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You can probably guess Spotifys most-streamed artist of 2024

Mashable - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 08:00

For the second year, Taylor Swift is the most-streamed artist on Spotify. The music streaming platform revealed its annual Wrapped campaign on Wednesday (Dec. 4), and with it came a Swiftstorm of data on 2024's most-streamed artists and songs.

SEE ALSO: Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here: How to get yours

She may be Billboard's No. 2 pop star of the 21st century, but with more than 26.6 billion streams globally, Swift is Spotify’s 2024 Global Top Artist. And that has to count for something.

Spotify Wrapped is in its Swiftie era

To celebrate Swift's dominance on the platform, Spotify is adding a gold Wrapped badge to Swift’s Spotify profile — the first-ever distinction of its kind. But that's not all: Swifties can enjoy the fun, too, with an on-platform Easter egg experience. When listening to Swift's music on Spotify, listeners will see custom mini-animations tailored to the eras of her discography, like a flurry of animated sparkles for Fearless (Taylor’s Version), seagulls for 1989 (Taylor's Version), and pink hearts for Lover.

And, of course, there are even Wrapped-branded friendship bracelets you can share exclusively on Snapchat via an AR lens.

Spotify's Most-Streamed Artists Globally:

Following Swift, The Weeknd was the second most-streamed global artist of the year; his song "One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily Rose Depp)" from the ill-fated HBO series The Idol was a huge streaming hit with over 1.4 billion streams. Among the Top 5 are Bad Bunny, Drake, and Billie Eilish, whose 2024 release HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was the second most-streamed album globally — right behind...Taylor Swift.

  1. Taylor Swift

  2. The Weeknd

  3. Bad Bunny

  4. Drake

  5. Billie Eilish

  6. Travis Scott

  7. Peso Pluma

  8. Kanye West

  9. Ariana Grande 

  10. Feid

Spotify's Most-Streamed Songs Globally:

As for 2024's most-streamed songs globally, it should be no surprise that Sabrina Carpenter's summer smash "Espresso" scored the top spot. It's been streamed over 1.6 billion times on Spotify, and it had the entire internet singing, "That's that me espresso"

  1. Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

  2. Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

  3. BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

  4. Gata Only” by FloyyMenor, Cris Mj 

  5. Lose Control” by Teddy Swims 

  6. End of Beginning” by Djo

  7. Too Sweet” by Hozier

  8. One Of The Girls (with JENNIE, Lily-Rose Depp)” by The Weeknd 

  9. Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

  10. Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga

Spotify's Most-Streamed Albums Globally:

Swift and Carpenter weren't the only women who dominated Spotify Wrapped this year. Looking at the list of most-streamed albums globally, 2024 was a standout year for women. In fact, the Top 8 albums of the year were all released by women.

  1. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY by Taylor Swift 

  2. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish 

  3. Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter 

  4. MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO by KAROL G

  5. eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande 

  6. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

  7. SOS by SZA

  8. Lover by Taylor Swift 

  9. Fireworks & Rollerblades by Benson Boone

  10. Starboy by The Weeknd 

And if you're wondering where 2024's breakout pop star Chappell Roan is, she appears on both the most-streamed songs in the U.S. and most-streamed albums in the U.S. lists, which you can check out in full below.

Spotify's Most-Streamed Songs in the U.S.:
  1. Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

  2. Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar

  3. A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey 

  4. I Had Some Help (Feat. Morgan Wallen)” by Post Malone 

  5. MILLION DOLLAR BABY” by Tommy Richman

  6. Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan

  7. Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone

  8. BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

  9. I Remember Everything (feat. Kacey Musgraves)” by Zach Bryan 

  10. Stick Season” by Noah Kahan

Spotify's Most-Streamed Albums in the U.S.:
  1. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY by Taylor Swift 

  2. One Thing At A Time by Morgan Wallen

  3. Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter 

  4. Stick Season by Noah Kahan

  5. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan 

  6. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish 

  7. SOS by SZA

  8. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen

  9. Zach Bryan by Zach Bryan 

  10. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

And that's a wrap on this year's Spotify Wrapped. Now for the important question: What do your top songs say about you?

