Tag: new year

It’s Time To Unlock Your Playlist In a Bottle From 2023 (and Make a New One for Next Year)

January 4, 2024

playlist in a bottle graphic image depicting bottles, rice cooker, snow globr, and dumpster

Quick pulse check: What’s your mood, your inspiration, and your mindset as you kick off 2024? Does it match your feelings from a year ago? 

Last year we introduced “Playlist in a Bottle,” giving listeners a chance to capture the songs that resonated with them at that moment in time and seal it away for one year. The interactive in-app experience is the perfect time capsule to remember and reflect on the music you loved, and how your taste may have evolved over the past 365 days. If you’re one of the millions of Spotify listeners who participated then, today is the day to unlock your “Playlist in a Bottle” from last year. 

Here’s how

  • Visit spotify.com/playlistinabottle on your mobile device.
  • Choose “Claim Your Playlist” to see which songs were sealed in your musical time capsule. 
  • Save and listen to your complete 2023 Playlist in a Bottle. You only have until January 31!

Now it’s time to create a new Playlist in a Bottle to open in 2025. This experience is open to all Spotify listeners—whether you made one last year or this is your first time checking out the experience. This time around, you’ll answer questions like “what song brings out my alter-ego” and “what song describes my relationship status” to curate your playlist. You can also select where you want to store your playlist from a series of objects, and write a note to your future self.

Make your new Playlist in a Bottle

  • Visit spotify.com/playlistinabottle on your mobile device.
  • Select where you want to store your playlist. Choose from an actual bottle, a snow globe, a flip phone, a tiny bird’s nest, a rice cooker, or even a dumpster!
  • Complete a series of song-inspired prompts like “a song that reminds you of your favorite person,” “a song your great-grandkids will be confused about,” and “a song you put your friends on to.” 
  • Leave a note for your future self, capturing something you want to remember about this moment when your capsule is delivered next year.
  • Finally, “seal” your musical time capsule and post your #PlaylistInABottle share card to your preferred social handles.

phones depicting the playlist in a bottle user experience

Only time will tell if you’ll love or laugh at your song choices. You have until January 31 to seal your picks. Visit spotify.com/playlistinabottle for more. 

This experience is available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK, UAE, U.S., and Vietnam.

And you can find Playlist in a Bottle in the following languages: English, English-GB, Portuguese, Portuguese-BR, French-CA, Spanish-LATAM, Dutch, German, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish-ES, Turkish, Japanese, Czech, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese-Traditional, Korean, and Bahasa Indonesia.

Our Listeners’ Top Moods of 2023

February 9, 2023

the top moods of 2023

This year will be filled with good vibes and self-affirming trends—just ask Spotify listeners. Although it’s still early in the year, we’re already seeing positive moods and the power of manifestation trending in the songs and artists listeners are streaming. “Spotify is both a mirror to what’s going on in culture as well as the place where many trends begin—the way people are feeling, the way they’re spending their time—all this shows up in the music we listen to,” explained Sulinna Ong, Global Head of Editorial at Spotify. “So, in 2023 we wanted to take a little pulse check and see how the world is doing.” Curious to know more? Read on for the trends that are setting the vibe for the year ahead.

Good moods

We are noticing that 2023 is a mood. And a good one at that. Based on listening trends and user-generated playlists, three “moods” are setting the tone for the start of the year: confidence, motivation, and productivity. “These playlists are setting a really optimistic tone and intention for 2023. Coming after last year—when Goblin mode was Oxford’s Word of the Year—it’s a contrast to see such feel-good, positive moods trending on Spotify,” said Sulinna.

User-generated confidence-themed playlists are filled with top tracks like “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Confident” by Demi Lovato, “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat, “Applause” by Lady Gaga, and “NO” by Meghan Trainor.

And Monday motivation is seeping into every day of the week with “Unstoppable” by Sia, “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, “I’m Good (Blue)” by Bebe Rexha and David Guetta, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson, and “Can’t Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis making the list on user-generated playlists.

