To many, music is everything. Whether it is deeply personal, fun, depressing, cathartic, or a cross between all of these emotions, one’s music tastes can come to define periods of their life. Spotify, the global titan of music, podcast, and audiobook streaming encapsulates this idea with their yearly installment of the highly anticipated “Spotify Wrapped”.
Founded by Swedish Entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in 2006, Spotify became a trailblazing platform. The early 2000s was a time filled with piracy, with companies like Napster making money off of unauthorized music. Spotify became one of the first streaming services to work directly with music labels and artists to provide free, legal, copyrighted music that could be shared and downloaded with a paid subscription.
With over 100 million tracks, 5 million podcasts, 30 thousand audiobooks, and 600 million users in 2024, Spotify has cemented itself as the dominant source for audio-based media. Part of their influence is directly due to their most creative and alluring marketing tactic: Spotify Wrapped. Beginning its reign in 2016, Spotify Wrapped is a colorful, digital presentation of one’s music tastes and patterns throughout the calendar year. This can include one’s top artists, top songs, top albums, top genres, total minutes listened, percentage of listeners in one’s category, and personalized messages from artists to their fans. With exciting graphics and carefully considered graphic design, Spotify Wrapped is ideal for sharing across social media. This allure helps direct traffic to Spotify, as users are as excited to see their Wrapped as they are to see others'. Suffice to say, Spotify Wrapped is a cultural event, and one that creates buzz inside Cascade High School.
Let’s take a look at some of CHS students’ and faculties’ Spotify Wraps from this year:
Freshmen Ryder Wintermeier and Marit Hepler shared their Spotify Wraps and provided the 9th grade perspective. Wintermeier’s top artists were all rappers: (from 1-5) Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Juice WRLD, NLE Choppa, and DaBaby. His top song was All Red by Playboy Carti, and he listened to 5,614 minutes. Hepler, who shares her Spotify account with her little brother, had top artists that included K-Pop groups like ITZY, aespa, and indie bands like Wallows. Her top song was Supernova by aespa, and she listened to around 40,000 minutes.
Sophomores Ingrid Stockman and Julian Feeney shed light on what 10th graders are listening to. Stockman’s top artists were Lana del Rey; TV Girl; Tyler, The Creator; SZA; and Eyedress. Her top song was i was all over her by salvia palth and her total minutes came in at a whopping 115,338.
“My favorite part about Spotify wrapped is seeing how my music taste has changed throughout the year. For example, all the music that is on here is stuff that I listened to at the very beginning of this year and not at all what I listened to during the summer or the end of the year,” Stockman explains about her intrigue around the Wrapped event.
Feeney’s top artists were Bob Marley, Kanye Weste, 21 Savage, 2Pac, and Doja Cat. His top song was Kiss Me More by Doja Cat featuring SZA and he listened to 23,978 minutes of music this year.
Looking at some of the upperclassmen, Juniors Kikkan Brine and Ethan Fallon added to the diversity of CHS’s music tastes. Fallon kept it pretty classic with his top artists being Bob Marley, Johny Cash, Colter Wall, LUCKI, and Willy Nelson. His top song is B**** Where by Chief Keef and he listened to 65,000 minutes.
Brine was tapped into the hits with a mix of pop, hip-hop, and country. Her top artists were Zach Bryan, The Vistoso Bosses, Drake, Taylor Swift, and Treaty Oak Revival. Her top song was Delirious by the Vistoso Bosses, and she was tuned in to Spotify for 45,695 minutes.
Representing the oldest of the student body, Seniors Paige Runions and Cruz Martinez shared their year in musical review. Runions’s tastes fell mostly in the Asian pop, Western pop, and folk genres. Her top artists were Stray Kids, Give Heart Beats, Sabrina Carpenter, SEVENTEEN, and Hozier. Her top song was The Ballad of Lucy Grey Baird, and she listened to 17,397 minutes.
“I thought it was funny how they give the vibe of your music for the different parts of the year and how everybody got like, ‘strut pink princess pilates,’ and I think that’s funny,” Runions joked about the creative marketing for this year’s Wrapped.
Martinez brought in Latin pop with his top artists being KAROL G, Becky G, Ariana Grande, Kali Uchis, and Chiquis Rivera. His top song was Labios Mordidos by Kali Uchis and KAROL G, and he listened for 47,579 minutes. Cruz explained that his favorite aspect of Wrapped is the messages from artists to their fans. This is yet another example of Spotify’s ability to tap into what engages listeners and social media users.
Two teachers, Ms. Rosenfield and Mr. Stubblefield, were kind enough to provide a look into what the faculty at Cascade are listening to. Ms. Rosenfield’s top artists were The Grateful Dead, Gorillaz, Kenny Beats, Freddie Gibbs, and SamuW. Her top song was Hold My Head by Kenny Beats, and she listened to a staggering 189,688 minutes. Mr. Stubblefield’s top artists were Pearl Jam, John Craigie, ZZ Top, The Black Crows, and Jelly Roll. His top song was Dark Matter by Pearl Jam, and he listened to 50,538 minutes.
Spanning across genres, ages, and time listening, the students and faculty all share a love for music. This community and togetherness is showcased during Spotify Wrapped week,
where people feel free to express their interests and learn about the interests of others.
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