Spotify Wrapped 2024 introduces My Wrapped AI Podcast

Mashable - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 08:00

After much anticipation, Spotify Wrapped dropped this morning, and there's a new feature for 2024: Your Wrapped AI Podcast, a three-minute-long (ish) podcast episode (powered by Google NotebookLM) in which two AI hosts walk you through your year in music. It starts with an oddly unsettling, "Hey there, music lovers," before delving into your top artist, music evolution, and more.

If you're having trouble finding your Wrapped AI Podcast, follow these easy steps.

Total Time
  • 1 minute
What You Need
  • A Spotify account

Step 1: Start at your Spotify home page and clicked "Wrapped," located at the top of the screen.

You'll see a row of buttons at the top of your screen. On the top left, you'll see your profile photo. To the right of that, you'll see "All," followed by "Wrapped." Click "Wrapped."

Credit: Spotify

Step 2: Click on "Your Wrapped AI Podcast."

This brings you to all of your 2024 Wrapped content, including your personalized playlists and the data Spotify has collected for you. Click on "Your Wrapped AI Podcast."

Credit: Spotify

Step 3: Tap on the "play" button to listen to your Wrapped AI Podcast.

The following screen should read: "Your Wrapped AI podcast is ready. For the first time ever, 2 AI hosts dive into your year in music. Built with Google's NotebookLM."

Credit: Spotify

Step 4: Optional: Tap the "share" button to send it to a friend.

The share button looks like a square or rectangular box with an arrow pointing upwards. Once you click on that, you can share your Wrapped AI Podcast with your friends.

Credit: Spotify

"With this personalized Audio Overview, fans can dive deeper into their year's top songs, artists, and genres, delivered using generative AI by two dynamic hosts," Spotify said in a press release. "This feature will be available in English for eligible Free and Premium users for a limited time across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden."

So you better hurry up and listen to your Wrapped AI Podcast before it disappears.

Spotify Wrapped crowns its first global top author and reveals the most popular audiobooks

Mashable - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 08:00

Last year, Spotify unveiled the ability to listen to audiobooks on the app. According to data from Spotify Wrapped 2024, its users flocked to the faeries.

As part of its annual Wrapped feature, Spotify revealed the top-performing audiobook genres in the U.S. were sci-fi and fantasy, followed by romance, fiction and literature, mystery and thriller, and, finally, biography and memoir. And not just any sci-fi and fantasy books either: of the Top 10 audiobooks in the U.S., four are romantasy novels — with Sarah J. Maas, the author of the TikTok famous A Court of Thorns and Roses series, holding three of the most listened-to audiobooks in the U.S. on Spotify in 2024. As such, she earned the inaugural title of Spotify Wrapped 2024's global top author.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, also a romantasy book, was the ninth most listened to audiobook in the U.S. this year. Similarly — and yes, I mean similarly, and I will die on this hill — The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien landed in the sixth slot.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best fiction books of 2024, according to BookTok

Here are the full Top 10 lists. As you can see, they're quite similar.

Spotify's top audiobooks in the U.S.:
  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  2. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

  3. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

  4. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

  5. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

  6. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

  7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

  8. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace

  9. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

  10. Funny Story by Emily Henry

Spotify's top audiobooks globally:
  1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

  3. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

  4. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

  5. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

  6. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

  7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

  8. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One by George R. R. Martin

  9. Icebreaker: A Novel by Hannah Grace

  10. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

2024: The year of the romantasy genre

There is, of course, a beautiful gendered breakdown of these titles. The Top 3 audiobooks in Premium listened to by men in the U.S. were The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. If you look closely, you'll see that those are all male authors — and the only male authors on the list of Top 10 audiobooks.

You might not want to see The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene turned into a film (some might say it was already made), but many of these books are lined up for the screen.

"As reflected in this year’s top lists, we’ve seen both new releases and back catalog titles from key authors of every genre garner new audiences on Spotify," Spotify's press release reads. "And in 2024, more than before, we saw a rise in book-to-screen adaptations into various media formats." In fact, 66 percent of Spotify's Top 100 audiobooks in the U.S. in 2024 will be or have already been adapted for the screen.

