For Spotify to rely on algorithms means it uses data from its consumers to generate music discovery delivered through playlists. But as Spotify’s feature rose in popularity, so did a growing discourse about algorithms, the use of which has become standard procedure on social media, and which Wrapped relies on.Īn algorithm takes a set of inputs and generates an output, the same way a recipe turns ingredients into a cake. Now, Spotify Wrapped has become an annual tradition, marking the change of seasons the same way beloved cultural staples like Starbucks holiday cups or Mariah Carey mark the holidays. While popular, Year in Music didn’t quite go viral, not until it was upgraded two years later to the customizable, jazzy graphic release it is now.

The tool included statistics like the listener’s most played songs and how many hours of music they listened to in total. Spotify originally released their first iteration of Wrapped in 2015 as “Year in Music,” a feature for users to look back through their last 365 days via the songs and artists they listened to most. Instagram stories were filled with streaming statistics that either poked fun at lowbrow taste or flexed artistic inclinations. Not long after, people all over the internet were sharing their listening results.

A friend frantically sent me a screenshot showing they were in the top 1 percent of Frank Ocean listeners with a message, “CAN U BELIEVE THIS,” followed by a deluge of texts from other friends, highlighting their streaming accolades. When Spotify Wrapped came out in 2017, it hit my group chats like breaking news.

How to get spotify wrapped 2021