There was reason to be skeptical when Spotify Web Player first announced its new Running feature. The music app is not really popular for its algorithm-driven radio suggestions (many prefer Pandora), and while the ability to match music's BPMs (beats per minute) to your running speed is useful in theory, Spotify Online Web Player there was no telling how it would do in practice.
Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I used Spotify Web Player Running this weekend for a run around my neighborhood. The feature is intuitive to use, the tempo for the most part did synch up with my speed, and most importantly, Spotify Web Player knew what I would like to hear and what would work for running. This boldly refutes the general perception, held by anyone who's been to a boxing or spinning exercise class, that all "workout music" has to be bad, headache-inducing house songs. In fact, Spotify Web Player Running could revolutionize the way you run.
The best way to use Spotify Web Player Running is to skip over the preset playlists and use the "Recommended for You" option to generate an on-the-fly playlist. I've been a Spotify Web Player member since shortly after its U.S. launch in 2011, so it's safe to say the app knows my tastes.
Its first choice for me was "Danger Zone," which I've played many times before, but I had not realized that it's as perfect for hitting the pavement as for basking in '80s Tom Cruise glory. The rest of the set was eclectic, stretching from classic rock (Tom Petty's "I Need to Know") to hip-hop (Kanye's "Power").
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When you start Spotify Web Player Running, it measures your steps per minute, or your stride. This works well enough and only takes about 10 seconds before playing the music, but the problem is that, as far as I can tell, only one measurement is taken during the run. So I was at 155 steps per minute, on the lower end, but that was also as I was warming up on my block. It'd be more helpful if Spotify Web Player continued to measure the steps per minute and make adjustments for each new song.
It also seemed clear as I continued to use Spotify Web Player Running that it's drawing from a limited set of options. While I was happy to hear one uptempo Belle & Sebastian song pop up (unconventional, but it worked), two was too far. My guess is Spotify Web Player is still working on incorporating more music into the system, and I'm cautiously optimistic it'll get better. For now, it's much more efficient and enjoyable than crafting endless playlists.
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Here's the 30-minute playlist Spotify Web Player Running gave me, at 155 steps per minute (somewhere in between a leisurely jog and "booking it"):
