Waddup music, fans. Spotify wrapped is here, and we are just full of emotions. This year’s Wrap has a plethora of shareable statistics that break down the top performers, songs, and podcasts for 574 million users, just like previous years. However, there are also some surprises, such as a novel system that designates a city for you according to your listening preferences.
WHAT’S NEW ON SPOTIFY WRAPPED?
Along with the regular top artists, genres, songs, and podcasts, Spotify has a few new tricks up its sleeve for the Wrapped experience this year.
Since deepfakes and AI-generated content were somewhat of a big deal this year, this year’s Wrapped is all about the real stuff. That’s why the company is launching two new features to help you stay grounded. One of 12 “listening characters” that best represents your listening preferences this year is assigned to you in the first “Me in 2023” activity. How many playlists did you create? As an alchemist, you are. Did you heedlessly jump from one singer to the next? As a shapeshifter, you are. When it’s dark outside, do you listen to evocative, atmospheric music? You are, in fact, the vampire. And we see you!
Next is the sound town. Like, woah! What’s this?
This feature allows you to associate a city with the musicians and fans you adore, allowing you to explore the world.
And a current version of the Top 5 Artists shows you precisely when you reached your peak listening to a particular artist—in Taylor Swift’s case, her vault tracks, or k-pop darlings, Seventeen. Additionally, Spotify has revealed that the artist appreciation message you’ll receive for your best listening practices may contain hints about upcoming tour dates or new music releases.
THE MATH IS ABSOLUTELY MATH-ING
Spotify Wrapped gathers information year-round. According to a Spotify representative, content that was streamed between January and an undisclosed date “a few weeks prior to launch”—November—was included in the data used for the 2023 Wrapped. For this year, 29. They stated that in order to provide a genuinely customized experience, they try to leave the cutoff date as late as possible. Songs and albums released earlier in the year are more advantageous during this time.
If a user listens to a song or podcast for thirty minutes or longer, it is considered streamed. Combined stream counts are the foundation for the three most anticipated year-end figures: top albums, top songs, and top artists. This time, the number of unique listeners is used to evaluate the top podcasts in an alternative manner.
