At the end of each year, Spotify publishes analytics on the most listened-to artists, songs, albums, and genres. The platform also allows users to review their activity over the past year and encourages them to share it on social networks. This marketing campaign, called Spotify Wrapped, has been held annually since 2016, typically from November 30 to December 6.
The Popularity of Spotify Wrapped
Each November and December, social networks are flooded with posts about Spotify users’ favorite tracks and artists. Spotify presents these insights in an interactive format with vibrant visuals, animations, and accompanying music. This trend inspired Apple Music to introduce its own annual report, Apple Music Replay, which mirrors Wrapped’s concept.
This year, Spotify added a new AI-driven podcast feature to Wrapped. In select regions like the US, UK, and Canada, listeners can enjoy a podcast where two hosts discuss their musical preferences. Additionally, Wrapped includes a section highlighting how users’ tastes have evolved over the year. According to Taylor Annabell, a researcher at Utrecht University, “People are very excited to see the ability to collect data about themselves, presented in a way that seems meaningful and understandable.”
The impact of Wrapped is reflected in Spotify’s market performance. Just an hour after this year’s release, Spotify’s market cap reached $100 billion for the first time. The company declined to comment on this milestone.
Annual Reports Across Industries
Wrapped’s success has inspired companies beyond the music industry to create their own year-in-review features. Starbucks, for example, sends loyalty program members summaries of their favorite drinks and visits. Tinder’s “Year in Swipe” highlights trends in online dating, including popular “love languages” and zodiac signs.
Other apps have also joined the trend, adds NIX Solutions. Vantezzen, a third-party app, helps TikTok users generate their own Wrapped to analyze their activity. Similarly, Duolingo showcases the number of mistakes users made while learning new languages.
Evan Greer, director of digital rights group Fight for the Future, commented, “Companies have moved from simply acknowledging that they’re tracking us to encouraging it. Viral stunts like Wrapped hypernormalize how much these services know about us.” Despite privacy concerns, users seem undeterred, with Wrapped reminding them of their habits and preferences. We’ll keep you updated on how this trend evolves across industries.