Spotify Wrapped has returned, and this year, the company has partnered with Google’s NotebookLM to launch the Spotify Wrapped AI podcast.
While Wrapped curates customized end-of-the-year lists for users to reflect on their musical favorites, the AI podcast takes it a step further by providing an engaging audio recap, according to Google Labs.
In the podcast, two AI hosts from NotebookLM explore users’ favorite tracks and artists, highlighting how one’s music taste has evolved throughout 2024. Each podcast is a unique conversation tailored to the specific user, created using the technology behind NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews.
Molly Holder, senior director of personalization, spoke with Spotify on Wednesday, Dec. 4, about the magic behind Wrapped.
“The beauty of Wrapped is how much it reflects each individual user,” Holder said, according to For The Record. “Whether it’s your top song, total minutes listened, or favorite artist, 2024 Wrapped celebrates how you listened this year.”
She noted that the music streaming service believes great personalization enhances discovery. The platform facilitates nearly 2 billion music discoveries daily, helping listeners connect with artists and genres they might not have found otherwise, and the AI podcast is one of several new features contributing to this experience.
“From innovations like Your Music Evolution to the expansion of our AI-driven tools (such as AI DJ, AI Playlist, and Wrapped AI Podcast), users will have even more ways to explore the songs that defined their year,” Holder added.
In 2020, Twitter user Jewel Ham claimed she “invented the Spotify Wrapped story concept” during an intern project in 2019, as reported by AFROTECH™. She elaborated on how the original concept evolved and her role in its development — urging people not to work corporate.
“To clarify, for those of y’all unfamiliar with #SpotifyWrapped — it used to be an email and a playlist,” Ham shared. “Since 2019, it has become an interactive user experience and that right there — was my idea!“
— Jewel (@whateverjewel) Dec. 2, 2020
In a statement, Spotify expressed pride in providing opportunities for young talent from diverse backgrounds to create, contribute and learn alongside some of the best teams in the industry, but said that was not the case for Ham.
“Since Spotify’s Wrapped concept was first introduced in 2013, hundreds of employees have contributed ideas and creative concepts that have made the experience what it is today,” Spotify said in 2020, AFROTECH™ reported. “While ideas generated during Spotify’s internship program have on occasion informed campaigns and products, based on our internal review, that is not the case here with Spotify Wrapped.”