There's not much personalized data in this year's Wrapped for audiobook listeners, but authors get their own Wrapped, showing off everything from their top titles to rating and listener habits.

If all this data tells us anything, it's that 2024 was the year of Sarah J. Maas and romantasy. What does 2025 have in store?

Spotify Wrapped 2024 arrives: 5 new features to check out

Mashable - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 08:00

'Tis the season of colorful graphics, embarrassing stats, and personalized data stories! That's right — Spotify Wrapped has finally landed on your Spotify app. The 2024 edition is chock-full of new features, from a Wrapped AI Podcast that editorializes your year in music to the moods and emotions that captured "Your Music Evolution."

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Spotify Wrapped 2024

The much-anticipated annual event offers fans a glimpse into their most-played tracks, artists, and genres, wrapped in vibrant visuals and shareable stats. It's a nostalgic trip through the soundtrack of your year, and it even boasts stats from the podcasts and audiobooks you listened to.

In 2024, it’s not just about what you heard — it’s about how music shaped your story. Here's what that means for this year's Spotify Wrapped and all the fun surprises you can expect.

Your Music Evolution Credit: Spotify

Listen, we all go through phases. Sometimes you want to be a brat and other times you're an "Otaku Hot Girl." Spotify knows your listening habits can be mercurial, so they're introducing "Your Music Evolution" with this year's Wrapped.

This new data story reveals the musical phases that defined your year. You'll receive up to three musical phases for 2024. For example, I started the year in my "Light Academia Soft Piano Classical" era, but by spring, I re-emerged as a "Roller Skating Pop" princess. (What can I say? The pop girlies were releasing bangers.) And I'm ending the year in my "Hallyu Catwalk K-pop" phase, which sounds right.

Your Music Evolution will also be available in playlist form, found in the Wrapped feed on Home in the Spotify app. Tracks within the playlist include both your go-to favorites and algorithmic picks related to your musical phases throughout the year.

Your Longest Listening Streak

Every superfan wears their "Top Listeners" stat with pride. (The stat reveals the percentile of listeners you're in for your favorite artist. I'm in the top 3 percent of Stray Kids listeners worldwide — what about you?) This year, Spotify is taking it one step further with your "Longest Listening Streak," capturing your journey with the most-played artist in your Top 5.

Your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast Credit: Spotify

The biggest new feature of this year's Wrapped is the launch of your Spotify Wrapped AI Podcast. Built with Google’s NotebookLM, this personalized pod tells the story of your year in music with colorful commentary from two AI hosts who attempt to make sense of your top songs, artists, and genres.

Per Spotify, this unique feature will be available in English for eligible Free and Premium users for a limited time across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden.

Top Audiobooks of 2024 Credit: Spotify

Last year, Spotify gave its Premium users 15 hours of free audiobook listening time per month. Now, with over 300,000 titles in its catalog, Spotify is becoming a destination for avid readers — er, listeners. So it only makes sense that this year's Wrapped data would include the Top Audiobooks of 2024.

SEE ALSO: The 15 best fiction books of 2024, according to BookTok

While there isn't any personalized data on your top audiobooks of the year, there is a separate editorial hub for the year in audiobooks on the app and desktop. Spotify's inaugural top author globally is Sarah J. Maas, whose A Court of Thorns and Roses series went mega-viral across social platforms this year. As such, A Court of Thorns and Roses was also the most-streamed audiobook of 2024. Coming in second and third are The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien and I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, respectively. Rounding out the Top 5 is A Court of Mist and Fury by Maas at No. 4, and It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover at No. 5.

Authors will also have access to their own Spotify Wrapped for Authors hub, which will show insightful data on the listening habits of their readers.

You can share your Wrapped directly on your FYP Credit: Spotify

Big news for those who like publicly posting their Wrapped results across all social platforms: You can now share your Wrapped directly on TikTok.

Apple HomePod with smart display has been delayed again, report claims

Mashable - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 07:32

Apple's rumored new HomePod, with a built-in smart display, is coming a lot later than originally anticipated.

