Spotify Wrapped reflects on our love for music

Music creates a certain sense of identity, or individualism if you will. 

The Hype Magazine article, “Why Spotify Wrapped is a Cultural Moment Every Year,” said that in the ‘70s people often used a person’s preferred genre as a pre-curated idea of what someone is like. This concept implies that music is something people have used in the past to describe themselves and that continues today, furthering each individual’s own sense of identity.

BBHHS student Neena Cale is one of many whose life has been deeply impacted by music.

“Music is something that brings me comfort knowing that there are other people out there that can relate to how I feel whether it’s sad, happy or even mad,” says Cale. 

“Music helps me get my thoughts out whenever I’m trying to write or when I want to draw something. It’s a really big inspiration to me because the feeling of not truly being alone pushes me to keep going.”

Cale also calls her experience with music a form of expression. She says, “Music has influenced my emotions and how I handle them the most. I’m a very ‘emotional’ person and I feel a lot. It’s hard for me to actually express that and I find myself thinking as a way to get out of participating in life because of that.”

Music is said to draw in certain people, says the article “Personality Studies Show the Difference Between People Who Play Music and Everyone Else.” These people are often seen as more open-minded and willing to experience new things.

As discussed in the article, “Why Spotify Wrapped is a Cultural Moment Every Year,” people don’t necessarily like being put into boxes although they don’t seem to mind being told how they are seen or even how they are perceived. 

Spotify Wrapped has become a huge part of society today with users in 2021 sharing it 60 million times, in which does not include the screenshots people have captured of their data.

Throughout the year Spotify keeps track of what songs you listened to, and how many times and knows all of your favorite songs from that year.

Sometimes these things Spotify tells you about yourself can come as a surprise. Many students were asked and said they were shocked by at least one aspect of their Spotify Wrapped.

Students such as Lena Yaussy and Silas Crites find most of the excitement in seeing who their top artist of the year was as well as their top songs and how many minutes they had for the year.

Spotify Wrapped is not something to enjoy by yourself, in fact, it’s something that can bring people together. BBHHS student Chloe Garten says she enjoys seeing her minutes and being able to compare them to her friends’.

Not only is Spotify Wrapped something that Spotify users can enjoy but it is also an effective marketing tool, bringing in new users as well as keeping people around. Student Anna Zumwalt says, “I have only had Spotify for a couple months but it was interesting to see and I plan on looking at it [Spotify Wrapped] next year.”

Zumwalt continues, “I do look forward to it next year to see how it differs from this year.”

Bryan Barletta, who works with Sounds Profitable, says in a Wired interview, “People like being able to show who they are through what they experience.”

Cale relates to Barletta’s quote and says that she enjoys seeing her Spotify Wrapped because it helps her better understand what gives her comfort.

As big as it is, some people wouldn’t know that Spotify Wrapped is a common thing to look forward to. Other music streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Youtube Music and more have nearly 60% of the streaming platform market share.

Music has become more prevalent in one’s everyday life than many may realize. It’s heard on the radio, in movies and in tv shows and can even be heard while taking a stroll through the local Giant Eagle.

Steven Cocchiola, orchestra and band director as well as music theory teacher at Brecksville Broadview Heights High School, says he listens to music “throughout the entire day. I have an hour drive to school so I listen to music on the way here, and then throughout the day I’m listening to either our ensembles or I’m trying to find new music or I’m just putting something in the background because I just need something to help kind of work.”

On the other side of things Nick Palumbo, biology and physical science teacher at Brecksville Broadview Heights high school, says he really only listens to music because he has “nothing else to do while driving.”

In the Wired Article, “The Big Problem With Spotify Wrapped” Evan Greer says “It’s kind of ironic that at the end of every year people are celebrating the fact that Spotify is spying on them. I think it’s particularly insidious because music is so personal and emotional. The music that we listen to is part of who we are.”

Cocchiola said that music has had a large impact on him since a young age that has led him down the career path he is in today. “Teachers were really the ones who influenced me to think ‘this is really cool I wanna do that’. Them inspiring me to get better is why I wanted to pay it forward with other kids, so that’s kind of what got me into it.”

10th-grade trombone player Mari McClaine says music has “always been a pretty big part of my life,” and further describes it as an escape.

McClaine says, “It doesn’t matter what kind of day I’ve had. I can just play or turn on some music and my worries will wash away.”

Not only is music seen as an escape for many, such as McClaine, but there are also many scientific benefits.

According to Healthline’s “The Benefits of Listening to Music” music connects us, can lead to better learning, improves memory, decreases fatigue, positively affects mood and even seems to help treat mental illness.

The way society has been influenced by music has changed throughout the years ranging from cassettes to the most accessible streaming platform technology that is used now and that has made music a huge part of our lives today.