Guilty pleasure
By NewsPress Now
Spotify Wrapped 2024 is here, and Taylor Swift is once again most-streamed artist
NEW YORK | ‘Tis the season to unpack Spotify Wrapped. And it should come as no surprise that for a second year in a row, Taylor Swift has been named its most-played artist.
On Wednesday, the streaming giant unveiled its annual overview of individual listening trends as well as trends from around the world. Users can now access their top artists, songs, genres, albums and podcasts, as well as uncover which artists had the biggest year on the platform.
Swift was 2024’s most-streamed artist globally, ranking in more than 26.6 billion streams. She’s followed by The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Drake and Billie Eilish, in that order.
In the U.S., the list looks similar: It’s Swift in the top spot, followed by Drake, Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen and Kanye West.
Last year, Swift dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny for the top spot, globally. He held the coveted title for three years in a row beginning in 2020.
Swift also earned the title of most-streamed album in 2024, with “The Tortured Poets Department.” She’s followed by Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet,” Karol G’s “Mañana Será Bonito” and Ariana Grande’s “eternal sunshine.”
All of those titles are new to 2024 with the exception of Karol G’s album, which released early last year.
In the U.S., there are only slight differences: Swift’s album still leads, followed by Wallen’s “One Thing At A Time” — released last year. Then it’s Carpenter, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season,” and Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” also released in 2023.
Carpenter leads the most-streamed songs both in the U.S. and globally this year, with her summertime smash “Espresso.” It earned over 1.6 billion streams.
Globally, she’s followed by Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s “Gata Only” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control.”
And in the U.S., she’s trailed by Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby.”
This year, there are a few new features on Spotify Wrapped. Those include a new data story called “Your Music Evolution,” documenting three distinct musical phases for each user, and a personalized playlist. The individualized “Your Top Artist” feature has changed slightly, too, and now includes “Longest Listening Streak” as well as the familiar “Top Listeners.”
On social media, some Spotify users complained that Wrapped, which undergoes design changes every year, was minimalist this year, missing previous features like “Top Cities,” “Audio Auras” and “Top Genres.” The new “Your Music Evolution” feature, however, provides users with individual, created micro-genres for some months of listening.
A representative for Spotify did not provide a statement.
That the biggest artists, globally, earned top spots on Spotify Wrapped should come as no surprise — they’re featured prominently across the streaming service, including on its highly influential playlists, in addition to boasting loyal, dedicated fanbases. For independent artists who may appear on an individual listener’s Wrapped, accessing a top spot on the global list would require billions of streams.
Streaming now accounts for most of the money generated by the music industry — a whopping 84% in the United States, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and 67.3% worldwide, according to a 2024 report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which tracks global sales.
Spotify is the largest platform of all — making up roughly 31% of the total market share — with a reported 626 million users and 246 million subscribers in over 180 markets.
WWE is seeking a bigger stage and Netflix is providing it
WWE will perform on a stage next month that could be vastly larger than its current home on cable television when “Raw,” its weekly live show, makes its debut on Netflix.
The sports entertainment company is moving to a platform with about 283 million subscribers worldwide as it departs its current home on the USA Network, which averaged 688,000 viewers in prime time last year, according to the Nielsen company.
For Netflix, onboarding the WWE is part of a strategic move to air more live events on the heels of a hugely successful fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul that was viewed by more than 60 million people.
“Raw” has been averaging about 1.5 million viewers on USA Network over the past month, according to Nielsen.
WWE has produced thousands of episodes of “Raw,” since its debut in 1993, with star performers like Seth Rollins, CM Punk and Rhea Ripley. “Raw” and the media rights that come with it, had become a hot commodity before WWE reached a deal worth more than $5 billion with Netflix.
In addition to a larger pool of potential viewers, moving to Netflix means the WWE won’t have to worry as much about curse words getting muted or potentially gory scenes or risque or obscene gestures being blurred.
