On Nov. 29, adults and youth alike rejoiced and bonded as they shared their 2023 Spotify Wrapped results, on what most would consider an unofficial national holiday. All day long, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok feeds alike were set ablaze as Spotify users rushed to celebrate their favorite music with one another.
This year, the holiday rang in the cumulation of the past years listening with a few new features. Spotify included an AI DJ, who is programmed to mix users’ 2023 interests with the year’s most popular tracks, as well as music a user may like based on their Wrapped results.
This year’s changes also featured a ‘thank you’ message from artists to their “top listeners.” Among these artists were Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Doja Cat, Bad Bunny and more. In short 10-20 second videos, these artists took a moment to reflect on their successes and thank fans for sharing their love of music.
The holiday is young and has only been around since 2016 when it became a viral marketing campaign for Spotify. For those unfamiliar with the coveted day, Spotify creates personalized summaries of user data including their top five artists and tracks from the year.
However, the holiday is about more than a marketing ploy to drive subscription sales. Occurring just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, the holiday’s success can be attributed to its thoughtful and reflective character. Wrapped Day is about cherishing the unique language of song and its powerful influence on everyday life.
Based on data provided by Spotify and calculations by Data Conomy, it can be concluded that the average Spotify listener accumulated more than 3500 minutes of listening time per year. That’s roughly 2.5 days of non-stop music playing.
Many users reported that they felt a deep emotional connection to the holiday, and often planned special activities to coincide with the release. One user celebrated the day by attending their top artists concert late that evening, while another spent the day relaxing and record shopping.
Other listeners took the day to throw parties for their Wrapped results. These Spotify users chose to dress as their top artists and their top track for parties with friends where they came together to share each other’s company and musical tastes.
While the holiday doesn’t have deep surface-level historical value, it’s representative of a much deeper music-culture bond people share across the world.
Since the dawn of time itself, music has been an expression of feeling and art that brought people together. Despite their differences, they commemorated this special shared language, which is exactly what the Spotify Wrapped Holiday is all about.
Underneath 365 days worth of listening data lies an incredibly rich and individualized story about the people of this world. Wrapped Day serves as a reminder during the holiday season that people aren’t as different as the world makes it feel like.
Cheers to another successful Wrapped Day, and happy listening to all in 2024!
