The desire to listen to music is an innate characteristic of our soul, personalized for each individual in varying degrees. Maybe music takes up our time in the car, with friends, while exercising, while relaxing, when multitasking, or whenever we get the chance to listen to our favorite songs. As this unprecedented year comes to a close, it’s exciting to look back at all our musical endeavors. Whether looking through our top songs or artists of the year, our favorite albums, new discoveries, or the minutes we have listened to music, reflecting on the resource that brought us solace, joy, energy, or any other emotion is exciting. Thus, many users of popular streaming services anticipate the release of Spotify Wrapped, and the new Apple Music Replay.

Spotify Wrapped first debuted in 2015. However, it was nowhere near as personalized as it is today. The site included the top songs and genres of the year platform-wide. In 2016, the campaign was officially named “Wrapped,” including customized playlists for each listener, composed of their top songs and artists. Each passing year constituted an improvement of the campaign, attempting to create a deeply personalized and encompassing reflection on the 11-months prior. Released on December 1, 2020, this year’s Spotify Wrapped served as welcomed excitement, including listener’s top songs, artists, albums, and the minutes of music streamed this year.

As a major competitor of Spotify, the streaming service Apple Music created Apple Music Replay in recent years. Following suit to Spotify Wrapped, Apple Music Replay offers identical recaps; however, the minutes listened is converted to hours listened. With pressure from Apple Music listeners who felt excluded from the excitement of Spotify Wrapped, Apple Music released their “Replay” campaign swiftly. Now, listeners on both streaming platforms await the release of their personalized recaps each December.   

Many shared screenshots of their favorite artists, songs, albums, and their minutes or hours of music streamed this year on social media. Brock Melanson (12) loves how the release of these recaps allows him to “connect with friends who share similar top artists and songs.” Personally, this share of music recaps provided insight on my friends and classmates as quarantine kept us separated. I, and many others, were able to gain a new understanding of our friends’ musical likings and discoveries through these streaming services. In a time where isolation is common, Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay served as a virtual bridge between music lovers. So, thank you Spotify and Apple Music for your creation of an exciting and connecting event that we Mustangs will continue to look forward to every December.