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Spotify's Wrapped Sparks Controversy Over 'Listening Age' Metric

12/4/2025

50 6 Full Breakdown

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Spotify's Listening Age

Spotify's 2025 Wrapped introduced a 'listening age' metric that estimates users' ages from listening habits, triggering backlash over perceived inaccuracies.
Despite backlash, Spotify's global top artist remains Bad Bunny, and his album 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos' leads in streams.
The top global song is 'Die With A Smile' by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, with over 1.7 billion streams.
In the UK, Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' topped the local charts.

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Taylor Swift Dominates Streaming

Spotify's release shows Australian listeners favor Taylor Swift (global pop star) and Drake, with no local acts in the top five.
The top Australian song was over a decade old, and local streams fell 20% from 2021 to 2024.
Revenue from Australian music rose 25%, but local artists' share dropped 30%, and Bad Bunny was named the global top artist for 2025.

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Spotify's Listening Age

Spotify's 2025 Wrapped introduced a 'listening age' metric that estimates users' ages from listening habits, triggering backlash over perceived inaccuracies.
Despite backlash, Spotify's global top artist remains Bad Bunny, and his album 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos' leads in streams.
The top global song is 'Die With A Smile' by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, with over 1.7 billion streams.
In the UK, Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' topped the local charts.

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