Tag: wrapped

Spotify Reports Fourth Quarter 2022 Earnings

January 31, 2023

Q4 Earnings GIF

Today, Spotify announced our fourth quarter 2022 financial performance. Click here to review the full earnings release, and take a look at the highlights below:


Interested in hearing more? You can listen to the webcast Q&A on our Investor Relations site here. 

Click below to check out a sizzle reel of audio trailers from a few of our recent original and exclusive podcasts. 

Hear from our CEO, Daniel Ek, CFO, Paul Vogel, and Co-President and Chief Business Officer Alex Norström as they talk about our progress this quarter, including topping 200m Premium subscribers, and what they’re excited about in the coming months on Spotify: For the Record.

2022 Saw Even More Advancements, Acquisitions, and Excitement at Spotify

December 27, 2022

Earlier this month, we all had a chance to revisit what we listened to most in 2022 with Wrapped. From the year’s top artist (congrats on the three-peat, Bad Bunny) to identifying our listening personalities (where the “Deep Divers” at?), fans worldwide shared their listening habits. But that’s only the icing on the cake. The year also saw new content offerings such as audiobooks and more programs to support diverse and underrepresented voices, all designed to bring the best experience to listeners and creators.

Ring in 2023 by reliving Spotify’s highlights from 2022.

Commitment to platform safety

At the start of the year, we shared several actions we’re taking to balance creator expression with safety, including publishing our Platform Rules and taking steps to ensure creators and users alike understand what’s permitted on Spotify. This summer, we unveiled the Spotify Safety Advisory Council, an interdisciplinary group of experts that are providing our teams with an outside-in view of the safety landscape and helping us ensure that our products and policies address the needs and concerns of our users, creators, and artists around the world.  

Acquisitions expand our offerings

Early in the year, we acquired two podcast technology companies: Podsights, a podcast advertising measurement service, and Chartable, a podcast analytics platform. This move helped us uplevel measurement for podcast advertising and give publishers a new way to grow their business through insights and promotions tools.  

Over the summer, we closed on the acquisition of Findaway, a global leader in digital audiobook distribution. Findaway works across the audiobook ecosystem with a platform and offerings that serve authors, publishers, and consumers. Their technology and know-how helped accelerate Spotify’s entry into audiobooks earlier this fall.

As the world’s leading audio streaming platform, it made perfect sense to bring Heardle, the beloved interactive music game to Spotify. It has provided a fun and innovative way to help fans discover new songs and artists.

We also acquired Kinzen, a global leader in protecting online communities from harmful content. Our partnership with the Dublin-based company, which began in 2020, has been critical to enhancing our approach to platform safety. The company’s technology and unique approach helps Spotify better understand, prepare for, and prevent abuse trends from emerging on our platform.

Frequency carves out a spot for Black creators

We expanded Frequency, our global initiative and holistic destination for celebrating Black art, entertainment, creativity, culture, and community both on- and off-platform, with even more opportunities for Black creators. In addition to on-platform hubs and playlists, we hosted The Free Studio, a four-day residency that brought together nine Black musicians and creators. Spotify’s popular playlist Ripple Effect continued the Frequency Sunday Dinner series in Houston, as well as cities across California. 

Helping diversify the voices of podcasting

Programs like Sound Up, the Creator Equity Fund, and RADAR for Podcasters help underrepresented voices and emerging talent in the audio space. From education and workshops to on-platform amplification, these initiatives give creators the tools they need to tell their story. In October, we introduced the Africa Podcast Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative to support burgeoning podcasters through financial grants, workshops, and networking opportunities. In December, we launched Elevate for Podcasters in partnership with the Inevitable Foundation. The program empowers professional podcasters with disabilities, providing the funding, mentorship, equipment, and accommodations they need to level up their careers. 

Introducing User Choice Billing with Google

Our multi-year agreement with Google represents a first-of-its-kind option in payment choice with opportunities for both consumers and developers. Users who’ve downloaded Spotify from the Google Play Store are presented with the choice to pay with either Spotify’s payment system or Google Play Billing. These two options living side-by-side in the app give users the freedom to subscribe and make purchases, using the payment option of their choice. With this announcement and our partnership, Google is allowing more choice and competition—decisive steps that demonstrate how platforms should work.  

Blend it up

Blend combines the best of Spotify’s personalization capabilities and collaborative playlist functionality into a single shared playlist. In 2022, we took Blend to a whole new level. Users can now Blend with up to 10 people or they can Blend with artists like Lizzo, Post Malone, and Charli XCX. Fans also have the opportunity to shop artist merch from the Blend experience. Blend represents another way we can give artists a new oportunity to interact with fans, and to bring added personalization to a listener’s music experience.