This is according to Apple sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims that the device's release has been postponed to the third quarter of 2025.

SEE ALSO: Apple HomePod (2023) review: Big sound for Apple fans

Originally, Kuo claims, the HomePod was supposed to arrive in 2024, but was delayed to the first quarter of 2025, and was now further pushed back until after Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which typically takes place in June.

The delay is "mainly due to software development," Kuo said.

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

The new HomePod will reportedly be a huge upgrade compared to the current model, which came out in 2023. Kuo claims it will feature a six to seven-inch display, Apple's A18 chip, and support for Apple Intelligence. It will also be repositioned more as a smart home accessory than a pure speaker.

One interesting feature that the new HomePod will have is the ability to display the feed from Apple's upcoming smart home IP camera, which Kuo previously said is arriving sometime in 2026.

According to previous reports, Apple also plans to expand its smart home lineup with a smart display with a robotic arm, and (perhaps) a cheaper variant down the line.

G.M.’s Ailing China Business Will Deal It a $5 Billion Blow

NYT Technology - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 06:55
General Motors and other foreign automakers are selling fewer cars and losing lots of money in China, where domestic electric and hybrid cars have taken off.

Cameo expands to all creators, not just celebs

Mashable - Wed, 12/04/2024 - 06:50

Cameo is making room for more than celebrity greetings, expanding its personalised messaging service to let anyone sign up to make custom videos for money.

Announced in a blog post on Tuesday, the platform has officially launched its CameoX initiative, which began a pilot program last May as a "strategic decision to allow just about anyone with a passion for engaging with fans to join the Cameo community."

Cameo has made millions through its celebrity video message offerings, seeing actors, athletes, musicians, influencers, multiple disgraced U.S. Congressmen, and racist far-right British politicians personalise greetings for varying rates — it was a particularly lucrative move for celebs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strike. In 2021, Cameo was valued at $1 billion. But celebrities have since reportedly left the platform in droves, for reasons including but not limited to pro-Russia propagandists tricking celebrities into spreading misinformation. Plus, Cameo had a run-in with the Federal Trade Commission for violating celebrity endorsement disclosures this year, which was not cheap.

SEE ALSO: Matt Gaetz joins Cameo like disgraced congressman before him

So, Cameo is pivoting to embrace more avenues of content creation and monetisation. Now, anyone can join Cameo through the company's revamped onboarding process, which no longer focuses on Cameo team outreach or follower thresholds.

"We realized we had missed out on thousands of talented individuals who could have made meaningful contributions to the marketplace,” said Cameo CEO Steven Galanis in a press statement.

"We missed SAG-AFTRA actors who had applied before landing breakout roles in hit Netflix shows. We missed emerging artists before releasing chart-topping singles. We missed creators before their viral moments on TikTok. And we missed pro athletes who applied while in college, prior to NIL rule changes that allowed them to monetize their talent. With CameoX, those days are over."

Featured Video For You Unboxing the 2024 iPad Pro and iPad Air

The company says CameoX has already been successful, seeing 31,000 "self-enrolled creators" sign up since the pilot began in May 2023. The company is pitching the platform as "an alternative earning stream for talent" for creators, including those who might already have a following on other sites like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok — and who might have previously applied to join Cameo but were not allowed in. Now, Cameo says the onboarding process has been made easier for people to pass the test.

"Historically, talent could join the marketplace in three ways: 1) through outreach from the Cameo team, 2) via referral from another talent or talent manager, or 3) by applying directly. In the past three years alone, Cameo received over 100,000 applications from talent who did not meet the marketplace’s thresholds," reads the post.

"The issue: Cameo was missing a new wave of emerging creators who could benefit from the platform but weren’t allowed on. CameoX removes those barriers and allows talent to become part of the Cameo family in a matter of minutes...This change in policy is more in line with models like Twitch and YouTube, where anyone can join for free and begin to monetize their personas instantly."

Creators wanting to join CameoX can do so through the app or the website and complete an identity verification process. Cameo celebrities set their own prices, so creators will be able to do the same; creators get 75 percent of the booking price and can use the earnings calculator to see what numbers they're looking at.

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