If you’re getting your mind set on productivity, check out these tracks fans can’t stop adding to their user-generated playlists: “Good Days” by SZA, “successful” by Ariana Grande, “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus, “Mastermind” by Taylor Swift, and “Space Song” by Beach House.

From Country Nostalgia to Podcast Partnerships, These Are Our Favorite 2021 ‘For the Record’ Moments

December 16, 2021

From fantastic new music and podcasts to product releases and exciting partnerships, 2021 was packed with high notes—and For the Record was there to cover it all. As we wrap for the year, here are some of the For the Record stories and Spotify moments that resonated with our readers and us.

January signaled emerging trends and artists.

We kicked off the year by exploring emerging music trends and artists. Brazil’s genreless playlist creme, which pulls together the diverse sounds of urbano music, set the tone for a year of genre experimentation. Atlanta-based rapper Flo Milli helped launch another year of Spotify’s global emerging-artist program, RADAR. Check out the U.S. RADAR artist’s advice for other aspiring female rappers.

February brought the streaming power.

Spotify leaders gathered in February for the livestream event Stream On, where we explored the power of audio and the opportunities ahead for millions of creators and billions of fans around the world. Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek also announced Spotify’s sweeping expansion to more than a billion people in 80+ new markets around the world. It’s all part of an ongoing commitment to building a truly borderless audio ecosystem that connects creators, listeners, and content.

March mixed it up.

This month we introduced a new family of personalized playlists: Spotify Mixes. We added three newcomers—artist mix, genre mix, and decade mix—that represent the next generation of the platform’s focused, personalized offerings. Check them out in the Made for You hub.

April called for amplification.

On the heels of International Women’s Day, Spotify announced a new global music program designed to turn up the volume on women. Enter EQUAL. Since then, we’ve spoken with impactful women artists around the world like Lido Pimienta and STAYC and reached a six-month milestone. And to highlight one of the fastest-growing music markets in the world, the Spotify: For the Record podcast (now Spotify: Discover This) explored the diverse beats in African music on “Afropop to Amapiano: African Music Ignites.”

May refreshed and flourished.

In May, we launched Spotify’s Fresh Finds program, which focuses on supporting independent artists. Within a few short months, Spotify’s inaugural class of artists had gained over 6 million first-time listeners and had welcomed four more fresh voices to the program. For the Record also took a closer look at a fresh trend and explored the flourishing collection of plant playlists after finding that streams of Spotify playlist Music for Plants had increased by nearly 1,400%.

June buzzed.

Readers were quick to hit the “like” button when American rapper Saweetie was in the hot seat defining hyphy slang on our podcast episode “Celebrating Local Genres: Chopped & Screwed, Go-Go, and Hyphy.”

And fan-favorite podcast Call Her Daddy made things exclusive with Spotify. The buzzy show was the latest addition to Spotify’s ongoing partnerships with beloved entertainment brands like Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert and Bad Robot. Plus, our Only You in-app experience gave listeners a fun-filled, shareable data moment midway through the year. Take a look back at the campaign and the personalized playlists still waiting for you on Spotify.

July jammed out.

Dance and dance music fans, this month was for you. SB19, a group leading the Philippine-style pop movement “P-pop,” chatted with us about their latest EP, Pagsibol, and their creative process. Plus, Spotify’s global team of dance music editors shared the big genre trends on their radars.

August was a friend blend.

In August, two playlists became one as friends and loved ones tapped into the new Blend personalized experience. In case you missed it, two listeners can now merge their musical tastes into one shared playlist created just for them, making it even easier to connect, discover, and bond. Speaking of friendship, members of the Gossip Girl team came together to discuss the sounds and tracks featured on the show—and to spill a few secrets.

September leaned into nostalgia.

Two musical blasts from the past swept through For the Record as we looked back at the ’80s and ’90s. Swedish pop sensation ABBA had listeners around the world crying “Gimme!” when they announced the release of their first new album since 1981. And in celebration of Gen Z’s nostalgic listening, Spotify launched a campaign highlighting the staying power of our country catalog. It’s not too late to take part in the ’90s Country Digital Experience.

