Spotify Wrapped: 2023
By Layla Troyer
Spotify Wrapped is an individualized slideshow and playlist showcasing a listener’s top artists, genres, songs, and other data points collected from January 1st through October 31st. This year's Spotify Wrapped was released at 8 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 29, a day earlier than the Nov. 30 launch last year. Every year when the new Spotify Wrapped is released, music listeners get excited to see their results.
First, Spotify tells the user about genres.
In 2023, I listened to 78 genres.
My top 5 genres were:
1. Rock
2. pov: indie
3. Sped Up
4. CCM
5. Pop
Next, Spotify tells you what city "listened just like you", meaning it had the most listeners with similar music tastes to your own.
My city was Flagstaff, USA.
Then, it tells you how many songs you played and provides some data about your top 5 songs.
I played 1,853 songs in 2023, and my top song was ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ by Arctic Monkeys, with 312 total streams.
My top five songs:
1. I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys
2. Тёмная ночь - Mark Bernes
3. Break - Alex G Offline
4. Things to Do - Alex G
5. From The Start - Laufey
Spotify also creates a playlist of your top 100 songs of 2023.
Then, they tell users their minutes listened.
I listened for 97,063 minutes, which is equivalent to 67 days. I was in the Top 1% of listeners worldwide, and I listened the most on June 27, for 806 minutes.
They go on to tell you about your artists.
I listened to 1,082 artists. My top artist was Arctic Monkeys. I listened to them for 9,721 minutes, and I was in the Top 0.05% of their listeners worldwide.
Afterward, you have the opportunity to express your gratitude to your top artist by sending a 'Thanks.'
Following that, they reveal the months when you listened most to your top artists.
Mine were:
1. Arctic Monkeys: July
2. Cavetown: July
3. Frank Sinatra: July
4. Ramones: May
5. Alex Turner: July
Then, Spotify tells users their top 5 artists. Mine were:
1. Arctic Monkeys
2. Cavetown
3. Frank Sinatra
4. Ramones
5. Alex Turner
For certain users, Spotify displays a message recorded by someone from your top 5 artists. However, not all users receive this, as many artists chose not to participate.
Next, for users who enjoy podcasts, Spotify provides information on the total minutes spent listening to podcasts and highlights your top podcasts.
Spotify categorizes users into 12 'listening personalities', each with its own characteristics:
1. Vampire: Embraces emotional and atmospheric music associated with 'darkness.'
2. Alchemist: Creates more playlists than the average user.
3. Time Traveler: Enjoys traveling back in time, listening to songs on a loop.
4. Cyclops: Devoted to one specific genre.
5. Luminary: Curates playlists filled with upbeat songs, perfect for parties.
6. Mastermind: Explores a wide range of genres.
7. Roboticist: Allows the app’s algorithm to create playlists by hitting play.
8. Shapeshifter: Remains loyal to one artist for a period before switching to another.
9. Collector: Demonstrates commendable taste in music and consistently creates personal playlists.
10. Hunter: Skips tracks frequently in the quest for new favorites.
11. Fanatic: Once a favorite is chosen, never goes back; one artist constitutes over a third of listening.
12. Hypnotists: Prefers playing an album entirely, concentrating from the first to the last track.
My "music personality" is Time Traveler.
Then, at the end of the slideshow, Spotify features different versions of summary images of your Spotify Wrapped that you can send to your friends.
This year's Spotify Wrapped showcased remarkable innovation and left a strong impression on Spotify users. The graphics, new components, and interactive content were particularly noteworthy, and there's a clear trend of continuous improvement. I eagerly look forward to seeing if they can surpass this in the upcoming year.