Spotify Wrapped Unpacked

Youth mental health is an important global issue, recognised at the recent UN General Assembly. While mental health conditions affect nearly 1 billion people worldwide, young people face additional challenges, including new technologies, environmental challenges, and global uncertainty.

Music remains a vital source of emotional support and expression for young people and is an important tool for developing a personal identity and pursuing social justice – factors that underpin good mental health. Yet, increased use of music streaming services raises ethical questions about how companies use AI and algorithms to manipulate young people’s music choices, and the effect this has on their mental health.

Spotify is currently the most popular international music streaming service and has significantly decreased its transparency in providing access to data about music use. This project examines the connection and disconnection between Spotify listening histories and young people’s perception of their own freedom and agency when using music streaming apps.

Previous research shows that personal recollection of music choices is unreliable. This project uses a novel approach: interviewing participants on how their music choice is influenced by the platform using their own Spotify listening history data files as a catalyst.

Collaborating with MDAP specialist, the research team will develop automated processes to extract, analyse and visualise Spotify data across several dimensions of wellbeing and music consumption. By identifying the patterns in listening frequency, duration, and temporal distribution, this research will help form the foundation of interdisciplinary research between music streaming and big data.

Additionally, the MDAP team will advise on data governance and reproducibility frameworks to ensure our approach aligns with ethical frameworks for handling personal data. Beyond technical implementation, MDAP will help integrate quantitative data analytics with qualitative approaches from music psychology, creating new hybrid methods applicable across disciplines.

This research will establish scalable methods for analysing large music datasets, strengthen artistic and data-driven methodologies, and support further research – particularly in music psychology, therapy, composition, and performance and music education.

Importantly, findings will help empower young people to use streaming apps to make music choices that support their flourishing and mental health.