Playing with video

In 2022 we expanded video podcasting to Anchor creators in over 180 global markets. Podcasters love having the option to accompany their audio with visual components, and fans get the opportunity to deeply connect with the content. We also introduced Spotify Podcast Subscriptions for video podcasts, an integration with Riverside (the go-to platform for remote recording), embeddable video, video bulk-replace, video-specific analytics, and interactive podcast features, such as polls and Q&A.

Celebrating EQUAL’s first anniversary 

Since its launch, EQUAL has spotlighted women artists through global partnerships, activations, new content experiences, and on- and off-platform support. April marked the program’s one year anniversary. Among EQUAL’s major accomplishments: listeners streamed more than 13 million hours of program artists in the first month of joining. 

Reimagining with Roblox

We entered the virtual universe Roblox to create Spotify Island, an audio paradise where fans and artists from all over the world can connect and explore exclusive sounds, quests, and merch. We enhanced the experience during the year with K-Park and Planet Hip-Hop.

Spotify and FC Barcelona team up on the field

In July, we kicked off a partnership with FC Barcelona, becoming the Main Partner of the Club as well as the Official Audio Streaming Partner. We joined the team in Miami during the club’s preseason tour and brought artists like Ovy on the Drums, Piso 21, and Mau y Ricky along for the fun. Through the in-stadium LEDs and our other marketing channels, we promoted artists of all sizes from around the world including BLACKPINK, Fireboy DML, Megan Thee Stallion, Aitch, Pomme, Feid, and Rigoberta Bandini. For FC Barcelona’s October El Clásico showdown—one of the most iconic events in all of sport—we celebrated Drake’s 50 billion streams by creating a limited-edition kit. Get more details on this multiyear partnership on our Spotify: For the Record podcast.

Upping the ante with audiobooks

This fall, we introduced audiobooks to listeners in the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. With more than 300,000 titles on the platform, we are giving book lovers a new way to enjoy storytelling on Spotify.

Time to play fair

We believe everyone benefits when competition is fair. Unfortunately, Apple does not, and they’ve consistently abused their dominant position to favor their own services, stifle innovation and hurt consumers. This year, we continued to urge policymakers to take significant action to protect competition and consumers from Apple’s anticompetitive behavior. For more on this fight, listen to  Spotify: For the Record, where entrepreneurs, U.S. senators, and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek discuss the importance of consumer choice.

Spotify Celebrates 3 Years of Record-Breaking Bad Bunny Streaming With a Mexico City Fiesta

December 13, 2022

By now, the news of Bad Bunny’s record-breaking streaming success has ricocheted far and wide. The global recording artist generated over 18.5 billion streams in 2022, landing him the title of Spotify’s top artist for the third year in a row—the first artist ever to claim such an accomplishment. If you ask us, that’s cause for celebration. 

With Mexico leading over the past three years as the top market to stream Bad Bunny, it only seemed fitting to celebrate the artist’s success with 1,000 of his biggest fans, collaborators, and supporters there. So this past weekend, Spotify and Rimas (Bad Bunny’s label) joined forces to throw the ultimate after-party at Ragga Club in Mexico City to celebrate the end of his World’s Hottest Tour. Artists Rauw Alejandro, paopao, Jowell & Randy, Carin Leon, Danna Paola, Kim Loaiza, Juan de Dios Pantoja, Mario Bautista, Buscabulla, and Arcángel were among some of the guests toasting the Puerto Rican native. 

Benito himself even took to the stage in a surprise special performance where he thanked everyone for streaming his music and for celebrating this incredible moment with him. He surprised the crowd with an improvised performance of his hit “Despues de la Playa,” and with acoustic versions of “Neverita,” “Callaita,” and “El Apagon” with the backing of a Dahian El Apechao’s live merengue band. 

Key to the celebration was the Ring Ceremony, where Jeremy Erlich, Spotify’s Global Head of Music Content, joined Benito for a celebratory moment on behalf of Spotify. “Congratulations on the three-peat—the first time any artist is the most streamed for three years in a row,” he shared. “An epic showing for a career-defining year.” 

Creators and Fans Celebrate the Playfulness of Wrapped Around the World

December 8, 2022

a DJ playing music at a wrapped event in pakistan

In case you missed it, last week Spotify unveiled 2022 Wrapped. To toast the highly anticipated year-end toplist reveals, the unparalleled user and creator experiences, and the beloved data stories, we hosted Wrapped-themed parties in cities across the globe. This year’s Wrapped is all about self-expression and play—celebrating the two-way connections that bring millions of creators and fans together through audio each and every day. From Paris to Karachi, our events invited fans, creators, and influencers to celebrate how they listened in 2022, and encouraged them to revel in activities that highlighted their music listening personalities.

France

For its 2022 year-end retrospective, Spotify France opened the doors of its Wrapped Café, a temporary space in Paris’ 10th arrondissement. The pop-up space gave fans a new way to extend their Wrapped experience into real life. Visitors had the chance to control the venue’s playlist, get a personalized Wrapped Café t-shirt, capture the night in a photobooth with custom audio personality filters, and play Wrapped-themed arcade games.

