Spotify Wrapped: Your Musical Year in Review

Image courtesy of Elizabeth DAntonio

Image courtesy of Elizabeth DAntonio

Every year Spotify users await the arrival of their “Spotify Wrapped.” Spotify Wrapped was first released in 2016 and is an end-of-year “gift” for listeners. The music stats of all Spotify users get wrapped up in an interactive story to share on other social media platforms.

The statistics of listeners are taken from the start of January until the end of October. While they don’t actually give the entire year in review, it is a good way to make sure that holiday music being streamed doesn’t sneak into anyone’s top five songs even if it was only listened to in December. Spotify offers both a non-subscription and a premium plan to its users, but its yearly Wrapped is available to all listeners, not just the people who pay for the premium version of the platform. Listeners without a premium subscription to Spotify cannot play a specific song at one touch or play songs on repeat, but personalized playlists and mixes make sure that this doesn’t make their stats any less individualized.

Many listeners take to social media like Twitter with memes or opinions on Wrapped. Some share funny instances, like how they streamed a Glee cover on repeat for a day and it snuck into their top songs. Some even complain that sharing a Spotify account with family members causes “random” songs or artists being shown on their statistics.

Overall, Spotify Wrapped is a fun marketing strategy that lets people show off or make jokes out of their own music taste, and even sometimes adds a nostalgic touch for some songs a listener could have forgotten about.