something that’s often thought of as intimate and personal – is no exception. Spotify was ahead of the curve by ditching broad genre-based playlists in favour of ones designed by 'activity and mood' to suit people’s daily habits and feelings in a given moment. But Pandora's astrology sign-informed playlists go even deeper into the personal. Given that astrology claims to understand people better than they know themselves – to the extent that dating apps like Bumble even use star signs to inform romantic matches – sign-based playlists are bringing this idea to music selection. Especially in the context of Gen Y, whose love of personalisation is paired with a penchant for consulting the cosmos on their life choices, Pandora’s curated playlists appeal to listeners who want new ways to discover music that suits their taste.
Mira Kopolovic is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8. She has a Master’s degree that focused on visual culture and artist-brand collaborations, and spends her spare time poring over dystopian literature.
