This week I’m sharing some of my most played songs of the 2022. I admit I bristled at the Spotify wrapped campaign, and the homogenous images that flooded social media a few weeks ago. It felt not quite a true celebration of fans, artists, or music. Posting play counts is a way to brag, but it is also a genuine way to share gratitude. Why then does the whole thing feel hollow?
Perhaps because beyond the tippy top of successful artists, most musicians make almost nothing from streaming. And yet, these numbers are how we are evaluated by our peers, our industry, and the key holders to festivals, TV spots, and countless other opportunities that can yield bankable income for bands. I still laugh, and cringe at a memory of a meeting with a touring agency before, Love You to Death, was released. Seated at the board room table, we flipped through pages of graphs, and social media statistics about our band. TRENDING DOWN screamed one unhelpful headline. Were we trending down? Are we still? I guess one way to look at a career, is to consider our own lives as human beings. We’re born and eventually we die. So, in some ways, we’re all trending down. Trending up is a wonderful fluke, and only a distraction.
I listened to a ton of music this year and found myself more inspired than ever to make music. As the year closed out, I realized I hadn’t written a new song in over 12 months. So, my new year’s resolution for 2023 is to write a song at least once a month. I’m going to start today as soon as I finish writing this.
Here are some of the songs Spotify told me I listened to the most in 2022, and I highly and enthusiastically recommend checking out the full album if you like a song!
Wrapped
Wrapped
Wrapped
Happy New Year, ‘Loners!
This week I’m sharing some of my most played songs of the 2022. I admit I bristled at the Spotify wrapped campaign, and the homogenous images that flooded social media a few weeks ago. It felt not quite a true celebration of fans, artists, or music. Posting play counts is a way to brag, but it is also a genuine way to share gratitude. Why then does the whole thing feel hollow?
Perhaps because beyond the tippy top of successful artists, most musicians make almost nothing from streaming. And yet, these numbers are how we are evaluated by our peers, our industry, and the key holders to festivals, TV spots, and countless other opportunities that can yield bankable income for bands. I still laugh, and cringe at a memory of a meeting with a touring agency before, Love You to Death, was released. Seated at the board room table, we flipped through pages of graphs, and social media statistics about our band. TRENDING DOWN screamed one unhelpful headline. Were we trending down? Are we still? I guess one way to look at a career, is to consider our own lives as human beings. We’re born and eventually we die. So, in some ways, we’re all trending down. Trending up is a wonderful fluke, and only a distraction.
I listened to a ton of music this year and found myself more inspired than ever to make music. As the year closed out, I realized I hadn’t written a new song in over 12 months. So, my new year’s resolution for 2023 is to write a song at least once a month. I’m going to start today as soon as I finish writing this.
Here are some of the songs Spotify told me I listened to the most in 2022, and I highly and enthusiastically recommend checking out the full album if you like a song!
-Sara
Share