Spotify adds access controls to collaborative playlists

Collaborative playlists are a great way to built mixes with other users on Spotify, but until now you didn't have a ton of control over who could contribute to and see your work. Today, the streaming service is adding new levels of control for those playlists, allowing users to keep closer tabs on who has access to them — including the ability to share collaborative mixes with large public groups or keeping them private.

First, Spotify will give the playlist creator the ability to invite or remove users from collaborating. You will also be able to set collaborative playlists to private, so no one can listen to, search for or view those mixes except for the people you've given access. At any time you can add or remove who can work on playlists and who can follow them, and Spotify says all of the new controls will roll out starting this week.

Expanded controls for collaborative playlists follows Spotify's addition of a block feature back in November. Before last fall, you could block artists so they wouldn't pop up in the app, but blocking another user required submitting a request to customer service. Anyone you block will no longer be able to access your page, public playlists or see your listening activity. And of course, the move is reversible if you change your mind.