Spotify Wrapped Is Released in November, but No One Seems to Know Why

The Gist:

• Spotify has never explained why Wrapped comes out in November instead of the end of the year or even just in December.
• Spotify could release Wrapped early for any number of reasons, including its own employee's well-being or so that it doesn't include holiday listening.
• Spotify's annual tradition has meant that competitors also release their wrap-ups in November or early December, pushing the entire calendar forward.

It's a day every Spotify user looks forward to all year long. Spotify Wrapped is widely shared on social media. Users relive the year they just had on Spotify listening to music, podcasts, or even audiobooks. The annual tradition is one of the clearest signals that the year is coming to an end, but there are still a few lingering mysteries around the event.

As anyone who has ever seen a calendar is likely aware, Spotify Wrapped is meant to wrap up the year, but comes out in November. That release has confused many Spotify users, who want to know why Spotify doesn't count the last month of the year.

Spotify has never fully explained why they always release the Wrapped feature in November, cutting off a full month of data. The feature has to stop tracking your information even earlier so that it can create an actual Wrapped presentation that's unique to each user.

While Spotify has never explained the timing, there are several potential explanations for the November release.

1. It's better for Spotify's employees: This is a relatively straightforward one. If Spotify actually tried to release its Wrapped on Dec. 31 every year, that would likely mean that many of its employees wouldn't get a break during the holidays like so many do. To spare their own employees, Spotify may release its Wrapped earlier so that it comes out during a normal work week.

2. It's better for sharing and social media: By the same token, it's also possible that Spotify chooses to share Wrapped in November so that it catches most people when they are still plugged in and are more likely to share their results on social media. Some people are on their devices less over the holidays, so Spotify may want to catch people while they are still plugged in and working.

3. It keeps Spotify from catching your holiday tunes: Some also think that Spotify stops tracking your listening habits in mid-November in order to keep all of the Christmas playlists out of Wrapped. Many people may wind up with "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as their top song every year if December was included. Spotify may exclude it to get a picture of what everyone's non-holiday listening is like.

Of course, it's also possible that none of these explanations is actually correct. It could be something else entirely, but until Spotify actually explains itself, these are the three theories that seem to make the most sense.