October welcomed new growth.

Did you catch Spotify: For the Record’s news? After a year of audio adventures in storytelling, we grew our slate of company news podcasts from one to three. Now our audiences can tune into Spotify: For the Record, Spotify: Mic Check, and Spotify: Discover This for episodes tailored to their interests. Keep your ear to the ground and stream all three.

November shared news you can use.

This month brought a few long-awaited moments to listeners around the world, starting with our redesigned For the Record newsroom. The site debuted with a sleeker, more interactive design and remains a hub for Spotify’s latest and greatest news, podcasts, resources, and more.

Spanish speakers heralded the season two arrival of Caso 63, a Spotify Original podcast that’s setting new records as it draws a growing global audience.

And, sing it with us—lyrics became available on a Spotify for the majority of our extensive library of tracks. Fans can even share a favorite line with friends on social media.

December wrapped with a bang.

That’s a wrap! Spotify 2021 Wrapped, that is. Creators, listeners, and audio enthusiasts around the world joined us in celebrating the large role audio played in the lives of our listeners and creators this year. From unveiling what the world streamed most to marking the fifth anniversary of Artists Wrapped, this was a favorite moment across the Spotify community. For a behind-the-scenes look at how Spotify brought this year’s event to life, listen to “2021: That’s a Wrap!” on Spotify: For the Record.

No matter how you connected with Spotify this year, we’re grateful to have been part of your story. We can’t wait to see the audio innovation 2022 brings and keep sharing it with our For the Record community.

CES 2020: Spotify Makes Noise with SAI Announcement, Ludacris Performance, and More

January 10, 2020

This week, industry experts once again converged at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spotify was on the ground for the seventh year in a row, contributing to the mix of innovative discussions and product debuts.

From the launch of Spotify Podcast Ads, powered by Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI) to partying with Ludacris at our annual Spotify Supper, we listened, learned, and connected in person and through a love for all things audio. Take a look back at some of Spotify’s notable CES 2020 moments.

Wired x Spotify: The Trends That Will Define 2020 and Beyond

“There’s no other medium like podcasts. They’re a uniquely intimate format that resonates with listeners, and our research proves it—81% of users take action after they’ve heard a podcast ad.” —Lee Brown, Spotify VP, Global Head of Ad Sales at the Wired x Spotify fireside chat with Wired Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Thompson

Credit: Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Spotify

Cheers to Happy Hour

“I’m so excited to launch Spotify Podcast Ads powered by our proprietary Streaming Ad Insertion tech. We’re bringing real-time targeting, measurement and interactivity to the format for the very first time.” —Jay Richman, Spotify Head of Global Ads Business and Platform

Credit: Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Spotify

ELLE Women in Tech Panel with Dustee Jenkins

“I always had an inner voice that said ‘keep going.’ We have to be intentional about supporting and advocating for other women.” —Dustee Jenkins, Spotify Global Head of Communications

Credit: Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Spotify

“Yeah!” It’s Spotify Supper

With a performance by Ludacris and bites from three James Beard Award-winning chefs—Tim Hollingsworth, Charleen “The Veggie Whisperer” Badman, and Kwame Onwuachi—there was plenty to chew on and a lot to celebrate.  

Oh yeah, did we mention Lele Pons, Paul Feig, Sophia Bush, and Paris Hilton hit the dance floor during Luda’s performance?

Celebrity Trainer and Fitness Podcast Host Don Saladino Spills His Favorite Workout Songs, Podcasts, and Tips

January 7, 2020

If you’ve seen any of the Captain America, Avengers, or Wolverine movies, you’ve likely noticed Don Saladino’s handiwork. The celebrity trainer and entrepreneur works on strength, conditioning, and overall wellness with television and movie stars—from Ryan Reynolds to Blake Lively and Emily Blunt—to help them improve their performance physiques.