Over the course of the four-day event, French artists and podcast creators performed at the café. Fans had the chance to enjoy performances by rapper Fresh la Peufra, singer and EQUAL ambassador Chilla, and artist Bianca Costa. Attendees also took part in a live recording of the Spotify Original history podcast Oyez, Oh Yeah with cohosts Manon Bril and Alex Ramires.

Fans Wanting To Wear Merch From Their Top Wrapped Artists Leads to the Biggest Week of Artist Merch Sales in Spotify History

December 8, 2022

Each year when Spotify Wrapped rolls around, listeners eagerly look forward to seeing their top-streamed artists revealed. And 2022 Wrapped was no different. Last week, millions of fans around the globe learned about their unique music listening personalities as well as the patterns behind their plays. But this year, as always, we took Wrapped a step further with new stories and features—including artist merch in the app to help fans get closer to their favorite artists. 

Fans love to rep their favorite artists, and they especially love to do so after seeing their Wrapped results: In the seven days since launching Wrapped, we’ve seen the highest-grossing merch sales week for artists in Spotify history. 

Connecting fans with ways to express their favorite fandoms and lend support to the artists they love is key to fulfilling our mission of enabling artists to live off their art. In the weeks leading up to Wrapped, artists listed their top merch items on their Spotify profiles through Spotify for Artists to capitalize on all the increased attention their profiles would get on the big day. Then, during Wrapped, we debuted a new shelf of merch offers in the Wrapped hub and sent a personalized email to fans with merch from their top artists of the year. Fans of Ghost, Smino, NIKI, Joji, Elton John, Fireboy DML, and Jack Harlow even got early access to exclusive merchandise through Spotify, further underscoring our commitment to helping artists build new revenue streams on Spotify. 

Though selling merch may seem unexpected, it’s impactful. “By our offering merch on Spotify, millions of the world’s most engaged music fans can now support their favorite artists by buying merch right where they’re already listening,” says Alex Lavian, Product Marketing Lead, Spotify for Artists. “This helps us get closer to achieving our goal of providing a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art.”

We asked Alex to break down these impactful merch sales even further. 

Why merch? 

Merch is an important source of revenue for artists, and we’re actively investing in new revenue opportunities for artists beyond streaming royalties. Enabling artists to sell merch on Spotify drives a deeper connection between them and their fans. Plus, it’s a natural place for fans to buy things from the artists they love. Just like how fans can’t resist the merch table after an amazing live performance, Spotify can share offers with fans at that perfect moment, whether it’s right after streaming an album, discovering an artist for the first time, or learning an artist was your most streamed that year. We think there’s a huge opportunity to help artists reach listeners with their merch at just the right moment. 

How does this contribute to greater earnings for artists?  

The business of being an artist is complex and multifaceted—it relies on multiple income streams from multiple artist-to-fan touch points, including streaming music, selling merch and tickets, collecting tips, and more. Just as we enabled artists to list their merch in the Wrapped Hub, we also did the same with upcoming tour dates, so that fans can easily experience the artist live and in-person as well as—contributing to yet another revenue stream for the creator. There’s a huge opportunity for Spotify to be an impactful sales channel for artists and we’re making lots of progress.

How does merch in Wrapped build brand love with fans? 

This year merch played a central role in the Wrapped campaign to give fans new ways to express their fandom and support the artists they love. Merch is a relatively new vertical for Spotify and one we’re extremely excited about. We aim to build a culture around merch on Spotify, establishing Spotify as a destination for unique offerings, effective promotions, and meaningful revenue.

Find merch from your favorite artists in the Wrapped hub.

EQUAL Global Ambassador Sara James Celebrates Her First Artist Wrapped After a Breakthrough Year

December 1, 2022

Spotify listeners all over the world are taking part in Wrapped and learning about their listening habits. And just as Wrapped is an exciting time for fans, creators are feeling the anticipation too.

Now in its sixth year, Artist Wrapped delivers a personalized experience through a microsite presented by Spotify for Artists. It’s a moment just for the creators, who can get in on the global Wrapped experience by discovering how their music connected with fans across the world. This includes a breakdown of the total hours their music has been streamed, follower and listener stats, playlist adds, total numbers of shares, and more.

New to Wrapped this year is Songwriter Wrapped: Spotify’s celebration dedicated to the storytellers behind some of the most beloved lyrics that soundtracked 2022. Songwriter Wrapped recognizes a wide range of songwriters who have official Songwriter Pages on Spotify, including the likes of Max Martin [the Swedish mastermind who worked on Lizzo’s Special and The Weeknd’s Dawn FM], Tainy [the Puerto Rican producer who had a major hand in Bad Bunny’s blockbuster album, Un Verano Sin Ti], Louis Bell, Kid Harpoon, and, of course, NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade, Taylor Swift.

