As the highly anticipated Spotify Wrapped season arrives, social media users are relishing the opportunity to share their listening habits for 2024. The platform rolled out its personalized year-end streaming data on Wednesday, sparking a wave of posts from users revealing their most-played tracks and artists.
This year, Spotify has introduced an intriguing feature called “music evolution,” enabling users to analyze how their musical preferences have transitioned throughout the year. This feature is akin to Spotify’s existing “daylist,” providing tailored, niche music profiles that portray users’ tastes during various phases. Additionally, subscribers can track their longest listening streaks for their favorite artists.
Innovations don’t stop there. Spotify has also rolled out a personal AI-generated podcast that summarizes users’ listening trends. Utilizing Google’s Notebook LM app, which gained popularity for converting notes into compelling podcast summaries, this new feature offers a unique listening experience for subscribers.
The platform continues its tradition of sharing global music trends, revealing which artists, podcasts, and authors made waves with the most streams this year. Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift topped the artist list, amassing an incredible 26.6 billion streams, a feat fueled by her ongoing Eras Tour and the success of her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Following her, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny claimed the second and third spots for most-streamed artists, while Drake, despite controversies surrounding streaming numbers, came in fourth, closely followed by Billie Eilish.
One notable track, “Not Like Us,” although the second most-streamed song in the U.S. this year with over 928 million streams, did not secure a position on the global songs list. In contrast, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” topped the global charts with an impressive 1.6 billion streams.
On the podcast scene, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” “Call Her Daddy” by Alex Cooper, and “This Past Weekend with Theo Von” represented the top five global podcasts. The popularity of these shows surged, particularly as they featured high-profile guests like President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Additionally, Spotify unveiled its inaugural global audiobooks list, following the introduction of 15 hours of free audiobook listening for Premium subscribers last year. Sarah J. Maas emerged as a standout author, capturing the top position with “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and securing the third spot with its sequel, “A Court of Mist and Fury.”
This year’s Wrapped not only highlights the deep connections listeners have with their favorite music and podcasts but also illustrates the dynamic landscape of the entertainment industry. As people reflect on their unique listening experiences, it serves as a reminder of the ever-evolving nature of music and storytelling in our lives.
Overall, Spotify Wrapped fosters a sense of community among users, encouraging them to celebrate their diverse tastes while discovering new favorites for the year ahead.