Skip to content
TrackPodcasts
newsDec 8, 202322:44pending

Normal Gossip's Kelsey McKinney unwraps Spotify's strategy

The Big Story

About this episode

Most of you probably at least glanced at it. And many of you were excited and eager to share your Spotify Wrapped details with your friends and followers. After all, isn't that the whole point? To show off your musical taste, connect with others who share it and provide free marketing for a streaming behemoth? 

Spotify's Wrapped is the biggest and most popular of algorithmically created personal year-end lists, but it isn't alone. Why do these things always suck us in? How has Spotify managed to convince us to pay them, instead of the artists we love directly? And if Spotify is getting all our money, why isn't it turning much of a profit?

GUEST: Kelsey McKinney, reporter and writer at Defector, host of Normal Gossip

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at [email protected]

Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Get every episode summarized

Each time The Big Story publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.

Email me new episodes

Free for 3 shows. No card needed.

Hosts & guests

No transcript yet

This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.

Normal Gossip's Kelsey McKinney unwraps Spotify's strategy

The Big Story

0:00
22:44

More episodes

More from The Big Story

View all episodes →