One rising star who has been waiting for their Artist Wrapped to drop is Polish singer Sara James, who made history this past June after she became the youngest-ever EQUAL Global Ambassador at age thirteen. 

Since then, Sara’s celebrated her fourteenth birthday, reached the finals on the most recent season of America’s Got Talent, made an appearance on the Spotify: Mic Check podcast, and become the first Polish artist to take part in the Spotify Singles program, with “My Wave” and her cover of Billie Eilish’s “lovely.” Throw in the continued success of her hit single “Somebody,” and Sara will finish the year as the Most Streamed Artist on Spotify’s global EQUAL Playlist in 2022.

For the Record caught up with Sara to talk about her breakout year, her music, and what she’s excited to discover on her 2022 Artist Wrapped.

For the Record caught up with Sara to talk about her breakout year, her music, and what she’s excited to discover on her 2022 Artist Wrapped.

What were some of your personal 2022 highlights? 

I think my favorite highlight was reaching the finals of America’s Got Talent and getting the golden buzzer from Simon Cowell. That was a huge deal to me because I wasn’t just in Poland, but in America. And obviously, being a part of EQUAL was wonderful.

June 2022 saw you named the youngest EQUAL Global Ambassador, and now Wrapped has revealed that you’re the #1 Most Streamed Artist on Spotify’s global EQUAL Playlist in 2022. How are you feeling about your accomplishments this year? 

That’s crazy. Like, actually crazy. And I’m just so happy and so honored to serve as an example for women and younger people, and show that you can do it and nothing’s going to stop you. You just have to follow your dreams.

Which women artists have you been listening to most this year?

There were a lot, but I would definitely say ROSALÍA, that’s for sure. I would also say Billie Eilish, Tems, and Beyoncé’s album RENAISSANCE. 

What are you excited for most in your 2022 Artist Wrapped? How do you think you’ll use the learnings going forward?

This is going to be my first year experiencing my Artist Wrapped. I’m really excited and just want to see what I’m going to find out. I’m super excited and I’ll probably learn a lot of stuff. For example, I’m interested to see where people listen to me. For example, if I discover people in Spain listen to me a lot, then maybe I will release a song in Spanish.

What does Sara James have in store for the world in 2023?

Music, music, music, that’s for sure. I want to go on tour for my new album. I also want to show the world the more mature Sara James.

Want to learn more about one of 2022’s hottest songwriters? Listen to our Wrapped episode of Spotify: Discover This with Tainy.

Nu är det dags: Topplåtarna, Artisterna, Poddarna och Lyssningstrenderna för 2022

November 30, 2022

Det är omöjligt att definiera 2022 på ett enkelt sätt. Efter de senaste årens ovisshet har var och en av oss behövt hitta ett “det nya normala” i vår relation till kulturen såväl som till varandra. I år har Spotifys användare omdefinierat hur de skapar glädje. Och nu är det dags att att avslöja vad världen tillsammans glatt sig åt och varit besatta av i Spotifys 2022 Wrapped

Från musiken som har fått oss att dansa, till podcasterna som hållit oss fastnaglade. Här är ljudet som tog sig till den absoluta toppen på Spotify-användarnas spellistor.

Toppartisterna globalt 2022

Det blir tredje raka förstaplatsen för Bad Bunny. Singer-songwritern hamnar återigen högst upp på listan över de mest streamade artisterna globalt, en placering han har hållit sedan 2020. Ingen annan artist har lyckats med bedriften tidigare och för att fira det har vi stöpt om gillaknappen på Spotify till “Bad Bunnys speciella hjärtformade symbol”. Taylor Swift är den näst mest streamade artisten i världen med förstaplatser i Australien, Storbritannien, Irland, Malaysia, Filippinerna, Nya Zealand, Qatar, Slovenien och Singapore. Övriga artister som har tagit sig till topp 5 är två legendarer från Toronto: Drake och The Weeknd, samt K-Pop-giganterna BTS.

Flera artister har tagit stora kliv tack vare kraften i sociala medier. De mest “virala” artisterna definierar vi som de som som fått sin musik mest delad från Spotify till sociala plattformar. Att säga att Taylor Swifts album Midnights blev omtalat vore en underdrift och hon kniper förstaplatsen på listan över mest virala artister. The Weeknd är den näst mest delade artisten, följd av Bad Bunny. På plats fyra och fem återfinns BTS och Lana Del Rey.

