News

Tis’ the season – it’s Spotify Wrapped!

Published

4 years ago

December 2, 2021

ticker NEWS

It’s finally that time of the year! And no we’re not talking about the festive season, we mean the celebration of Spotify Wrapped!

December 1 marks the release of the iconic, highly anticipated annual Spotify Wrapped campaign where over 381 million listeners subscribed to the streaming platform can see their unique listening trends for the year.

The campaign consists of snazzy and shareable customised infographics summing up your top artists, songs, playlist, podcasts, and genres, as well as the total number of minutes spent listening on the app.

Other features of the personalised campaign include:

2021: The Movie – Pairs Spotify listener’s top songs with typical scenes from a movie that’s about you
Your Audio Aura – Spotify worked with an aura expert to visualise listener’s audio aura based on your top two music moods
Playing Cards – An interactive game of ‘two truths and a lie’ based on each Spotify listener’s personal listening data
2021 Wrapped Blend – a feature that allows Spotify listeners create a blended playlist with their friends and see how their 2021 music tastes match up

So who and what did the world listen to the most this year?

For the second year in a row, Peuorto Rican rapper Bad Bunny was Spotify’s most listened to artist of the year, with more than 9.1 billion streams.

Bad Bunny’s reaction to hearing the news

Both the second most streamed artist, and most streamed female artist of the year was Taylor Swift, followed by BTS, Drake, and Justin Bieber.

18-year-old Olivia Rodrigo took the world by storm this year with her song ‘drivers license’ the first most streamed song on Spotify and ‘good 4 u‘ the fourth.

Not only that, but the young star’s debut album SOUR was also the number one most streamed album of the year.

Other than being a music streaming platform, Spotify has also become a home for podcasts, with the most popular being The Joe Rogan Experience, Call Her Daddy, Crime Junkie, TED Talks Daily, and The Daily

But whilst today may be a day worth celebrating for Spotify users, those subscribed to rival Apple Music are experiencing serious FOMO.

As Spotify listeners enjoy personlised interactive quizzes, audio auras and show-off-able infographics, Apple Music listeners just get a playlist with their top songs of the year.

The mediocre version of the Spotify Wrapped experience is a part of Apple Music’s Replay feature that launched in 2021.

And this isn’t to say that the $2.79 trillion company doesn’t have the facilities to collect data to make a personalised experience for their millions of listeners.

Spotify has actually launched an entire campaign dedicated to Apple’s ‘unfairness’ where they believe Apple to be monopolising consumer’s listening devices (aka their iPhones) to benefit the Apple Music listening experience over Spotify’s.

Alas, the rivalry between Spotify and Apple Music continues… so who’s side are you on?

News

Police accidentally kill worshipper during Manchester terror attack

Manchester police accidentally kill worshipper during terror attack response at synagogue, as two victims die from knife assault

Published

8 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Ahron Young

Manchester police accidentally kill worshipper during terror attack response at synagogue, as two victims die from knife assault

In Short:
– One victim was accidentally shot by police during a synagogue attack in Manchester on Yom Kippur.
– The assailant, Jihad Al Shamie, used a vehicle and stabbing in the attack, later killed by police.

One of the victims in the recent terror attack at a UK synagogue was accidentally killed by police during efforts to subdue the attacker.

The incident occurred on Yom Kippur outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, resulting in the deaths of Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.

The assailant, identified as Jihad Al Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, used his vehicle to strike pedestrians before launching a stabbing assault.Authorities revealed that police mistakenly shot one of the victims as they responded to the threat posed by Al Shamie, who was believed to be wearing a fake suicide vest.

Greater Manchester Police chief Stephen Watson noted that the victims were likely attempting to prevent the attacker from entering the synagogue. Reports indicate that a third victim hospitalized also sustained gunshot wounds during the police response.

Jihad Al Shamie was killed by police approximately seven minutes after he began the attack.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stated that the attacker was not previously known to authorities. Police continue to investigate whether Al Shamie acted alone or as part of a terrorist cell, with three individuals arrested in connection to the incident.

Family Statement

The family of the attacker has publicly condemned the violence, expressing shock and sorrow over the tragic events. They stated their intentions to distance themselves from the actions of Jihad Al Shamie and offered condolences to the victims and their families.

News

L.A. entertainment industry struggles amid mass job losses

L.A.’s entertainment industry faces severe crisis as thousands of jobs vanish and creatives struggle to survive

Published

8 hours ago

October 3, 2025

Ahron Young

L.A.’s entertainment industry faces severe crisis as thousands of jobs vanish and creatives struggle to survive

In Short:
– Hollywood’s entertainment industry faces a severe job decline, impacting many professionals like Brian Mainolfi.
– Proposed federal measures to revive local production have been insufficient, leaving the industry’s future uncertain.

Hollywood’s entertainment industry faces a significant downturn, with work evaporating and many creative professionals searching for new avenues to survive.

The industry has seen a sharp decline in jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Los Angeles County employment in motion picture production fell from 142,000 to 100,000 in two years due to reduced movie and TV productions.

Fewer projects are moving to Los Angeles because of high costs and a lack of tax incentives compared to other regions.

The impact on local businesses dependent on production workers has been severe, contributing to a broader economic challenge in the area.

Industry Decline

The absence of steady work has led some professionals to leave the industry entirely.

Many workers, including Thomas Curley, who won an Oscar for “Whiplash,” have struggled with the loss of purpose, and job scarcity remains pervasive.

Federal measures have been proposed, including a possible tax credit to stimulate local production, but efforts have thus far been insufficient.

With the continuing effects of recent strikes and a potential shift away from traditional content consumption, the outlook for Hollywood’s future remains uncertain.