The other aspect of Spotify Wrapped nibbling at the waning relevancy of the Grammys is the tech company’s relationship with music artists. The 2021 Grammys broadcast, on March 14, logged the event’s lowest ratings ever, with viewership dropping 53% versus the previous year’s broadcast. Although some artists and music industry insiders took note of various nominations, the fan interest seemed tepid at best, reflecting the increasing lack of public engagement in the awards show. None of this meme-powered excitement followed the announcement of the Grammy nominations. The Grammys alienation from some artists pushes them closer to apps like Spotify On Twitter, the #SpotifyWrapped hashtag, which also has its own custom graphic, is so popular it has entered the realm of memes, with some, including major brands, crafting faux Spotify Wrapped lists to either promote a product or some non-music related idea or trend. Spotify makes sharing the data easy via integrations with Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and Facebook.

Spotify Wrapped speaks to the era of social media that gives fans a voiceĪlthough the lists are delivered through the Spotify app, the annual data release has become a social media event, with music lovers-both famous and not-posting their lists for all to see, usually accompanied by pithy, self-deprecating quips about one’s own music taste. Instead of the Grammys’ habit of profiling the frontrunner favorites of music business insiders, the app’s lists show the full variety of music tastes beloved by fans across genres.

Spotify wrapped meme