Topplåtarna globalt 2022

Skaparen av årets sommarhit Harry Styles toppar listan över de mest streamade låtarna 2022 med superhiten “As It Was”. Det brittiska indierockbandet Glass Animals “Heat Waves” är den näst mest streamade låten 2022 – deras fans kan verkligen inte få nog. Australiensiska The Kid LAROIs samarbete med Justin Bieber “STAY” är den tredje mest streamade låten i år. Bad Bunnys “Me Porto Bonito” med Chencho Corleon och “Tití Me Preguntó” tar plats fyra och fem.

Toppalbumen globalt 2022

Vilket album streamades mest 2022? Användare runt om i världen visar på en stor mångfald i smak med topplistade verk på spanska såväl som engelska, och inom genrerna hiphop och pop. Bad Bunnys Un Verano Sin Ti  tar platsen som det mest streamade albumet 2022. Harry Styles “Harry’s House” tar andraplatsen och Olivia Rodrigos debutalbum SOUR tar tredjeplatsen. Brittiska superstjärnan  Ed Sheerans album = fortsätter att vara en stark lyssnarfavorit och kniper fjärdeplatsen på listan. Slutligen tar Doja Cats album Planet Her (Deluxe) femteplatsen på listan.

Toppoddarna 2022

I år expanderade Spotify sitt podcasterbjudande till en mängd nya marknader och användare runt om hela världen har fått nya favoritpoddar att plöja frenetiskt. Med fler än fyra miljoner podcasts kan Spotify erbjuda något för alla. Men vilka var de största poddarna under året? För tredje året i rad kniper The Joe Rogan Experience förstaplatsen. Call Her Daddy, med Alex Cooper, tar platsen som den andra mest lyssnade podcasten. Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, en blivande Spotify Exclusive som berör en bredd av ämnen från den populära amerikanska skaparen tar tredjeplatsen medan Caso 63, ett Spotify Original som i år togs fram på spanska, brasiliansk portugisiska, hindi, och engelska, tar fjärdeplatsen med språkvarianterna inräknade. Crime Junkie, en true crime-podcast av Ashley Flowers och Brit Prawat, är den femte mest lyssnade podcasten.

Har du hunnit kika på din egen Wrapped? Har dessa artister, låtar, album, podcasts och trender visat sig i din egen sammanställning av året? Utforska vad mer vi kan erbjuda specifikt för dig!

Medan vi tar farväl av 2022 finns hela listan av topplåtar, artister, album och podcasts nedan.

Mest streamade artister globalt

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

Mest streamade artister i USA

  1. Drake
  2. Taylor Swift
  3. Bad Bunny
  4. Kanye West
  5. The Weeknd

Mest streamade album globalt

  1. 1. Un Verano Sin Ti av Bad Bunny
  2. Harry’s House av Harry Styles
  3. SOUR av Olivia Rodrigo
  4. = av Ed Sheeran
  5. Planet Her av Doja Cat

Mest streamade låtar globalt

  1. “As It Was” av Harry Styles
  2. “Heat Waves” av Glass Animals
  3. “STAY (with Justin Bieber)” av The Kid LARO
  4. “Me Porto Bonito” av Bad Bunny feat. Chencho Corleon
  5. “Tití Me Preguntó” av Bad Bunny

Mest streamade låtar i USA

  1. “As It Was” av Harry Styles
  2. “Heat Waves” av Glass Animals
  3. “Bad Habit” av Steve Lacy
  4. “Me Porto Bonito” av Bad Bunny feat. Chencho Corleon
  5. “First Class” av Jack Harlow 

Mest populära podcasts globalt

  1. The Joe Rogan Experience
  2. Call Her Daddy
  3. Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
  4. Case 63 (All Languages) 
  5. Crime Junkie 

Mest populära podcasts i USA

  1. The Joe Rogan Experience
  2. Call Her Daddy
  3. Crime Junkie
  4. The Daily
  5. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Mest streamade K-Pop-artister globalt

  1. BTS
  2. BLACKPINK
  3. TWICE
  4. Stray Kids
  5. SEVENTEEN

Mest delade låttexter globalt

  1. “Heat Waves” av Glass Animals
  2. “Heather” av Conan Gray
  3. “I Love You So” av The Walters
  4. “Summertime Sadness” av Lana Del Rey
  5. “Somewhere Only We Know” av Keane

Mest virala artister globalt

  1. Taylor Swift
  2. The Weeknd
  3. Bad Bunny
  4. BTS
  5. Lana Del Rey

*Med virala artister menas de som oftast delats från Spotify till olika sociala plattformar. 

Meat streamade artister på den globala EQUAL-spellistan

  1. Sara James
  2. Shania Twain
  3. Evangelia
  4. Avril Lavigne
  5. Ethel Cain

Everything You Need To Know About 2022 Wrapped

November 30, 2022

Listen to this story read aloud in 5 minutes and 30 seconds.


What were your 2022 listening milestones? Did you forge a deeper connection to your favorite creators, or explore new avenues of audio discovery that expanded your listening habits? 

