Gandhinagar: The 2024 edition of Spotify Wrapped celebrates a decade, showcasing the evolution of the platform and the changing nature of audio content consumption. Spotify has enhanced its Wrapped experience this year, incorporating Google’s NotebookLM AI technology to create a dynamic podcast that summarizes users’ music journeys. But beyond the music, Spotify Wrapped 2024 also offers a glimpse into the year in podcasts, and celebrates the creators and trends that defined audio listening this year.

2024 saw the continued growth of podcast fandoms, particularly in genres like sports, comedy, and true crime. Since Spotify entered the podcast space in 2019, over half a billion people have listened to a podcast on the platform. The success of shows like The Joe Rogan Experience, Call Her Daddy, and Crime Junkie showed how podcasts can cultivate dedicated listeners around the world.

Podcasts have cemented their place in the mainstream, with over half a billion people having listened to a podcast on Spotify since the platform embraced the format in 2019. The 2024 Wrapped data reveals the continued growth of podcast fandoms, particularly within niche communities centered around specific interests.

True crime podcasts continue to captivate listeners, with Crime Junkie dominating the charts. Smosh Reads Reddit Stories, catering to Reddit enthusiasts, further shows how podcasts connect like-minded people. The success of The Bill Simmons Podcast shows a strong following for sports-focused content.

The 2024 Wrapped data reveals the following as the top-performing podcasts globally:

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. Call Her Daddy
3. Huberman Lab
4. This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
5. The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
6. Serial Killers
7. Relatos de la Noche
8. Crime Junkie
9. Café Com Deus Pai | Podcast oficial
10. El Podcast de Marian Rojas Estapé

The list includes a mix of well-established shows and newer entrants, representing a variety of genres including comedy, true crime, science, and business. The presence of non-English podcasts like Relatos de la Noche, Café Com Deus Pai | Podcast oficial, and El Podcast de Marian Rojas Estapé.

One of the most prominent trends highlighted in the 2024 Wrapped data is the surge in popularity of video podcasts. Spotify has seen an 88% increase in users consuming video podcasts over the past year.

With over 300,000 video podcasts available on the platform, listeners are embracing this format as a more immersive way to engage with their favorite shows. This shift signals a move towards a more visually-driven podcast experience, offering creators new avenues for expression and audience engagement.

The Joe Rogan Experience, Call Her Daddy, and Gemischtes Hack emerge as three of the most popular video podcasts globally in 2024. Their success demonstrates the potential of video content to enhance the podcast experience and attract a wider audience.

Spotify Wrapped 2024 also provides insights into the podcasts that generated the most buzz and anticipation among U.S. listeners. The list of the most anticipated podcast launches includes:

1. Mind the Game with LeBron James and JJ Redick
2. Talk Tuah with Haliey Welch
3. Drowning Creek
4. Hysterical
5. Murder in the Hollywood Hills
6. Media Pressure
7. Therapuss with Jake Shane
8. Basically Unfiltered with Remi, Alisha, Zane and Heath
9. The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast
10. Clooless Podcast

This diverse selection, spanning sports commentary (Mind the Game) to true crime (Drowning Creek and Murder in the Hollywood Hills) and comedy (Hysterical, Therapuss with Jake Shane, The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast) indicates a growing interest in podcasts featuring established figures (LeBron James, JJ Redick, The Lonely Island, Seth Meyers) as well as new voices and perspectives.

Spotify is leveraging the power of AI to create a more personalized and engaging listening experience. The 2024 Wrapped experience introduces a first-of-its-kind feature: Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast. Developed using Google’s NotebookLM technology, this personalized podcast dives into each user’s unique listening data, summarizing their top songs, artists, and genres. This feature is available in English for both free and premium users in select countries, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden.

Spotify’s AI DJ feature, now also available in Spanish, enhances the Wrapped experience by providing personalized commentary alongside users’ favorite music. The AI DJ delivers insights about users’ listening habits, trends in music, and their individual relationship with the DJ throughout the year. This personalized approach aims to foster a more interactive and dynamic listening experience.

