After months of cryptic teasers and anticipation, Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here — and for many, it’s ‘wrapped’ in disappointment rather than celebration. What used to be an early, nostalgia-filled holiday gift for users now has many scratching their heads in confusion. The Wrapped, released on Dec. 4, was a lackluster year in review that failed to capture the essence of what a big year 2024 was for music.
The biggest issue with this year’s Wrapped was the removal of two iconic portions from previous years: listeners’ most streamed albums and their top genres. These are yearly staples and their removal made Wrapped feel incomplete. These portions became something fans looked forward to, and their removal combined with a lack of new content within the Wrapped made it feel bland and short, with even Rolling Stone describing it as “like getting socks for Christmas.”
A new section of Wrapped, which showcases listeners’ music “seasons” using quirky buzzwords, is causing a stir of controversy online. Examples like “Sweater Weather Softcore Indie Season” or “Indie Sleaze Cheerleading Pop Moment” baffled listeners. What even is “Indie Sleaze Cheerleading Pop?” These buzzwords left listeners more confused than interested, with their very random and, sometimes, cryptic meanings. While Spotify may have wanted to appeal to Gen-Z humor, however, it did not work how they intended.
“The titles for genres were the worst part for me,” sophomore Kylee Mcwilliams said. “They were so outlandish that they seem AI-generated.”
The timing of Wrapped’s release also leaves a portion of the year unaccounted for. With Wrapped coming out in late November to early December, a whole month is left out of listeners’ statistics. While, in most cases, someone’s listening habits during one month will not leave a huge mark on the year in review, it still makes Wrapped feel incomplete and not a proper representation of the year.
“How did you take longer to release it and then it’s not even interesting,” one user commented on Spotify’s Instagram. “Where’s top genres, podcasts and albums? This was such a huge year for music and you guys should’ve reflected that.”
While Spotify did lay off over 1,500 employees last year, according to CNN, this still leaves a whole year to create Wrapped. The limited staff doesn’t excuse the poor quality and missing features in this year’s Wrapped, especially since this is Spotify’s eighth year making it.
Despite the negatives, Spotify still nailed the top artists and top songs portions of Wrapped, and the inclusion of messages from users’ favorite artists is a great touch to make it feel more personalized.
Even with this, Spotify needs to listen to its listeners. With a few changes, Spotify Wrapped would become a gift fans can’t wait to ‘unwrap.’ Releasing Wrapped in January and returning beloved features, while leaving room for some new ones, would enhance users’ excitement and interest for the year in review. As it stands, the current Wrapped isn’t a true or interesting portrayal of listeners’ year in music.