Spotify Wrapped is all about celebrating the endless ways that millions of creators and fans connect through audio each and every day. Starting today, we’re commemorating a year gone by and inviting our fans to join in on the fun with the eagerly anticipated, personalized 2022 Wrapped experience. 

This year’s Wrapped experience is filled with fan-favorite features and exciting new ones that spotlight the many-layered elements of listening that make each and every fan unique. We know that no two listeners are the same—so, from the oddly specific to the unapologetically predictable, 2022 Wrapped encourages listeners to peer into the vibrant kaleidoscope of their listening and show it off to the world. Eligible iOS and Android users with the latest version of the Spotify mobile app can celebrate this ultimate combination of self-expression and play with their personalized experiences. (Creators, fear not: Artists and podcasters will also receive their own personalized Creator Wrapped to learn about and celebrate how their fans listened.)

We’re providing fans with some of their favorite Wrapped features plus a slate of new ways to discover and celebrate their year in listening. Just make sure you’re using the most recent version—8.7.78 or higher—of the Spotify app. (You can check this by going to Settings, then About. The app version you have downloaded will show up at the top of the screen.)

Here’s what to look out for:

Dig into your listening more deeply

Alongside our reveal of the top artists, songs, albums, and podcasts of 2022 that delighted our 456 million listeners around the world, fans can also head into the experience to see their own top lists across genres, songs, and podcasts, as well as minutes listened this year. (You can learn more about some of the genres here.) This year, we’re bringing back now-classic data stories and mixing in new features for a whole new way to discover your 2022 listening. 

The two new stories include: 

  • Your Listening Personality: It’s not only about what you listened to—but what that says about your music taste. This year during Wrapped, we’re showcasing 16 different Listening Personality types that Spotify created for 2022 Wrapped. Your Wrapped will showcase your Listening Personality based on how you listened to music throughout the year. Want to better understand how each of these special personas compare to one another? Find out all about them here.
  • Audio Day: An interactive story that gives you a peek into how your music taste evolved throughout the day, Audio Day showcases the niche moods and aesthetic descriptors of the music you listened to during morning, midday, and evening time periods.

It’s Here: The Top Songs, Artists, Podcasts, and Listening Trends of 2022

November 30, 2022

Gif of the Wrapped lockup on a purple background

There’s no single way to define what a year 2022 has been. Coming back after a few years of uncertainty has led each of us to create a “new normal” in our relationships to culture—and to each other. This year, Spotify listeners especially took the chance to redefine how they find joy. And now, it’s time to unveil what the world collectively delighted in and obsessed over with Spotify’s 2022 Wrapped. 

From the music that makes us dance to the podcasts that keep us riveted, this is the audio that bubbled to the top of Spotify listeners’ playlists.

The top global artists of 2022

It’s a three-peat for global recording artist Bad Bunny. The singer-songwriter is the year’s most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify—a spot he’s held since 2020. No other artist has ever accomplished the feat before, so to celebrate, we’ve turned the heart button on Spotify into the singer’s custom red-heart icon.

Taylor Swift held true to her invitation to meet her at midnight, and it propelled her to become the second-most-streamed artist of the year globally—and the top artist in Australia, the U.K., Ireland, Malaysia, the Philippines, New Zealand, Qatar, Slovenia, and Singapore. Rounding out the top five artists are the two very familiar Toronto powerhouses Drake and The Weeknd, along with K-Pop band BTS. 

Top artists globally

Plenty of artists had their worlds rocked this year by the power of social media. The most “viral” artists were those who had their music most frequently shared to social platforms from Spotify. Taylor Swift’s Midnights release certainly got the world talking, and she claims the top spot as the most viral artist globally. The second-place position goes to The Weeknd, followed by Bad Bunny. Rounding out spots four and five are BTS and Lana Del Rey. 

most viral artists globally
The top global songs of 2022

Song of the summer 2022 creator Harry Styles takes the coveted honor of having the most-streamed song around the globe with his hit “As It Was.” British indie rock band Glass Animals’ track “Heat Waves” is the second-most-streamed song of 2022, and fans just can’t get enough. Australian artist The Kid LAROI’s collab with Justin Bieber on “STAY” is the third-most-streamed song of the year. Bad Bunny’s “Me Porto Bonito” feat. Chencho Corleon and “Tití Me Preguntó” take spots four and five, respectively.

most streamed songs globally
The top global albums of 2022

So what collective body of work, in album form, was streamed most in 2022? From Spanish to English, pop to hip-hop, listeners around the world showed a variety of tastes. Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti takes the top spot for most-streamed album globally for 2022. Harry Styles‘ Harry’s House comes in at number two. Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album, SOUR, takes the third spot for most-streamed album. British pop superstar Ed Sheeran’s album = continues to be a fan favorite at number four. And finally, American rapper and singer Doja Cat’s album Planet Her (Deluxe) grabs the fifth spot.

