Since 2016, Spotify Wrapped has offered music lovers a chance to glimpse into the top tracks, artists and genres that they’ve enjoyed that year.
What began as a marketing campaign has been embraced by Spotify users across the globe, with millions of music-lovers looking back over the songs that made them smile, dance and cry over the past twelve months.
Last year, however, a number of Spotify users were unimpressed. Several users took to social media to complain that their 2024 Wrapped wasn’t at all reflective of their listening habits, with some claiming that artists were listed who they hadn’t once listened to in 2024.
@rayscloset #greenscreen i thought we all already knew this lol
♬ How Bizarre - OMC
“An artist I DO NOT listen too was in my top artist list,” one user said on Reddit.
Taylor Swift was listed in their “top 2 of the year” artist, they said. “I do not listen to her genuinely at all and there is one singular song of hers on my liked songs from years ago.”
Another user said that there Spotify wrapped was “completely wrong”.
“Half of my top 5 artists are ones I only listened to BARELY at the start of the year,” they said.
So is Spotify Wrapped really inaccurate?
“Not a comprehensive analytical report”
We don’t know for sure whether Spotify Wrapped is inaccurate, but according to ticket platform SeatPick, there are a number of factors that may make your wrap “feel ‘off’, even if the numbers are technically correct”.
@tiledirty Why they lying?
♬ original sound - 🖤
Gilad Zilberman, SeatPick CEO says: “Spotify Wrapped is fun and intentionally dramatic but isn’t necessarily a precise reflection of your musical identity. It’s a highlight reel built for social sharing, and not a comprehensive analytical report.”
There have been a number of theories thrown around as to why Spotify Wrapped may be inaccurate. Some people theorised that Spotify’s layoff of one in six of its workforce in 2023, including “data alchemist” Glenn McDonald, contributed to a disappointing Wrapped 2024.
According to research conducted by SeatPick, there are six reasons why Spotify Wrapped may feel wrong.
The cut-off time
Spotify has not confirmed its cut-off date for Spotify Wrapped, but it’s thought to be around late October to mid Novemeber. This means that music you’ve been enjoying recently won’t be factored in.
Short songs generate more plays
The length of a song plays into your Spotify Wrapped, with shorter songs generating more plays. SeatPick says that a one minute 30 track played five times trumps an eight-minute track played once.
“If you listen to genres with shorter average track lengths, they get over-represented,” SeatPick says.
Algorithmic playlists skew numbers
Spotify counts music you listen to in personalised playlists such as ‘Discover Weekly’, ‘Release Radar’, ‘Your Daily Mixes’, even if you didn’t actively choose them.
“This is how a lot of people end up with top artists they hardly remember,” SeatPick says.
Background listening distorts your stats
Spotify can’t tell if you’re actively listening to an album or if you’ve put on background music while working or socialising. If you fall asleep to ambient playlists, this can also impact your Wrapped.
Your most ‘marketable’ parts of your data are pushed
SeatPick says that because Spotify Wrapped was initially a “marketing product” rather than “an actual statistical report,” it may favour fun over accuracy.
“Spotify most likely chooses the most fun narrative, and not the most complete data. Wrapped is designed for social sharing, not accuracy,” Seatpick says.
Spiked listening patterns
Wrapped is said to favour intense listening clusters, so if you were addicted to listening to one artist for two weeks straight, it might show up in your top five.
Where to find real stats
For music lovers who want a better understanding of their music taste, there are plenty of other sites you can go to.
One option is Stats for Spotify which gives you a detailed breakdown of your top tracks, artists, genres over the past four weeks, six months and all time. It also shows you how your music habits have changed since the last time you used Stats for Spotify.