Don was a fitness trainer for more than twenty years, but since 2000 he’s been a business owner, brand strategist, and entrepreneur as well. At this point, training is the easy part. He also hosts two fitness podcasts and is a self-proclaimed music buff who tailors what’s playing to his clientele. For example, he knows to blast Pearl Jam when John Krasinski comes in for a workout, and recommends Led Zeppelin for actor Billy Crudup’s reps. For Don’s own workouts, he likes to stream Metallica albums from beginning to end. (He also says one can’t go wrong with ’90s grunge.)

We asked Don (between reps) to make a podcast playlist for us and grabbed a few music and workout tips from him as well—just in time to help you stick with your New Year’s fitness resolution.

How have you seen music help people during workouts?

I’ve educated myself in the last 20 years on fitness, anatomy, and kinesiology (the study of body movement) from the best doctors and coaches. But part of what I do, as important as that is, is play good music. Music’s a big driving force to a workout. Not everyone comes in having a good day, but music is the one thing you can throw at someone where, no matter how bad their day is, you can almost hit that reset button and get them to put a smile on their face, get into a little bit of a groove, and develop a little bit of a rhythm. Once a person starts picking up that energy and momentum, you can really accomplish something.

This year, Spotify’s data showed that health and fitness podcast listening increased 145% in the past year on our platform. Why do you think people are turning to podcasts to get information about health and fitness?

First off, I think listening to podcasts is a great way to fill time. I have an hour commute every morning on the train, and podcasts are an educational, entertaining way to be able to fill that. It’s so easy now with our phones and wireless headphones to just connect anywhere and become a smarter person. We’re also more aware of time management. If I’m on the train two hours a day, man, that’s 10 hours a week where I can listen to a different author or a different podcast or get educated on a different area. That’s really doing a lot of good self-help stuff for me.

Plus, we’re in a much more health-conscious society now. I mean, it is amazing. Twenty, 30 years ago, we weren’t paying attention to organic farming. We weren’t paying attention to how crops were being made or how important the purity of olive oil is—everyone just thought olive oil was healthy. (The other day I listened to a great podcast about olive oil, so it’s on my mind.) So the combination of downtime and connectivity, wanting to be educated, and the move towards health-consciousness all factor in.

Tell us about the podcasts you host—Reps for Muscle and Fitness and D&D Fitness Radio Podcast—what can listeners get out of these? What sort of episodes did you include on your podcast playlist?

Muscle and Fitness magazine brought me in to help elevate the educational platform for their listeners. We really wanted to go out there and not only just get fitness people talking about sets and reps, but we wanted to get the best nutritionists, the best doctors, talking about wellness as well. There are so many skeptics out there about gluten free or about intermittent fasting or about the ketogenic tide.

When you listen to the full podcast playlist, you’ll get points of view from well-educated experts like nutritionists, doctors, and trainers, as well as a level of entertainment from celebrities like Randy Couture, Zach Levi, and Liev Schreiber.

What are three wellness tips that anyone at any fitness level can incorporate into their New Year’s wellness resolution?

Sleep is number one. When we don’t fall into that realm of that seven to nine hours of good quality sleep at night, it impacts our entire body, including hormone function. If your hormone function is off, you’re not going to have a high level of energy, and you’re also not going to be able to burn an appropriate amount of fat. Your strength level is not going to be optimal and everything with your training’s going to drop.

Hydration is number two. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water. That’s going to set you up for proper digestion, better hormone function, better sleep, better energy, and a better way to metabolize foods.

Then, I think from an exercise standpoint, stop thinking that you need to spend 60 to 90 minutes a day at the gym. If you’re someone who hates the gym, but you can get in there for 15 minutes, just aim to break a sweat for 10-15 minutes a day. That is enough.

One bonus tip is to always fact-check—whether you’re listening to a fitness podcast or hiring a new coach, make sure the credentials are good and you’re getting accurate information about your health and workout.

Finally—for a question that takes us out of the gym—what is your go-to karaoke song?