most streamed albums globally

 

The top global podcasts of 2022

This year, Spotify’s podcast offerings expanded into new markets, providing more listeners around the world with new shows to binge. With more than four million podcasts, the platform offers something for every type of podcast listener. But what shows especially made their mark in 2022? Globally, the most popular podcast for the third year running is The Joe Rogan Experience. Call Her Daddy, from host Alex Cooper, takes the spot for second-most popular podcast. Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, a soon-to-be-Spotify Exclusive touching on a variety of topics from the popular American creator, takes the third spot, while Caso 63, a Spotify Original podcast that’s debuted in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi, and English takes the fourth spot with all its language iteration feeds combined. Crime Junkie, a true-crime podcast from Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, rounds out the list as the fifth-most popular podcast. 

most popular podcasts globally

 

The global trends that shaped our year

These most-streamed artists, songs, albums, and podcasts weren’t the only guideposts that shaped our year. There were also audio trends on Spotify that brought people together through laughter, amusement, and enjoyment.

Nostalgia remains a staple in our listeners’ queues. 

 

This year, Spotify fans were all about the aesthetic. 

After two years of pandemic postponement, 2022 was the year for many to finally say, “I do.” 

Little Miss, the British children’s book character, made a resurgence in 2022 with fill-in-the-blank-style memes. May we suggest “Little Miss can’t stop posting her Wrapped results”? 

But a new topic that surprised everyone was corn, thanks to corn kid. 

And, of course, our listeners really know their shows and movies.

 

And their memes.

 

Have you checked out your own Wrapped yet? Do these artists, songs, albums, podcasts, and trends make an appearance in your end-of-year experience? Find out more about what we have in store specifically for you here.

As we bid farewell to 2022, you can find the full lists of the top songs, artists, albums, and podcasts below.

Most-Streamed Artists Globally

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

Most-Streamed Artists in the U.S. 

  1. Drake
  2. Taylor Swift
  3. Bad Bunny
  4. Kanye West
  5. The Weeknd

Most-Streamed Albums Globally

  1. Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
  2. Harry’s House by Harry Styles
  3. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
  4. = by Ed Sheeran
  5. Planet Her by Doja Cat

Most-Streamed Albums in the U.S.

  1. Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
  2. Harry’s House by Harry Styles
  3. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen
  4. Midnights by Taylor Swift
  5. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo

Most-Streamed Songs Globally

  1. “As It Was” by Harry Styles
  2. “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
  3. “STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI
  4. “Me Porto Bonito” by Bad Bunny feat. Chencho Corleon
  5. “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny

Most-Streamed Songs in the U.S.

  1. “As It Was” by Harry Styles
  2. “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
  3. “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy
  4. “Me Porto Bonito” by Bad Bunny feat. Chencho Corleon
  5. “First Class” by Jack Harlow 

Most Popular Podcasts Globally

  1. The Joe Rogan Experience
  2. Call Her Daddy
  3. Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
  4. Case 63 (All Languages) 
  5. Crime Junkie 

Most Popular Podcasts in the U.S.

  1. The Joe Rogan Experience
  2. Call Her Daddy
  3. Crime Junkie
  4. The Daily
  5. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Marie Rönn, Global Group Creative Director, Works Across Spotify To Bring Wrapped 2022 to Life

November 30, 2022

When you open your 2022 Spotify Wrapped, you’ll notice multicolored and multilayered graphics that are as multidimensional as your listening habits. The team behind Wrapped is just as expansive, with data scientists and engineers, copywriters, designers, music and podcast editors, and more. Uniting it all is Marie Rönn, Global Group Creative Director at Spotify. Throughout the year, she and her team ideate on concepts and collaborates with other teams to bring the project to life. 

Ahead of 2022 Wrapped, For the Record chatted with Marie to learn all about her work on the creative campaign. 

Wrapped has become a bit of a cultural phenomenon, with people anticipating its launch all year. When do you start thinking about the campaign? 

We’ve all started thinking about next year’s Wrapped already—before this year’s Wrapped is even over. Officially, I would say I get involved in conversations in March or April. That’s when we start thinking about the brief and working with the creative strategists. This past year we managed to brief writers, art directors, and designers to have them start thinking about both the design and the platform and all of that fun stuff by the end of May. 

What were some of the considerations for Wrapped this year?

We wanted to open the door to more of a joyous every day. To make sure we captured this new energy that has come out of people emerging from their bubbles and being able to meet up again. And so that’s something we were excited to dig into—to be a little bit more playful and irreverent. To have a bit of fun and encourage people to have fun as well. For the campaign, we wanted to invite people not just to get Wrapped, but to play it.

For the data stories, we asked ourselves, “What are people craving?” They want to know about their audio listening for the year, and tap into what is interesting about it—on a more emotional level. And that’s what we explored as we were starting to ideate. We had a lot of ideas—not all of them were feasible—but we worked super closely with the product team and others before landing on a couple of new data stories for this year that really tap into the more emotional side of listening. 

