After revealing its most-streamed artists, albums, songs and podcasts earlier this week, Spotify is handing the reins over to you. As is typically the case in early December, the streaming service is debuting the 2020 installment of Wrapped: the company’s year-in-review that chronicles 11ish months of music and podcast activity. In true Spotify fashion, there are some key changes to the nostalgia tool this year, with the biggest being the personalized version of Wrapped is now mobile-only, available inside the company’s apps on Android and iOS.
Spotify opted for a stories-style format for Wrapped this time around. It’s akin to what you see atop your Instagram feed (or any of the dozens of other apps) on a daily basis. Spotify doesn’t yet have stories as a regular function of its mobile apps, but the company has been testing them for months now. Most recently, a stories-like format popped up on Spotify’s Christmas Hits playlist, featuring videos from several artists were included in the mix. All indications are it’s only a matter of time before bands and musicians begin posting these regularly. Of course, Spotify maintains this is only a test at this point. And yes, when you’re ready to share your stats, you can post personalized stories-friendly graphics on Instagram (et al) as you see fit.
While the medium may be different, Wrapped is still mostly the same. The whole feature is a microcosm of your year’s worth of listening on the service — from top songs and artists to podcasts and genres. Like playlist builders Spotify has created in the past, this year’s edition of Wrapped includes quizzes so you can see how well you know yourself as you relive your audio consumption for 2020. The app will even tell you how many minutes you spent listening to both music and podcasts, along with what your “most binge-worthy” show was. You’ll also discover the exact day you listened the most, and on which date you heard your 100th song of the year.
Wrapped is available to both free and Premium users, but subscribers are privy to new badges based on activity. More specifically, Tastemaker (if your playlists gained enough new followers), Pioneer (you listened to a song before it hit 50,000 streams) and Collector (you added a certain number of songs to playlists) are the awards that can be earned.
Lastly, there are the playlists. In Spotify’s case, there are always new playlists. “Your Top Songs” should be fairly obvious while “Missed Hits” collects popular songs in 2020 you didn’t listen to but might enjoy based on your streaming activity. Users in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada can try “On Record,” or what Spotify describes as “a mixed media experience that highlights your top 2020 artists.”
