I’ve listened to music on Spotify for over 5,000 hours since I subscribed to their service. I listen the most in the early morning when I’m at the gym and before my morning meetings begin. I’ve listened to more Amon Amarth than I’ve listened to my next three top bands combined, but the album I’ve spent the most time listening to is “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance.[1] The song I’ve listened to the most is “O Father O Satan O Sun!” by Behemoth – Since March 2017 I’ve listened to it 620 times, for a total time of 69 hours, 15 minutes.
How do I know this? I know because for the past few years I’ve been reporting on my Spotify listening data.
Spotify doesn’t have a viable API for this type of analysis, but you can request a copy of your listening history and other account data by emailing privacy@spotify.com[2]. It takes about a month to get your data, so if you want to report on your own listening history, you should probably email them today.
If you’re interested in using my report as-is or as a starting point for your own analysis, I’ve shared a PBIT file here:
Here’s what you’ll probably need to do:
- Request a copy of your Spotify listening history by emailing privacy@spotify.com.
- Wait approximately 30 days for Spotify to prepare your data.
- Download the zip file prepared by Spotify.
- Extract the zip file to a folder on your PC.
- Locate the folder that contains JSON files. This report uses only the “endsong*.json” files that contain your listening history. The other files probably contain other interesting data – who knows?
- Open the PBIT file in Power BI Desktop.
- When prompted, enter the path to the folder containing your Spotify JSON data.
- Click “Load”.
- Cross your fingers, because I’ve never created a PBIT template before. Even though I’ve tested it, I don’t really know if this will work as hoped for you and I’m probably not going to provide any timely support if it doesn’t work.
Music is a huge part of my life, and I’ve had dozens of music-related pet projects over the past 30 years. When I was in college, my “learning a new programming language” routine involved re-implementing my record collection manager in whatever new language that semester’s classes called for. Being able to play with this familiar and very-meaningful-to-me data in Power BI has been a fun way to spend a few hours her and there over the past few years.
Sadly, the reason I’m using this report today is to figure out what albums I need to add to my music collection when I delete my Spotify account. I’ve discovered so much awesome new music because of Spotify[3], and I am now using this report to prioritize what CDs to purchase. This isn’t why I originally made this report, but this is where we are today.
As you’re probably aware, Spotify has chosen to spread disinformation and hateful propaganda and to prioritize their profits over public health. This is their right to do so, since they’re apparently not breaking any laws, but I won’t give them any more of my money to knowingly cause harm and poison the public discourse.
If you want to call me out for being a snowflake or SJW or whatever, please do so on Twitter, not here. I’ll delete any blog comments on this theme, and no one will get to see how witty you are – wouldn’t that be a shame?
Whether or not you’re planning to delete your own Spotify account, feel free to download this PBIT and check out your own listening history. I found insights that surprised me – maybe you will too. This report is something of a work in progress, so you might also find interesting ways to complete and improve it that I didn’t think of.
As for my post-Spotify music streaming world, I’ll probably end up getting a family subscription to Amazon Music. The price is the same, and it looks like all of the top albums I’ve been listening to on Spotify are there.
I’ll also definitely be spending more time with the CD/MP3 collection I spent decades building before I discovered Spotify. I own thousands of albums by hundreds of artists, and curating this collection was an activity that gave me joy for many years. Now I’m feeling motivated and inspired to rediscover that collection, and the personal satisfaction that comes from mindfully expanding it.
Specifically, I’m adding my personal music collection to Plex Media Server, and streaming it to all of my devices using their excellent PlexAmp app. I’ve been moving in this direction since it became obvious Spotify was going to keep funding and promoting hatred and ignorance, and it’s already reminded me of the wide world of music that’s not included in the big streaming catalogs[4].
Plex and PlexAmp make it incredibly easy to manage and stream your personal media, and they have both a REST API and a SQLite database for tracking and reporting on library contents and listening activity – and it doesn’t take a month to get your data. Maybe there’s a silver lining here after all…
[1] If you’re wondering where Manowar is on this list, they’re #8. Please consider that Spotify only has a limited selection of Manowar’s music, and that when I listen to my personal music collection it isn’t included in this data.
[2] For more information, see the Privacy page at https://www.spotify.com/us/account/privacy or whatever variation on this URL works for your part of the world.
[3] Four of my top 10 artists are bands Spotify recommended to me, and which I probably would not have heard of were it not for their “release radar” and similar playlists.
[4] For example, my personal collection includes every album, EP, single, and DVD Manowar has ever released. I may not literally have an order of magnitude more Manowar than Spotify does, but it’s pretty close.
FAQs
Navigate to the Home tab on the left edge of the screen. Select Queue icon. Once you've clicked the Queue icon, click "History" near the top of the screen. Then you'll find your listening history on the "Play Queue" screen.
Can you tell how many times you ve listened to a song on Spotify? ›
Stats.fm
Stats.fm is a statistics tracker app for Spotify that offers a comprehensive breakdown of your listening habits. It sorts your favorite tracks, artists, and albums using minutes streamed, number of streams, and machine learning.
How far back does Spotify listening history go? ›
A detail to take into account: Spotify keeps only your data and history for one year.
Can you see your old Spotify stats? ›
Yes, you can! Just head over to https://www.spotify.com/us/wrapped/ and log in with your Spotify account. You'll be able to see all of your listening statistics from the past year, as well as some fun facts and figures about your music taste.
How do I download my Spotify data? ›
Note: Downloading analytics data is only possible on the web version of Spotify for Podcasters.
- Log into Spotify for Podcasters.
- Head to Analytics or find the chart you'd like to download. ...
- Adjust the date range and time filter.
