Spotify‘s ‘Listening Age’ Feature Divides Users Amidst Marketing Success and Controversy
London, UK – Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign, including a new feature revealing users’ “listening age,” has sparked a wave of social media sharing – and debate – as the platform’s marketing prowess comes under renewed scrutiny. While the campaign continues to drive engagement, a counter-effort dubbed “Unwrapped” is highlighting concerns about Spotify’s practices, including its hosting of AI-generated music and advertising partnerships with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The “listening age” feature, based on a “reminiscence bump” - the tendency to favor music from formative years - analyzes user history, compares it to generational trends, and “playfully hypothesises” a listening age. the broader Wrapped campaign, however, is the driving force, proving remarkably effective at encouraging user-generated marketing. “Spotify Wrapped is the most successful marketing tactic of the last 10 years,” said digital marketing entrepreneur troy Osinoff. “[It is] built on one simple idea: peopel are obsessed with themselves.”
Spotify’s 2025 Wrapped data reveals Taylor Swift as the most streamed artist in the UK for the third consecutive year, followed by Drake, Sabrina Carpenter, and the Weeknd.alex Warren’s “Ordinary” topped the list of most streamed songs.
Despite the campaign’s success, the “Unwrapped” initiative aims to draw attention to less-publicized aspects of the platform. These include Spotify’s willingness to host AI-generated music – a topic recently highlighted by a case of an AI-generated band receiving over 1 million plays – and its acceptance of advertising revenue from ICE, the agency responsible for deporting undocumented immigrants.
ICE’s involvement in implementing former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies has triggered protests and arrests. Spotify maintains the ICE ads are part of a wider US government campaign and do not violate its policies, offering users the option to provide feedback via thumbs up or down. The platform is not alone in featuring these ads, however.