“Faithfully” by Journey. I think it’s the hardest karaoke song to sing on the planet. My son’s a very good singer and I challenged him to sing it. He’s got a much better voice than I do and he’s almost nailing it right now. He’s 11. I’m trying to see if he can do a much better job than I did. We’ve been having a great time with it. I challenge anyone—if you can hit that song on all notes, you’ve got it together.

Take a listen to Don’s fitness-filled podcast playlist below for expert takes on wellness and working out.

These are Spotify’s Top Workout & Wellness Trends – Plus 2020 Predictions to Help Kick-Start Your Resolutions

December 31, 2019

As we enter the New Year—or better yet, new decade—there are endless ways to get on that fitness, wellness, or self-care resolution. Since there are plenty of songs, podcasts, and playlists dedicated to helping people achieve their wellness goals on Spotify, we took a look at how listeners have been using music and podcasts to stay on track. Plus, we made some predictions for what trends the new year will bring.

So, with more than 54 million workout-themed playlists on Spotify, what songs do listeners sweat to the most? Eminem’s “‘Till I Collapse” is the most-streamed track on workout lists at the moment. Ed Sheeran’s “I Don’t Care” with Justin Bieber is second highest, followed by Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey,” “If I Can’t Have You” by Shawn Mendes, and “Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran and Khalid.

It turns out that our listeners have a particular workout preference—running. Spotify listeners around the world have created more running playlists than any other workout type. Yoga follows in popularity, so you can be sure listeners are staying flexible as well.

We found that people want to learn about wellness from podcasts, too. Listening in the fitness and wellness podcast genre increased 145% in the past year. Plus, listeners are falling asleep—and in love—with sleep podcasts. The most popular podcast in the health and fitness category is Sleepy, where host Otis Gray reads classic stories to help listeners doze off. Is this what sweet dreams are made of?

As for 2020 predictions, we have reason to believe there’s going to be more meditating than ever before. We saw a 113% increase in streams of meditation playlists in the past year, higher than any other workout or wellness type.

Plus, we feel self-love will continue to reign supreme, with pump-up empowerment anthems like Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” Lizzo’s “Good as Hell,” and Hailee Steinfeld’s “Love Myself,” popular on self-care playlists. These powerful women are here to say You’ve got this.

Keep up the motivation with even more workout and wellness trends:


Download the infographic here.

Get inspired by our Wellness hub or get your heart racing with Spotify’s most-followed workout playlist, Beast Mode.

Keep Your Fitness Resolution with the World’s Top Workout Music

December 31, 2018

Admit it: Music plays a vital role in making your workout bearable. And as you bid farewell to 2018 and usher in a brand new year, resetting your fitness regime might be on your mind more than ever. So, whether you play hardcore dance beats or punk rock while lifting weights, running on the treadmill, or exhaling in child’s pose, be sure that good music goes hand in hand with your new year’s resolution.

With 43.5 million workout-themed playlists on Spotify, we get a kick out of checking in annually to see which songs are surfacing as the top motivators for our listeners, as well as where in the globe people are most physically active.

Perhaps due to the intensely motivational lyrics of Eminem’s “’Till I Collapse,” that track is, for the third year in a row, the top global song of all time for getting through that run or spin cycling class. And while Finland is the most active country in terms of the amount of workout music it streams, Sweden is the most zen, based on the Swedes’ enthusiasm for yoga-themed playlists.

Curiously, an area where we saw growth in 2018 was in the number of cryotherapy/ice-bath-themed playlists. It seems people are getting into the chill of this practice, which involves exposure to very cold temperatures in an effort to heal tissue. And the top songs in these playlists are—surprise!—Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” and Foreigner’s “Cold As Ice.”

Let’s step away from the cold for now, though, and warm up to the numbers:

Looking for the perfect playlist to light a fire after all that eggnog? Check out some of Spotify’s top workout playlists like Beast Mode, Motivation Mix, and Hype. Happy sweating!