Every December, Spotify creates a personalized playlist consisting of an individual user’s top songs and artists of the year called Spotify Wrapped. The feature gives users insight into what music genres they leaned towards, as well as what artist they streamed the most. Apple Music has something similar, and both versions have become incredibly popular to study and share among students. 

“I love Apple Music and I stand by it,” senior Marisa Hess said. “However, I wish it were more like Spotify’s because Spotify provides a lot of information about the type of music you listened to, and Apple Music lacks in that aspect. My top songs from Apple Music Replay were ‘Higher’ by Classified and B.o.B,  ‘Martin & Gina’ by Polo G, and ‘Young & Alive’ by Bazzi. ” 

Senior Jordan Richards is a long-time user of Spotify, and she was able to learn more about herself through her wrapped playlist.

“My top three songs were ‘Good News,’ ‘The Spins’ and ‘Once A Day’, all by Mac Miller,” she said. “I love Spotify and, specifically Spotify Wrapped, because it shows you the different varieties and genres of songs you listen to. It shows podcasts and undiscovered artists it feels would fit with your taste in music.”

According to Richards, Spotify also gives her a more statistics about her listening habits.

“Spotify Wrapped allows us to see our stats from the year,” she added. “For example, I would not have known that I was in the top .5% of Mac Miller’s listeners if I had used Apple Music. It’s a really interesting and fun feature of an app that lets you compare with other people who may have similar music to you. Apple Music does not seem to provide as much of it.”

Spotify seems to appeal more to high school students, as the vast majority seems to use their app for its curated playlists and other customizable options.

Junior Concetta Bochicchio stands by the music Spotify selects for her.

“I appreciate the Spotify Wrapped feature because it lets me see all the genres I have listened to or a genre they think I would appreciate listening to,” Bochicchio said. “Equally, it shows me all of my favorite artists with additional information behind them which I find really fun to keep listeners engaged. My top three songs were ‘I’m Okay’ by Honest Men, ‘Take Yours’ by Matthew Mole, and ‘The Lotto’ by Ingrid Michaelson and AJR.”

Senior Sophia Schweiger, another user of Spotify, agreed with Bochicchio.

“I look forward to the wrapped features every year because I am always excited to see what type of songs are in the top rankings for me,” Schweiger said. “I also like how they give you an option of songs you might have missed that they believe you would appreciate. It’s a really cool marketing strategy that keeps users engaged and it’s fun to be able to compare with friends. My top songs this year were ‘Sign of the Times’ by Harry Styles, ‘L$D’ by A$AP Rocky and ‘Good News’ by Mac Miller.” 

However, senior Maggie Scala, who has used both Spotify and Apple Music, stands by the latter.

“Apple Music Replay is essentially the same as Spotify Wrapped,” Scala said. “They give you your 100 most-listened-to songs in a personal playlist. It is fun seeing songs I listened to at the beginning of the year compared to songs I listen to now. Personally, I have found it easier to find music on Spotify, but I enjoy the format of Apple Music better. Apple Music also pays their artists almost two times more per stream compared to Spotify. I still like both platforms, but because of these factors I will continue to use Apple Music going into 2021.”

For senior Réka, the end-of-year playlist is not only a way to reflect on a year in music but a tool for uncovering new musical interests.

“I am a huge fan of the Spotify Wrapped feature because the curated playlists and genres help me better describe my music taste and also helps me better discover music off of the genres they list,” Götz said. “My top songs for 2020 were ’12:38′ by Gambino, ‘Moon Rocks’ by The Talking Heads, and ‘Rollin’’ by Dungeon Family.” 

With the holiday break about to begin, there’s no better time to sit back, tune in, and revisit the songs that defined 2020.  Be sure to check out the curated playlist below, based on NASH students’ top songs from both Apple Music and Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2yusTtVArllIWYfwh7WQHu?si=pIgwFmCDSmCa_cHsfK-lMw