Towards the end of every year, music recaps are a hot topic amongst students. Through every music platforms, at the end of the year is a statistical recap including information such as: total minutes listened, most listened to artists, most played songs, most played albums, most played playlists, top genres, and much more.
The two biggest music platforms are Apple Music and Spotify. In the past, Spotify Wrapped has been far better than the Apple Music recap, in style and content, but that changed this year. Many were unhappy with the way Spotify Wrapped turned out this year. For example, Senior Jared Romo said, “the information I got from my Spotify Wrapped was minimal and I didn’t get my top genres, compared to my friends with Apple Music.” Others say it felt like there was barely any effort put into it this year. There are parts that Spotify Wrapped typically includes that were omitted this year, those being the top Albums and top genres. Spotify instead integrated AI into their recap. They added an AI podcast where two AI voices discuss the music you listened to.
This has also been the longest wait for the Wrapped, the date being December 4, compared to the previous years such as November 29 in 2023 or November 30 in 2022. Overall, most students were unsatisfied with Spotify Wrapped this year.
Many students favorite part of Spotify Wrapped is the top artist statistics. It is highly discussed throughout students after the Wrapped has been released. So, several Timpview students were asked who their number one artist was.
Jojo Boots: Zach Bryan
Ethan Overson: Travis Scott
Joey Covey: Vampire Weekend
Peter Snow: Andersen Paak.
Brooklyn Chennault: Cage the Elephant
Despite this year’s disappointment, a recap of yearly music statistics are always fun to see and share with friends and family. Music is a powerful form of expression and a great connection to others, along with being an extension of oneself. Seeing milestones, favorite genres, favorite songs, and favorite albums is a great way to celebrate the new year. It also acts as a reminder of the experiences that passed during the year, including the good, the bad, and everything in between.
