Unwrapping Spotify Wrapped

Nora Geoghegan

Staff Writer

It’s December, which means Spotify Wrapped is around the corner! Let’s take a look at what’s in store this year.

 Spotify Wrapped is a statistical analysis of listeners’ top artists, tracks, genres, messages from your favorite artists, and enticing music horoscopes. Spotify Wrapped debuted in 2015 originally with the name, “Year in Music” to present listeners with personalized listening data. Since then, it has become a yearly treat for listeners at the end of the year.

Since then, Spotify Wrapped has grown to be one of the most popular features social media has to offer, given the personalized nature of the data, as well as the aesthetic graphics and visuals, and the shareability of the data! People take this as an opportunity to discuss their music interests, as well as sharing humorous songs that made it to their top listened songs of the year. One user on twitter shared that their top listened songs were from Willy Wonka.

Despite the pattern of the release date, users experience anxiety and anger if the Wrapped isn’t released at an early enough time. However, release dates vary given the time needed to collect data and create anticipation. Each year users create humorous content about the uncertainty of the release date, one of which was a picture of Paul Revere on his horse with the caption, “Spotify Wrapped is out!”

Past dates of its release include, 2024: Dec. 4, 2023: Nov. 29, 2022: Nov. 30, and 2021 and 2020 releasing on Dec. 1. according to USA Today.

In addition, this ambiguity around the release date has had users speculating when data tracking is finished. Spotify debunked the theory that tracking stops on Halloween, leading to speculations that tracking stops sometime in November.

Some potential artists expected to be at the top of global listening data are Taylor Swift, Olivia Dean, Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone and more! 

Many are hoping the theme this year will be better, given the heavy influence of AI to create the design and presentation of data, as well as the incoherence around the meaning of the themes. One user on Twitter said, “Spotify wrapped flopped this year so bad like where are the music cities, the playlists, the top genres or the listening auras… all that wait for WHAT #SpotifyWrapped2024.”

If you’re a Spotify listener, make sure your app is updated and let the anticipation begin!