- Click Export to CSV or Download CSV to download the file to your device.
Spotify Wrapped is presented as a tool for reviewing your year, but it's not 100% accurate. Spotify considers your listening habits from January 1 to October 31 each year.
Can you reset Spotify history? ›
It's not possible to clear your Spotify listening history, but you can stop sharing your activity with friends. You can hide recent artists from your profile using the Spotify app on Android, iPhone, iPad, or on your computer.
How do I increase my Spotify score? ›
3 Tips To Increase Your Spotify Popularity Index
- Stay proactive with your release.
- Boost your song's visibility with playlists.
- Investing in Spotify Ads.
A German Spotify fan has claimed to listen to over 420,000 minutes this year, while an average person listens to roughly 57,660 minutes per year.
Do Spotify streams count on mute? ›
As long as the song gets streamed for more than 30 seconds it will count towards your Wrapped. It doesn't matter if you play it on mute or at full sound.
What does Spotify count as a play or one stream of a song? This is important to know for artists, as it is what will count towards your total plays and the revenue you earn. Spotify classifies a single stream of a song when it has been listened to for 30 seconds or more.
Can I see my Spotify history from 2 years ago? ›
You can request your complete streaming history from the Privacy support on Spotify per email. The automated option in your account settings will only send you the last 365 days without album info.
What is Spotify Wrapped? ›
Structure. Spotify Wrapped allows both Spotify users and producers on the platform to view a compilation of data about trends on the platform as well as their activity on the platform over the past year, then invites them to share it on social media including Instagram.
What data does Spotify save? ›
Spotify uses your device memory to: Store parts of music and podcasts as cache, so it can play without lagging. Store downloaded music and podcasts to play offline.
How to be anonymous on Spotify? ›
Click the arrow next to your username at the top of the app. Select Settings > Social. Switch on the option for Start a private session to listen anonymously.
Does Spotify let you download on data? ›
If you have Premium, download music to listen offline. Tip: Make sure the app only downloads when connected to WiFi, switch Download using cellular off in the app's settings (under Music Quality). Check your Music Quality. Higher quality music uses more data.
What is the top 1% of Spotify Wrapped? ›
What exactly does top percent mean on Spotify Wrapped? The title "top percent" is pretty self-explanatory. The figure reflects to what extent a user is in an artist's top listening base, essentially meaning they listen to their music more than the average listener.
Can your Spotify Wrapped be wrong? ›
Although it's possible that, just like Apple Music, Spotify Wrapped only counts online streams of songs and doesn't track offline streams of songs. In other words, a portion of your listening habits could be missing. That being said, for the most part, your results should be pretty accurate.
What does top 0.5% mean Spotify Wrapped? ›
It is a way of saying that you are a very dedicated fan of that artist, and that your listening habits are in the top small fraction of all listeners on Spotify. This could be based on the total number of streams, the amount of time spent listening, or both.
Does clearing Spotify data delete everything? ›
It only removes your search history and deletes album thumbnails. You may face slower loading times and high data usage initially since Spotify needs to load everything from scratch. You should only clear Spotify cache when you run low on device storage or have problems with the app.
There're still plenty of listeners wondering how to clear songs, podcasts, or shows from Spotify's recently played list, however, the remove button has already been deleted from the update in 2022. If you're still using the old version of Spotify, you're in luck to hide a specific song from the playback history.
How do I trigger Spotify algorithm? ›
Release music regularly.
The key to getting the Spotify algorithm's attention is to stay consistent with your Spotify activity. The simple way to do it is to post your music regularly with a proper schedule. Through this posting habit, you're showing effort to build a good profile for your music.
What is a good popularity score Spotify? ›
When does an artist or song become popular? On a scale of 0 to 100, 0 means the track has no popularity, and 100 is among the most popular tracks on the platform.
How to get 1 million streams on Spotify? ›
Table of Contents
- Claim Your Spotify Artist Profile.
- Update Your Spotify Profile.
- Mention Your Spotify Links Everywhere.
- Spread the Word About Your Spotify Music Using Social Media.
- Show Behind the Scenes.
- Spotify and Facebook Ads.
- Email Promotion Is Still Very Effective.
- Learn Why Spotify Playlists Are So Important.
Most of Spotify's Users in the U.S. Are Ages 25-34
The largest age group on Spotify is those between the ages of 25 and 34.
What is the highest time on Spotify Wrapped? ›
However, the user's dreams of breaking any records were quickly dashed as other users were swift to show screenshots of their whopping 400,000-plus minutes. One user from the Netherlands claimed to have over 405,000 minutes while a German Spotify fan claimed to have over 420,000 minutes.
What percentage of Spotify users have premium? ›
For comparison, Spotify's premium subscribers constituted 46% of its overall user base in Q1 2019, falling to 45% in Q1 2020, 44% in Q1 2021 and 43% in Q1 last year, before dropping to just under 42% for the previous quarter.
How do I find my most listened to song on Spotify? ›
Open Spotify on your desktop or the web and click on your username at the top-right corner. From the dropdown list that appears, click on “Profile” to access your Spotify profile. 2. When your profile page appears, scroll down, and you will see the top artists and top tracks of the current month.
How do you see when you first listened to a song on Spotify? ›
Check your listening history: If you have enabled the listening history feature in your Spotify settings, you can go to your account page and see the songs you have played in chronological order. This may help you remember the first song you listened to by the artist.
How do I find my old top songs on Spotify? ›
Wrapped in Spotify archives
Open a browser on your phone or tablet with the Spotify app installed and signed in. In the search bar, type https://open.spotify.com/genre/2021-page. Replace 2021 with 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, or 2016 to access that year's Wrapped.
