I’m humbled and disappointed by this year’s Spotify Wrapped
It feels as impersonal as ever, yet it manages to embarrass me
The music-streaming giant's end-of-year Wrapped isn't what it used to be anymore. (James Timmins)
I can’t lie — I was displeased with my Spotify Wrapped this year. Since there are no new artists in my top five or new songs in my list, it feels like a repeat of last year’s Wrapped.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve listened to new music from artists like Mk.gee, Knocked Loose, and Kaytranada, among others. But the one chance a year I get to show off how “based” my music taste is just gets yanked out from under me.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Spotify decided to switch things up on all of us.
I have no idea why Drake made it into my top five artists or why Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills” landed in my top songs. Admittedly, I might just like their music that much, or perhaps Spotify’s recent ventures into artificial intelligence have muddied the waters.
Some users on Reddit and Spotify’s forums have claimed songs they hadn’t even listened to before appeared in their Wrapped this year. I can’t confirm this, but Spotify’s increased reliance on AI seems to have shifted the experience from deeply personal to something riddled with misrepresented statistics and a loss of human connection.
Take, for instance, the AI-generated podcast that walks you through your top artists and songs for the year. I cringed every time the two “hosts” said my name in an attempt to sound relatable. The mini-episode lacks the charisma of a real, human host, which makes podcasts worth listening to.
Worse still, I noticed an inconsistency between the podcast and text version of my Wrapped. The podcast claimed I was in the top three per cent of Kanye Wests’ listeners, while the text version said four per cent. Make it make sense.
Adding insult to injury, Spotify introduced convoluted sub-genres that seem more like a joke than meaningful categories anyone can relate to. Examples include “Coastal Grandmother Fingerstyle Yacht Rock” and “Pink Pilates Princess Roller Skating Pop.”
In previous years, Wrapped included straightforward genres like indie, rock, or rap. Now, it’s like playing a musical version of pin the tail on the donkey, guessing what these micro-genres even mean.
I can build a better understanding of my musical identity when Spotify clearly shows me the genres I enjoyed most throughout the year. Made-up, cutesy genres don’t help me reflect on where my tastes went or where they could go in the future.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Spotify did include a short video of my most-played artist thanking me for supporting them. However, which artists cared enough to create these videos is a gamble. If you were expecting your favourite artist to personally thank you for streaming their music, don’t hold your breath.
Of course, Spotify didn’t do away with the core elements of Wrapped like getting your top songs and artists. However, you can no longer see your most-listened-to albums of the year, which I find disappointing. I still value the album experience — a cohesive story from start to finish.
Removing this category might signal that Spotify isn’t interested in full-length albums, mirroring the music industry’s shift toward singles over albums. If I care enough to check whether my favourite artists made it into my Wrapped, I definitely care enough to know if that includes their albums.
For me, this year’s Wrapped feels like another round of Spotify calling me basic and ignoring the lesser-known artists I spent hours listening to. Wrapped should help me develop my musical identity, not cause existential angst.
I’ll admit, Drake and Doja Cat have some bops. But it’s hard to trust the stats when Spotify’s AI-driven changes have created a disconnect between inaccurate robot hosts, cutesy genre titles, and real human listeners.
