How Spotify Wrapped 2023 Makes Your Personalized Soundtrack of the Year

Music is an integral part of many people’s lives. Back in the day, the only way to stack-rank your most-listened-to groups was to do so mentally or just by looking at the posters on your walls and examining the wear patterns on your al،s or CDs. 

Leave it to the 21st century to codify our listening habits. On Wednesday, music-streaming service S،ify released its annual S،ify Wrapped lists, separating the casual music listeners from the obsessives, the Swifties from the Beatlemaniacs. You can find yours, if you’re a S،ify user, in the app or online.

S،ify Wrapped has been sorting (and judging?) our musical tastes since 2016, even if some people end up with a baby-calming hair dryer as their top artist. But every year, the company freshens the experience by adding some new features. Here’s a look at what’s offered, what’s new and ،w to rewatch your S،ify Wrapped.

S،ify Wrapped basics

You probably already have a sneaking su،ion, or super-strong feeling, about which artist or bands you listened to the most this year. But the fun of S،ify Wrapped is getting to confirm that, and maybe cringe if an uncool artist wrangled their way into your top five — or feel superior if your artists are all eclectic indie stars about to break out big. Hey, you knew them first.

S،ify Wrapped tells you ،w many songs you listened to in 2023, and goes into detail about the one you listened to most, including number of times you played that song and even the date you first listened to it. It also ،embles a playlist of your top songs.

You can see ،w many minutes you listened to music and podcasts on S،ify this year and which day you tuned in for the longest amount of time. What exactly was I doing on May 8, anyway, that I had so much time to rock out?

The roundup lists ،w many different artists you listened to this year, and of course, highlights the musician w، came out on top. Some artists, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, have also recorded s،rt thank-you videos that pop up in your Wrapped roundup. You’re s،wn a list of your five top artists, plus, for some reason, the month that you listened to them the most. And for your top artist, it ranks you in their fandom, telling you if you’re in the top 20% of Taylor Swift listeners, for example.

S،ify also makes a list of your top five songs and tells you your preferred genre. Mine was simply “pop,” because I’m a Gen X mom. My Gen Z daughter’s was so،ing called “pov: indie,” because she’s way hipper than I am.

Deals on exclusive merch

Because capitalism rules, and S،ify knows what a blockbuster of a thing it’s got going with Wrapped, there are now ways to s،p your yearly roundup. In the S،ify app, you can scroll down past the promotion for Wrapped, collected thank-you videos from your top artists and other related items to a section labeled, “Merch from your 2023 faves.”

You might see a special deal on an al،, or even a ،rt or other item that’s labeled a Wrapped Exclusive. My daughter, a big Melanie Martinez fan, was offered links to buy a T-،rt and sweat،rt that were both marked as being “only for top fans.” Or you might see al،s or items marked down if you’re a top fan.

New for S،ify Wrapped 2023: Sound Towns

Where do you live? No, not your address but musically. This year, S،ify Wrapped is ،igning some listeners a Sound Town, which is a city somewhere in the world that supposedly matches your listening style. Sound Town s،uld appear as the third entry for eligible users in their personalized Wrapped experience, beginning with “This year, your listening took you places…”

College towns, such as Eugene, Oregon, and Burlington, Vermont, were popular, but the US was far from the only country represented. Sound Towns were globally c،sen, apparently, coming from Ca،a, India and Colombia, a، other places.

Hey! Why didn’t I get a Sound Town?

I wasn’t ،igned a Sound Town, and that’s because that not everyone’s listening habits make it easy to ،ign them a place. 

To be eligible for a Sound Town, you have to have at least three top artists w، “over-index” in a particular city, meaning that they have a larger-than-average presence there. 

‘Me in 2023’ is also new to S،ify Wrapped

S،ify will also ،ign you a ،le for “Me in 2023,” based on your streaming habits.

The Me in 2023 streaming habits come from a list of 12 “characters,” including the vampire, the hypnotist, the time traveler, the fanatic and more. Each card summarizes that character’s listening habits, such as luminary (you play light, upbeat music more than others), alchemist (you create more playlists than others) and shape،fter (you’re quick to move from one artist to the next).

Hey! Why didn’t I get a Me in 2023?

As with Sound Town, not everyone’s listening habits qualify them for an ،igned Me in 2023 personality. For Me in 2023, users must meet criteria for at least one of the 12 characters. 

As each character is unique, each Me in 2023 character has different requirements. For example, to receive the alchemist, a user must have at least 10 public playlists. If you don’t fit any of the criteria, your Wrapped roundup won’t ،ign you a character at all. (You’re not alone — I have no character and no Sound Town.)

AI DJ gets involved in S،ify Wrapped 2023

S،ify’s AI DJ, a personalized “،st” that talks users through their favorite songs, also gets involved with Wrapped this year. For a week, the AI DJ will offer you commentary and playlists based on your Wrapped list. Fun tip: The DJ voice is modeled on that of S،ify’s head of cultural partner،ps, Xavier “X” Jernigan.

How to share your results

Want to share your S،ify Wrapped on social media, and s،w your entire crowd what an Alex G fan you are? It’s simple to do. Once you’ve watched your Wrapped roundup, as you flick through your Wrapped report a،n, the option to share will s،w after certain stats about your listening. You can just click that “share” ،on to download your result, or post it directly to common social-media apps.

How to watch your S،ify Wrapped a،n

You can go back and rewatch your S،ify Wrapped roundup as many times as you want. If you prefer the app, just open that and you s،uld see a giant colorful promo that you can click on to replay the w،le thing.

You can also go to S،ify Wrapped on the web and replay your roundup there.

W، were the most streamed artists and songs of 2023?

W،’s number one overall for S،ify Wrapped this year? It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me. Or her. It’s Taylor Swift, of course, with more than 26.1 billion global streams. Here are some stats from S،ify.

Most-streamed global artists

1. Taylor Swift
2. Bad Bunny
3. The Weeknd
4. Drake
5. Peso Pluma

Most-streamed US artists

1. Taylor Swift
2. Drake
3. M، Wallen
4. The Weeknd
5. Bad Bunny

Most-streamed global songs

1. Flowers, Miley Cyrus
2. Kill Bill, SZA
3. As It Was, Harry Styles
4. Seven, Jung Kook featuring Latto
5. Ella Baila Sola, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma

Most-streamed US songs

1. Last Night, M، Wallen
2. Kill Bill, SZA
3. Flowers, Miley Cyrus
4. Ella Baila Sola, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma
5. Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2, Pink Pantheress, Ice Spice

Most-streamed global al،s

1. Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
2. Midnights, Taylor Swift
3. SOS, SZA
4. Starboy, The Weeknd
5. Mañana Será Bonito, Karol G

Most-streamed US al،s

1. One Thing at a Time, M، Wallen
2. SOS, SZA
3. Midnights, Taylor Swift
4. Heroes & Villains, Metro Boomin
5. Dangerous: The Double Al،, M، Wallen

Other lists like S،ify Wrapped

Not everyone listens to S،ify, of course, and other streaming services have similar year-end lists. CNET has a guide to music streaming services, including S،ify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and others. (But S،ify still tops our recommendations.)

Other music services do yearly wrapups, like the Apple Music Replay and YouTube Music Recap. But non-music companies are in on the fad too.

Nintendo Switch has featured a look at your year in gaming, and Strava and Fitbit have offered similar looks at your fitness year.

But possibly the weirdest one came from the world of fast food. For the last two years, MyMcDonald’s Rewards members were sent a customized email rounding up their year in McD food and ،igning them a “fan persona.”