The Politics of Spotify Wrapped
Words by
Triston
"Yaps On Record - Spotify Wrapped"
That time of the year has finally arrived. Yes, Spotify Wrapped. A time of year where everyone shares unsolicited opinions and tries to prove how niche their favorite artist is.
Thank God they got rid of the AI podcast from last year’s wrapped. That shit was so creepy.
What is Spotify Wrapped?
Wrapped captures your 2025 listening journey from January until mid-November, just a few weeks prior to this year’s launch on December 3. In the simplest terms, they combine data from millions of people worldwide for every single user, examining over 100 million different tracks (excluding podcasts). They in turn, use that data to present to you super personalized recommended playlists, songs, artists, etc. It was originally launched in 2016, and they focus more on the stuff you listen to more near the end of the year.
They can attribute the amazing concept of Wrapped to Jewel Ham, a former intern.
“To clarify, for those of y’all unfamiliar with #SpotifyWrapped — it used to be an email and a playlist,” Ham explained. “Since 2019, it has become an interactive user experience, and that right there — was my idea!”
According to Refinery29, at the time, Ham was a 21-year-old senior studying at Howard University. Although she mentions her presentation of the concept near the end of her internship was “received really well,” she was never asked to stay on the team to see it come to fruition.
“I was a person who had Spotify and loved Wrapped, but it was just a link they would send at the end of the year,” she explained. “It was just something that you personally knew about. When I gave the presentation at the end of my intern project, it was received really well. They liked the idea. That was my last day.”
Statement From Spotify
On the other hand, Spotify disputes any claims that they stole her idea.
“Spotify is proud to provide young talent from all backgrounds with the opportunity to create, contribute, and learn alongside some of the best teams in the business,” a spokesperson told the outlet. “Since Spotify’s Wrapped concept was first introduced in 2013, hundreds of employees have contributed ideas and creative concepts that have made the experience what it is today. While ideas generated during Spotify’s internship program have occasionally informed campaigns and products, based on our internal review, that is not the case with Spotify Wrapped. It’s unfortunate that things have been characterised otherwise.”
My Spotify Wrapped:
(Before you come for me, I listen to a lot of my own music to make sure it’s ok and I simply overthink its release ok)
Besides the overall marketing genius of Spotify Wrapped, its game-changing personalization, emotion-driven marketing, and listener data for both artists & audiences are pretty awesome. It encourages individualism & makes people feel a bit of fomo if they don’t participate.
But with all good things, uhhh (i don’t remember how the saying goes) but no company or thing is free from being subject to countless memes, satirizations, and or failures.
New Features
The newest feature they launched for it is called Wrapped Party. This new interactive feature lets you enjoy your year in music live with friends and can be found at the end of your personalized experience, in the Wrapped hub in the Spotify mobile app, or by searching “Wrapped Party.”
I don’t get it; it just feels like a decorated jam sesh, but you know that could just be me!
Spotify Boycott:
On a more serious note, as some of you may have seen, some people are boycotting Spotify, but why? Daniel Ek, the current CEO of Spotify, also runs an investment company that invests in Helsing, a European defense tech company developing AI-based software for battlefield decisions and its own military drone. Helsing says its tech is used only for Ukraine’s defense against Russia. Spotify has repeatedly said they’re completely separate companies with separate operations.
However, both artists & consumers felt uneasy about their streams indirectly benefiting someone investing in weapons technology at all (rightfully so). Because the boycott conversation overlapped with the ongoing war in Gaza, some listeners assumed Helsing’s tech was being used there, though there’s been no evidence, and Helsing publicly denied exporting anything to Israel.
Even with all of these clarifications, outrage persisted in other countries. The band Massive Attack (the creators of Twilight’s banger song & many others) have even removed their music from Spotify to protest against the CEO, Daniel Ek’s investment in AI military, according to The Guardian.
Now, Ek is stepping down as CEO in January 2026 & yes, Spotify swears that this has nothing to do with the controversy. It does feel like the pressure from boycotts and criticism played some role, even if they won’t just flat-out say it. Hopefully, whoever steps in brings a little more transparency… right, right.
On a personal note Spotify is just so expensive and I’m graduating soon, so I’m definitely looking for a cheaper alternative.
I also just don’t want to lose all the playlists I’ve been curating since middle school. And transferring them for free?? Please. I’m broke. If anyone has hacks that don’t involve paying a gazillion dollars, drop them immediately because I’m trying to switch & not lose my emotional support archives 😭.
(UPDATE: I used TuneMyMusic to transfer most of my playlists from Spotify over to Tidal)
And to be fair, there are a few other reasons people are leaving Spotify, too:
They pay artists literal crumbs. Spotify pays artists fractions of a cent per play ($0.003-0.005 per stream) which is barely $3k-5k for a million streams before labels take their cut (and if you’re independent like me it’s even less)
Spotify is raising its subscriptions & pushing AI-generated music (we can honestly yap more about how annoying this is another day)
What you can do:
If you’re feeling weird about Spotify (or just tired of selling your kidney to pay), here are a few things you can actually do that make a difference:
Go back to analog: I’ve personally been listing to vinyls/cds more + you actually own the music
Use Bandcamp: Support & listen to artists for free on Bandcamp where 85-100% of revenue goes directly to artists
Listen On Soundcloud (the OG): Still one of the best platforms to find new artists & niche genres
Switch Music Platforms: Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music - all have their own pros & cons but some pay artists better and have cheaper plans
Support Pro-Palestine Artists: Stream their music on another streaming platform & support them if you can
Questions 4 Y’all:
Lawd, that was a lot of information, but thank you for reading my TED Talk on Spotify for the year. Now I want to hear from you 🤓:
1. Do you actually enjoy sharing your wrapped with others or on social media or do you keep it private?
2. Who were your top artists on Spotify?
3. Are you changing your music subscription service? - and if so what to?
3 Songs Recommended:
My December 2025 Playlist
(Merry Christmas ya filthy animal)
Originally published on Substack