It’s basically the Met Gala for music lovers: Spotify Wrapped Day. The annual excuse to share your most-played artists, expose your chaotic listening habits, and spam screenshots to anyone who didn’t ask.

At this point, Spotify Wrapped Day isn’t a feature drop; it’s a full-on cultural holiday. 

Wrapped hit this morning, and naturally, I checked both my Apple Music Replay and my Spotify Wrapped because I like data and I like seeing what artists and songs I couldn’t get enough of. But let’s cut to the chase: Spotify still owns the UI game Apple Music can give me lossless audio all day, but Replay still reads like a beige spreadsheet that happens to know I overplayed one sad song in March.

Wrapped, on the other hand, knows how to deliver the annual music review with actual style. It’s equal parts introspective and engaging, which is really all we could ever want out of a year-in-review.

This year, as AI-generated “artists” kept crashing into playlists like uninvited party guests, Wrapped hit a little differently. It’s a reminder that music is one of the last truly intimate things we have, and supporting real musicians is non-negotiable. Because let’s be honest: AI can imitate cadence, it can mimic emotion, but it can’t recreate the actual lived experience behind a song. It can’t replicate the human messiness that makes the best tracks hit.

So yes, stream your favorites, sure. But also show up for them. Buy their vinyl. Share their releases. Go to the tiny venues where the floor sticks a little. We don’t get to complain about AI taking over if we aren’t backing the humans doing the work.

So happy Spotify Wrapped Day to all who celebrate. Another year of music as medicine. And another reminder that real art is worth protecting in a world increasingly hungry for shortcuts.

Your year in music is officially out, click here for your Spotify Wrapped and discover which tracks defined 2025.