If you thought Spotify Wrapped 2025 wasn’t exactly what you were expecting, then you might not be going crazy. Lots of things can impact your data on the final result of Spotify Wrapped, and if you’re questioning areas where you’re convinced you didn’t listen to a certain artist for too long or that a random song or album got into your top then you might not be losing your mind. We spoke to an expert at SeatPick who gave us some invaluable insight and helped us declare the six reasons why Spotify Wrapped 2025 might not feel or even be accurate.
Presenting in full, six reasons that could have thrown everything off!
1. The cut-off time
Spotify has never actually confirmed when Wrapped stops counting your streams, but it’s believed to be somewhere between late October and mid-November. That means anything you’ve been obsessively listening to more recently probably won’t make the cut. For me, I listened to loads of Rosalía and Lily Allen these last two months but they’re nowhere to be found.
2. Short songs get more plays
Length matters. For a play to count, a track has to be at least 30 seconds long and the same goes for podcasts. But shorter songs have an edge because Wrapped cares more about play count than total listening time. So a 90-second hyperpop banger you play five times can beat a single eight-minute prog rock epic. Basically, if you like genres with short tracks, they’re likely to be over-represented.
3. Algorithmic playlists skew your stats
Ever wondered why some random artist pops up in your top 5? If you listen to Spotify playlists like Discover Weekly, Release Radar, Your Daily Mix, or artist radio, all those plays still count toward the artists’ stats – even if you didn’t actively pick them. That’s how people end up with “top artists” they barely remember.
Credit: Spotify
4. Background listening messes with your Wrapped
Spotify can’t tell if you’re actually paying attention. Lo-fi while working, ambient playlists while you nap, letting playlists autoplay, or using a smart speaker all day? Those hours dominate your Wrapped and can bury the tracks you actually loved.
5. Wrapped pushes your most ‘shareable’ stats
Remember, Wrapped started as a marketing tool, not a detailed statistical report. Spotify probably picks the most fun story your year tells rather than the most accurate. Wrapped is designed for clout and social shares, not hardcore data nerds.
6. Spiked listening patterns
Obsession can backfire. If you binged one artist for two weeks but barely touched them after, they could still sneak into your top 5. Wrapped tends to favour intense listening bursts, so a short-term obsession can outweigh your usual faves.
SeatPick CEO Gilad Zilberman gave me some more insight about why Spotify Wrapped 2025 might not feel accurate and it’s so interesting.
“Spotify Wrapped is fun and intentionally dramatic but isn’t necessarily a precise reflection of your musical identity. It’s a highlight reel built for social sharing, and not a comprehensive analytical report. Wrapped compresses a full year into a narrative Spotify thinks might look exciting on Instagram, even if it glosses over context, gets distorted by background listening, shared devices, or algorithmic playlists.
“If you are curious to uncover the real data on your listening habits, there are many third party tools you can seek out that offer real data led stats.”
