Beyond Spotify Wrapped: A Better Way to Display Your Musical Taste

Every year, social media platforms are inundated with displays of Spotify Wrapped – vibrant, curated summaries of our annual music consumption. However, I find waiting for this annual summary too long. A simpler, more effective method exists to exhibit your musical preferences whenever desired.

Spotify Wrapped Overlooks Actual Music Discovery

Spotify Wrapped’s 2024 iteration introduced “Your Music Evolution,” aiming to illustrate our musical tastes month by month. However, it still fails to fully capture how we actually discover music.

Consider your most recent musical discovery. Did it occur during an impromptu late-night listening session? Or perhaps you found a new favorite artist through a friend’s playlist, or even a random online video. These moments aren’t scheduled quarterly; Wrapped condenses these experiences into convenient summaries. Consequently, it only highlights frequently played songs and artists. Suppose you explored a niche genre for a period or had a brief fascination with a specific style. Unless you listened extensively, these preferences might not appear in your year-end overview. Instead, you receive your top five artists and a genre chart that confirms what you already know.

The annual format also presents another issue: it transforms music discovery into a performance. Some individuals manipulate their listening habits months in advance to elevate their favorite artists. Your musical identity deserves better than an annual performance assessment.

Icebergify: A Dynamic Representation of Your Listening History

Unlike reducing your year to a top-five list, Icebergify visually represents your favorite artists based on their global popularity, using an iceberg analogy. The platform retrieves your top 50 artists from Spotify across various periods, assessing their popularity based on metrics such as streams, shares, and saves. Mainstream artists appear at the iceberg’s top, while less popular artists are situated lower down.

The lower levels demonstrate your exploration of music beyond Spotify’s recommendations. You may discover lesser-known artists or bands, which I see as a testament to your musical exploration. Your top 50 artists are not static; Icebergify analyzes your short-term, medium-term, and long-term listening habits. Therefore, you might find an artist from a previous year, reminding you of a forgotten musical phase.

This dynamic representation is something a single year-end snapshot cannot capture.

Icebergify’s Commitment to Privacy

Icebergify utilizes Spotify’s official Web API and is transparent about its functionality. When you connect your account, it only accesses your account ID, username, and your top 50 artists and tracks across different periods. No private playlist access or data sharing occurs.

To verify this, closing and reopening the site requires reconnecting your Spotify account, confirming no data is stored long-term. The open-source nature of the site allows for user feedback and contributions.

Icebergify: A Catalyst for Musical Conversations

Sharing your Spotify iceberg fosters discussions. When friends see less popular artists, they inquire about them, leading to recommendations and conversations about music, not just listening comparisons.

Spotify Icebergs offer a personal touch. When someone shares unfamiliar artists, you know it’s a genuine recommendation, not an algorithmic guess. If you trust their musical judgment, you are more likely to explore those artists. Sharing is easy: save the image on your device and share it.