Songza adds updated features to its iOS music streaming app, as it passes 6 million downloads

Songza, the New York-based music streaming service, has recently hit the 6 million download benchmark, and the startup is celebrating the occasion by launching enhanced UI and functionality updates to its iOS app.

In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Songza distinguishes itself within the music streaming space with its eye toward the human side of content curation. In lieu of algorithms, the app wil ask specific questions (for example, are you working right now? Do you want to relax?) in order to understand how the user’s daily routine intersects with his or her genre preferences. Subsequently, the app will offer playlists intended to fit the given situation, each one curated by a real-life industry expert.

The new update deepens the personal aspect of the app. Now, every time a one shakes the device, the user can manually input what he or she is doing at the exact moment…

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… and Songza will dig a little deeper to understand the setting and choose the right tunes.

The update also includes additional improvements. Now, when users search for a band or musician, they’ll see a list of recommended playlists, each one starting with a song from the artist in question. Also added is a touch-and-go mode for those who want to hear music quickly and with ease.

While not yet as well-known as Pandora or Spotify, Songza definitely fills a void in the music streaming space. Most services attempt to curate to users solely through taste, rather than taste vis-à-vis mood. And for those that find themselves prone to aimless scrolling of their iTunes library, Songza could prove to be a quick, decisive fix.

Songza has seen some healthy growth of late. Last autumn, Songza announced it had expanded into Canada, where it quickly racked up 1 million new users in three months. It also recently inked a deal with Google as part of the latter firm’s attempt to improve third-party app integration into its search functionality. Earlier this month, Songza reportedly raised $3.8 million in funding, some of which is rumored to have come from Amazon.

There’s no official word on whether or Songza will extend the updates to its Android app at a later date, but given the startup’s steady progress, this doesn’t seem too far out of reach.

Image Credit: piitaaraq/Flickr