CCA Pulse Magazine
Resources for the Impatient Spotify User | Mailee Phan
If you’re like me and are too antsy to wait for your Spotify Wrapped, you may start to get curious about your listening stats at this point of the year. Unlike Apple Music users, we don’t get weekly updates on our music trends and have to wait until December each year for Spotify to ever so graciously grant us a brief glimpse into our own musical data. For my fellow Spotify fans, I’ve created a list of resources that should help you gain a better understanding of your listening history, or just provide you with screenshots to spam your friends and Instagram stories with.
Last.fm
In my opinion, last.fm is the best option for the most in-depth insights on your listening habits. For this site, it’s better to start using sooner rather than later, as it begins compiling data the second you sign up. From the point you create an account onwards, last.fm keeps track of the number of times each song is played, the times you played them, your average daily plays, or “scrobbles” as they call them, and many other intriguing statistics on how you listen. Unlike Spotify Wrapped, you can actually view how your music taste has changed over time, including top songs, albums, and artists, as well as your most listened to genres and daily activity. You can even keep track of your friends’ music history, not only in viewing their profile, but in competing with them for the most scrobbles and new discoveries. Essentially, there’s plenty of data compiled to keep you occupied for a long time.
Stats for Spotify
This website is perfect for a more concise overall view of your streaming habits. Simply select to view top tracks, artists, or genres, and Stats for Spotify will give you a list of the fifty you listen to the most. From there, you can select the time frame of the last four weeks, the last six months, or your all time listening history. As an addition, this website will also show you the changes in rankings of your top favorites from the last time you visited the site, giving you a general idea of your evolution in taste. I use this site the most when I’m looking for a quick insight into my latest trends rather than a deep dive in specificities.
Obscurify
If you’re hoping to brag about all of the “underground” artists you listen to, consider using Obscurify to back you up. Upon connecting with your Spotify account, the site gives you a brief overview of your favorite genres, and an overall rating of the obscurity of your music taste both currently and of all time. Unlike the other websites, Obscurify enables you to compare the obscurity of your music catalog with not just US users, but Spotify users from across the globe, too. Then, it highlights your most obscure listened to artists and tracks, compares your current top artists/songs with the past times you’ve visited the site, and breaks down the moods and time periods of your music. Finally, it gives you a playlist full of recommendations based on your data, which is super helpful in expanding your horizons.
Receiptify
This is the site I mean when I speak about perfect Instagram story content. Once again, Receiptify creates a collection of your most listened to songs, but on a crinkled receipt as an itemized list. It’s cute, it’s gimmicky, what more could you want?
Musicscapes
Another great screenshot. Musicscapes creates a digital landscape based on certain aspects of your music taste, including key, energy, emotion, and user activity.
Zodiac Affinity
I don’t really know much about zodiac signs myself, but if you happen to be in the know, this might be the site for you. Zodiac Affinity gathers your most recently listened to songs and selects the ones most aligned with your zodiac type.
I hope these websites allow for a deeper understanding of yourself through your music, and happy listening!