And as it has done throughout its history, WWE has promoted the shift to Netflix across different platforms as it seeks to expand its audience.
During a Travis Scott concert last month, former professional wrestler and now WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque told attendees from the stage that one of the rapper’s song will be the new “Raw” theme song, and that Scott will appear on the first episode on Netflix on January 6.
WWE has consistently managed to put itself before new and sometimes massive audiences, including the Super Bowl.
After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII two years ago, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and MVP Patrick Mahomes posted a photo of himself on Twitter holding the Vince Lombardi trophy in one hand, and a WWE belt in the other.
Netflix sees huge potential in live entertainment in addition to its traditional lineup.
“The contributor to growing engagement is going to be across the board on our scripted and unscripted, our documentary programming, all the kinds of things that people love, including now the addition of some live hours,” Netflix co-CEO Theodore Sarandos said after the company’s most recent quarterly earnings report.
Aside from its deal with WWE, the company announced in May that it will stream two National Football League games globally on Christmas Day as part of a three-year deal with the league.
That live programming will be an important part of Netflix’s strategy going forward, said JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth.
“Netflix is increasingly focused on sports entertainment, events, and shoulder content and we expect a bigger push into live sports over time, particularly as negotiating leverage shifts in Netflix’s direction,” he wrote in an analyst note last month.
Kevin Kisner will be the lead analyst for NBC’s golf coverage
Kevin Kisner would not have guessed his stock was starting to rise as his golf game was starting to age.
A year ago, he had finished out of the top 200 on the PGA Tour for the first time in 10 years as he struggled to find his form when NBC called and asked if he’d like to try his hand in the broadcast booth for The Sentry at Kapalua.
On Wednesday, NBC Sports announced Kisner would be the lead analyst for its portfolio of golf coverage that includes two majors and the Ryder Cup.
What makes Kisner with his homespun outlook and South Carolina drawl a good fit to follow Paul Azinger and Johnny Miller?
“I’ve wondered that myself,” Kisner said. “I think I offer a different perspective that is more player-centric. I’m not going to give you fluff because I’ve got an analyst’s job. I’ll tell it like it is. I’m not going to hinder my relationship with players, but I’ll tell you if you hit a bad shot or make a bad decision.”
NBC had what amounted to a game of musical chairs since splitting with Azinger after the 2023 Ryder Cup outside Rome. Kisner, Brandel Chamblee of Golf Channel, Luke Donald, Paul McGinley and Brad Faxon all had stints in the chair next to lead announcer Dan Hicks. The network did not want to rush to fill the role permanently.
The music stopped on Kisner.
“Kevin always shared frank and honest opinions about the game of golf during our various conversations through the years,” said Tommy Roy, the lead golf producer for NBC. “Those kinds of opinions and his engaging personality make Kiz a great fit for our broadcast team. He knows these players, he knows this game, and the audience will get to hear more of those opinions and that personality this season.”
Kisner is not done with his own game. With just over $29 million in career earnings, he is using a one-time exemption from the PGA Tour career money list to be exempt for 2025.
He is a four-time winner, including a World Golf Championship title at the Match Play and two other appearances in the championship match. He played in the Presidents Cups in 2017 and 2022 and was an assistant this year at Royal Montreal.
The plan is for him to work 10 tournaments, which would include the U.S. Open and British Open, the FedEx Cup playoffs and The Players Championship. He is likely to play at least two events during the Florida swing that NBC broadcasts.
He still considers himself a player and has seen signs that his swing is getting to where it was.
“They were so supportive of that, and that’s why I was willing to negotiate with them,” Kisner said. “They want me there for the big events that I’m not exempt into, and they’ve been accommodating if I do get in. It’s a great deal for me. NBC loves the idea that the weeks CBS is covering golf I’m playing, and hopefully playing great.”
He’s fond of saying about golf, “This ain’t no hobby.” Even so, he likely will be in a far more prominent role in the NBC booth than inside the ropes next year.
—From AP reports