The Wrapped AI Playlist feature allows premium users to generate personalized playlists based on their listening preferences. Users can input prompts like “my top 5 genres” or “artists similar to my top 5” to create curated playlists that cater to their specific tastes. This integration of AI technology further empowers listeners to discover new music and rediscover old favorites, aligning with Spotify’s mission to connect listeners with the audio content they love.

In 2024, Spotify launched its sixth annual Wrapped for Creators experience, showing personalized insights to millions of podcasters. This personalized experience allows creators to celebrate their milestones, understand their audience, and gain valuable data to inform future content strategies.

Creators can access data stories about their growth, top episodes, fan engagement trends, and audience demographics.

Jordan Newman, Head of Content Partnerships at Spotify, emphasizes the value of Wrapped for Creators in helping podcasters understand their global audiences, celebrate their fans, and identify macro trends shaping the industry.

Spotify’s expansion into audiobooks has marked a significant milestone in the platform’s evolution. The 2024 Wrapped data offers a compelling look at the growing popularity of audiobooks and the trends shaping this space.

The following audiobooks topped the global charts in 2024:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 
2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 
5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover 
6. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene 
7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas 
8. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One by George R. R. Martin
9. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace 
10. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Sarah J. Maas, author of the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, emerges as a dominant force in the audiobook space, with three of her books securing spots on the global top 10 list.

Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us, a popular romance novel adapted into a film, exemplifies the influence of page-to-screen adaptations on audiobook listening trends. Similarly, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the basis for the long-running Broadway musical, saw a surge in listens thanks to its enduring popularity.

James Clavell’s historical novel Shōgun experienced a resurgence in popularity with the release of a television adaptation. These trends highlight the symbiotic relationship between books and screen adaptations, as each medium fuels the success of the other.

The success of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, a prequel to the popular Game of Thrones series, and Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the inspiration for the hit Netflix series Bridgerton, further demonstrate the power of screen adaptations to drive audiobook engagement.

Spotify introduced Wrapped for Authors in 2024, marking the first time publishers and authors had access to a personalized Wrapped experience. This initiative provides valuable data stories, offering insights into who is listening to their audiobooks and how their work resonates with fans around the world.

Authors can glean information about their listener demographics, the most popular listening times, and the pathways listeners take to discover their audiobooks. This personalized data empowers authors to connect with their audience on a deeper level and tailor their promotional strategies to reach new listeners.

Rebecca McGuire, Manager for Audiobook Partnerships and Licensing at Spotify, highlights the celebratory nature of Wrapped for Authors, emphasizing its role in recognizing authors, their work, and their fans. She explains that the experience offers publishers and authors access to one-of-a-kind data stories, allowing them to understand how their audiobooks resonated with listeners throughout the year.

Rebecca McGuire also emphasizes Spotify’s commitment to helping authors build deeper connections with their fans. She points to initiatives like Countdown Pages for audiobooks, which allows fans to pre-save upcoming releases and generate excitement leading up to their launch. Wrapped for Authors extends this commitment by providing authors with the data they need to engage with their listeners in meaningful ways.

The 2024 Wrapped experience marks a decade of Spotify’s dedication to creating personalized and engaging experiences for listeners and creators. From its humble beginnings as a music-focused year-end review, Wrapped has expanded to encompass the vast and growing landscape of audio content, reflecting the evolving ways people consume audio.

Spotify’s commitment to innovation is evident in the introduction of features like Your Music Evolution, Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast, Wrapped for Creators, and Wrapped for Authors. These initiatives demonstrate Spotify’s dedication to leveraging technology to enhance the listening experience, empower creators, and foster deeper connections between artists, authors, and their fans.

Marc Hazan, Vice President, Partnerships and Marketing at Spotify, reflects on Wrapped’s transformation into a global cultural phenomenon, emphasizing its role in celebrating the unique ways hundreds of millions of fans stream audio content.

Spotify’s journey over the past decade underscores its unwavering commitment to personalization, innovation, and the celebration of audio culture. As Spotify enters its next decade, Wrapped is poised to remain a defining moment in the audio calendar, capturing the hearts and ears of listeners around the world.