How did that thinking translate into the new data stories for this year, your Listening Personalities and your Audio Day? 

For the Listening Personalities, we were toying with the idea of how we would be able to talk about what your year-in-listening says about your music tastes. And so our team had all sorts of fun ideas of what we could tell about musical taste in terms of how you listen. The beautiful thing was that when we brought our ideas to the product team, they had already been thinking about a very similar concept, and had done tons of research into it. Great minds and teams came together to collaborate closely. Making sure that the Listening Personalities weren’t just for fun, but that they were insightful for listeners. 

For the Audio Day, again, we had great synergy with the product team. We wanted to get more into moods and aesthetics and move away from genres. Genres don’t give you the nuance of what type of mood you’re in, so what we wanted to do there was to try to tell you a little bit about your musical mood throughout the year. What was your musical mood when you listened in the morning versus in the evening, or at night? The inspiration was to just give people a little bit more of a meaningful experience. Genres go deep, but they’re not the only factor in the way we listen. 

Something that’s also new this year is that we added the day that you streamed your most-listened-to song the most. Peppering in a bit of fun and just a little more specific data for you to look back and think, “What was I doing that day?” Hopefully, people enjoy reminiscing. 

What’s one thing you hope fans walk away with after seeing their 2022 Wrapped? 

Hopefully they discover something about their listening that perhaps was a surprise. And that it also inspires them to keep discovering new music. Like, sure, we give you your year in review, but we also want to inspire you to keep the discovery going. 

We did something new this year to this effect: On your Wrapped playlist are your 100 songs you listened to the most. But this year, we also included one song you didn’t listen to. A playful surprise to encourage you to keep exploring.

Head to our Wrapped story hub to learn more about the new data stories for 2022.

What the World Streamed Most in 2021

December 1, 2021

If 2020 was the year that flipped the world on its head, 2021 was the year that we got used to seeing things upside down. With “normal” thrown out the window, people around the world started to embrace the unknown—and in doing so, championed all of the things that make each of us unique. 

Spotify’s 2021 Wrapped celebrates this idea—the millions of weird and wonderful ways to listen and live in a world that continues to keep us on our toes. Today, we unveil the top artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and more that defined how more than 381 million people around the world listened and discovered audio during a year that turned “unprecedented” into, well, precedented.  

As usual, Wrapped helps us reflect on the large role audio played in the lives of our listeners—and how our favorite creators soundtracked the world around us. 

The top artists, songs, and albums globally

For the second year in a row, Puerto Rican Reggaeton star Bad Bunny takes the title of most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify. And what’s more: He’s received over 9.1 billion streams without releasing a new album this year. He is swiftly followed by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, whose Red (Taylor’s Version) gave old and new fans alike a reason to relive the artist’s early groundbreaking work. Rounding up 2021’s top three is BTS. The globally beloved k-pop group had a standout year thanks to their single “Butter.” Canadian hip-hop artists Drake—who released Certified Lover Boy in September—and Justin Bieber—whose 2021 album Justice featured collaborations with artists from across the globe—take spots four and five, respectively.

The top song of 2021 globally is Olivia Rodrigo’s runaway “drivers license,” which garnered over 1.1 billion streams. Lil Nas X’s viral “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” dances its way to second place and heralded the artist’s first studio album. The Kid LAROI enters the ranks for the first time, with his Justin Bieber collaboration “STAY” taking third. The fourth spot sees Olivia Rodrigo once again, this time with “good 4 u,” which also earned the title of 2021 Spotify Song of the Summer. The fifth most streamed song to rise in the ranks is Dua Lipa’s “Levitating (feat. DaBaby).” 

When it comes to top albums of 2021 globally, Olivia Rodrigo once again claims the crown—her debut album SOUR clearly held a bit of sweetness. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia ranks second, with Justin Bieber’s Justice, Ed Sheeran’s =, and Doja Cat’s Planet Her coming in third, fourth, and fifth. 

The top podcasts globally

Coming out of its first full year as a Spotify exclusive, The Joe Rogan Experience remains the number-one podcast on Spotify globally. It is followed by the fearless Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy, which also became exclusive to Spotify in 2021. True crime and news continue to be popular genres within the medium, with Crime Junkie, TED Talks Daily, and The Daily rounding out the list. 

Notable trends of 2021

When we looked at trends on Spotify in 2021, the top songs, artists, albums, and podcasts weren’t the only things we found. We learned about the moments that united listeners—and the ones that were notable for their uniqueness. 

Nostalgia played a role in people’s listening in 2021 as fans rediscovered old favorites—and new generations adopted them as well. Let’s face it: There are certain songs and albums that just sound like home (in a good way).