If you’re familiar with genres like Pink Pilates Princess Strut Pop, Spotify Wrapped has been an exciting tradition for you. On December 4th, 2024, the annual feature arrived—just a day later than expected.
“I was pretty excited [for Spotify Wrapped] considering that I’ve been newly introduced to new music genres,” said Annie Liu (‘27).
Spotify Wrapped, known for offering a personalized recap of a user’s listening habits, has been a popular feature in recent years. However, this year’s release sparked different reactions from users.
“My first impression wasn’t that good because I felt like the top artists were inaccurate. The top songs were only from January and February, but not from the rest of the year,” said Anya Kashiramka (‘26).
AI Integration in Wrapped Features
Spotify has consistently used artificial intelligence to analyze listening data, but 2024’s Wrapped included new AI-driven features.
“I think the AI use was more obvious because last year, and the years before, the Wraps were more personalized and gave more statistics about your music taste. But this year, it was very basic,” added Kashiramka.
This year’s Wrapped added AI-driven features, including a podcast with AI hosts, AI DJ for premium users, and playlist personalization.
“This year’s Spotify Wrapped mainly focused on your evolution of music taste…[and] I noticed that the genre burger and other fun features got removed. I was really upset,” said Liu (‘27).
Workforce Reductions and User Observations
The 2024 Wrapped release followed layoffs of nearly 20% of Spotify’s employees earlier in the year. Some listeners pointed out differences in Wrapped’s presentation compared to previous years. Certain features, such as unique genres, appeared less distinctive and included unfamiliar wording.
“I feel like Spotify Wrapped 2024 was lacking, and I liked the previous year’s Wrapped way better,” said Kashiramka.
Reflections on Wrapped
Spotify Wrapped 2024 highlighted evolving music tastes and introduced new features that leveraged AI. As Spotify continues to develop this feature, listeners continue to notice how changes impact the yearly tradition.
