HT Brunch Sunday Debate: Is Spotify Wrapped for better or worse?

Two musicians discuss the pros and cons of the annual round-up of artists people are listening to and other statistics

“Numbers are affirmation that people are listening”

By Prabhtoj Singh

Prabhtoj says you can compare your music’s likeability against another’s, but not as a competition

I released only two songs in 2021, so my Spotify Wrapped results were more than what I’d expected. This is thanks to the Spotify editorial playlists. They curate music so that people can simply go to one place to find new music.

Given the kind of effort I’d put in, it felt good to see my Spotify Wrapped numbers. That’s an affirmation that people are listening to my music.

This is also a reality check for artistes. If I want to be an artiste whose work reaches people, then I can’t play shows at clubs. I have to release my own music.

You can also compare your music’s likeability against that of another musician. But not as a competition. These stats show you what you’ve achieved and let you strategise for the next year.

Instagram’s reach is more than Spotify’s. But your original music won’t go viral on Instagram. Only covers will. Since you can’t buy numbers on Spotify, the figures are realistic.

These stats also show you have to make your music modern, keep up with the times.

Prabhtoj Singh, 27, is a Delhi musician and singer who owns his own studio, Renaissance Records.

“If numbers don’t translate into investment in your career, it means nothing”

By Nush Lewis

Nush opines that you can have a million hits on a song but that doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t amount to money

I’ve been checking my Spotify Wrapped numbers since 2019. It shows how many hits you have had and where they’ve been played. The data is great but it’s marketed as a social media campaign, which comes with the pressures arising out of looking at other people’s numbers. Wrapped is a marketing tool that encourages musicians and listeners to post their numbers, which works in favour of Spotify.

You can have a million hits on a song but that doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t amount to money. Without streaming platforms, people would be buying singles at maybe ₹100 per single, which you could put back into producing another single. Singles cost ₹60,000 just for the audio if you aren’t producing them yourself.

If your Spotify Wrapped numbers don’t translate into something to invest in your career, they mean nothing. Streaming apps are run not by musicians, but businessmen who live off our talent. That’s absolutely unfair.

Pre-pandemic, we earned via live shows. When that stopped due to the pandemic, a lot of artistes who didn’t have another revenue stream suffered. If we had gotten a fraction of what we should have got from streaming apps, many artistes would have survived better.

These statistics don’t really translate to listeners because people stumble across your music in playlists.

Nush Lewis is a Mumbai-based harp player and singer.

From HT Brunch, December 19, 2021

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