Spotify Wrap 🎧 - To share or not to share?

It’s that time of year when artists start sharing their Spotify Wrapped stats, and every year, I find myself torn... To share or not to share?

To share – Being grateful for everyone who’s taken the time to listen to your music.
Not to share – Using it as a tool for comparison.

For most of my ‘artist’ life, I’ve fallen into the trap of comparison. I’ve either walked away feeling like the music we’ve created somehow isn’t as good as others, or I’ve thought, look how much better we’re doing than others.

WHY?

What I’ve come to realize is that after we released our first song—created almost in a vacuum, free from expectations and far removed from ‘the industry’—I lost my way. I started creating music based on what I thought would get played on the radio, which in my mind, would then lead to ‘success.’ I was creating through comparison instead of trusting my gut.

It turns out I had a classic case of creativity destroyed by comparison. Here’s how it shows up:

1. Fear of Falling Short
   Constantly measuring your work against others can lead to feelings of inadequacy, discouraging risk-taking and innovation.

   
   

   
   

2. Loss of Authenticity
   When creators compare, they may unconsciously mimic others, sacrificing their unique voice and perspective to align with perceived standards.

   
   

   
   

3. Paralysis by Perfectionism
   Comparison often leads to perfectionism, where creators delay or abandon projects for fear they won’t measure up.

   
   

   
   

4. Shift from Process to Outcome
   Creativity thrives in the process—exploration, experimentation, and play. Comparison shifts the focus to the outcome, often turning creative work into a performance rather than an expression.

   
   

I’ve been working on getting back to creating for the sake of creation. Here’s what’s helped:

1. Releasing What We Previously Considered ‘Demos’
   Damn, this one feels good. Getting the music out into the world addresses both the loss of authenticity and perfectionism.

   
   

   
   

2. Enjoying the Release
   No pre-saves or hyping up a release beforehand. Just one post at some point after the release. It’s a simple shift that’s made the process more enjoyable.

It didn’t happen right away, but I no longer use Spotify Wrapped to compare. Instead, it’s become a moment to reflect on how cool it is to have people listening to our music every day around the world 13 years after our first release.