2020 was an unprecedented and challenging year. It was also one that inspired curiosity and creativity-both of which were reflected in the songs and podcasts listeners streamed, the new ways creators connected with fans, and in the For the Record stories that resonated with readers the most.
So we're taking a look back on a year of For the Record to highlight the Spotify moments and stories that have meant the most to us-and you.
This year, we
Unveiled the pawfect playlist for you and your pet. It's hard to put into words the emotions pets give us-other than pure happiness. So it's only natural that we want to make them feel good, too, and many pet owners believe they do exactly that with music. In a study on how pet owners use music with their pets, we found that 71% of pet owners play music for their pets, and that's not all we learned. Check out the rest of the furry (read: fun) facts or make your very own Pet Playlist.
Connected listeners to each other and to creators with new app functionality like Group Session Beta and Video Podcasts. After unveiling the Group Session Beta in May, we then took it one step further in July with brand-new functionality allowing Spotify Premium users around the world to tune into the same playlist or podcast simultaneously. So no matter the distance, you and the members of your squad can now each listen to the same content at the same time on your own devices-as well as control playback. Learn how.
We also unveiled the first version of our new video podcast feature with select podcasts. Now listeners in all markets where podcasts are supported will be able to listen to or watch those podcasts as the feature rolls out, allowing select creators to bring both audio and video content to Spotify. You can now even watch video podcasts on select Android TV devices, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Nest Hub devices.
Launched in Russia, Croatia, Ukraine, and 10 Other European markets. Our latest expansion in Europe brought the total number of markets with Spotify to 92 and marked the embrace of streaming in the region. Now, listeners in Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine can enjoy a listening experience that includes 60 million tracks, 4 billion playlists, and localized music personalization features. Check out some of the features that listeners can look forward to.
Announced new audio content from popular storytellers. In 2019, we announced our intention to be an Audio-First company. 2020 saw plenty of new podcast content to further deliver on that commitment. This summer, First Lady Michelle Obama joined the ranks of Spotify storytellers with The Michelle Obama Podcast from Higher Ground and Spotify. This fall, The Joe Rogan Experience became an exclusive Spotify podcast through a new partnership. Most recently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced a partnership with Spotify through their new production company, Archewell Audio. With over 1.9 million (and growing) podcast titles, there's something for everyone.
Stood with the Black community in the fight against racism and injustice. On June 2, we used the power of our platform to stand with Black creators, amplify their voices, and accelerate meaningful conversation and long-needed change. We committed to supporting our employees, friends, partners, artists, and creators in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequity. Over this year and into the next, our support will continue to evolve, and we hope that our initial steps and actions will help push conversations forward, promote deeper allyship, and usher in positive and lasting changes.
Explained how to customize and share your Spotify profile and playlists. You already know that the music and podcasts you listen to serve as an incredible reflection of your interests and tastes. But did you know that you can customize your Spotify profile to match? Whether you're streaming from your desktop or mobile, now you can update everything from your photo to your username and create a personalized music page unique to you. Speaking of customization, we also enabled the ability to upload custom covers and descriptions to your homemade playlists using your phone, just in time for gift-giving season.
Wrapped it all up. This year's Wrapped was unlike any other. Alongside our annual naming of the most-streamed artists, songs, albums, and podcasts of the year, we also unveiled 6 new features in the 2020 Wrapped user experience, as well as 3 tips and tricks giving listeners new ways to hear and share their results. We even announced what kids and families have been listening to on the Spotify Kids app. Finally, we gave Spotify: For the Record podcast fans a behind-the-scenes listen to the convo where Bad Bunny learned he was the top-streamed artist of the year.
2020 held unique challenges, but through it all, Spotify was a source for entertainment, comfort, education, and community-and For the Record was here to document it. We can't wait to see what 2021 brings.
Want more behind-the-scenes moments and stories? Follow the Spotify: For the Record podcast.
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
09/05/2025
Capitol Broadcasting Company welcomed Warren Thomas as the new Vice President an...
09/05/2025
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Studio Technologies said the Harvard University athletics department has integrated Dante-enabled equipment from the vendor into its broadcast ...
09/05/2025
NEW YORK ITN, a provider of a local linear supply side platform, and Magnite, a independent sell-side advertising company, have announced that they working toge...
09/05/2025
LEEDS, U.K. Nugen Audio has launched a new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck and offered up quotes from technologists working at places like Netflix p...
09/05/2025
AJA I/O Gear: The Heart of Broadcast Solutions' VEGO Mobile Editing Solution
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
When working remotely on broadcas...
09/05/2025
What do they teach in an Advanced Adobe After Effects Course?
Roland Kahlenberg May 8, 2025
0 Comments
There aren't many advanced After Effects co...
09/05/2025
Larry Jordan Sits with Trevor Morgan of OpenDrives at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
Trevor Morgan, COO of OpenDrives, shares how the co...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
As expected, continued weak demand from key sales markets and declining economic...
08/05/2025
A new three-part series is coming to BBC iPlayer and BBC One
(Image: The Christie Archive Trust)
The BBC has announced Agatha Christie's Endless Night, a...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
08 May 2025
VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board at 2025 AGM, Founder Augie Fabela ...
08/05/2025
Comedy and entertainment channel U&Dave bring back their #1 ranked programme of ...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Lineup for Inaugural Storytelling Summit
11-Day Industry Event Launches with Tal...
08/05/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...
08/05/2025
Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...
08/05/2025
PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...
08/05/2025
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...
08/05/2025
Expect even more chaos this July with Harriet Webb leading the returning cast, p...
08/05/2025
Back to All News
Now in Production: Comedy Action Film Husbands in Action'...
08/05/2025
TenneT relies on Arvato Systems for market communication
Energy industry: Impressive market communication know-how and system integration expertise
G tersloh...
08/05/2025
When Taiki Hamamoto, 22, came across a Hanafuda deck at his local game shop, he was intrigued. He had grown up playing the traditional Japanese card game with f...
08/05/2025
The Liveline is now open , said Joe Duffy earlier today, as he previewed this af...
08/05/2025
RT , in association with the BBC, Screen Ireland and Cineflix Rights has reveale...
08/05/2025
Artificial intelligence is helping identify and treat diseases faster with better results for humankind. Natural disasters like wildfires are next.
Fires in th...
08/05/2025
Calling all wiseguys - 2K's acclaimed Mafia franchise is available to stream...
08/05/2025
As AI use cases continue to expand - from document summarization to custom software agents - developers and enthusiasts are seeking faster, more flexible ways t...
07/05/2025
Discovering music should feel effortless and fun. That's why Spotify continu...
07/05/2025
SBS and NITV mark National Reconciliation Week with compelling premieres recogni...
07/05/2025
SBS commences search for a new Western Sydney production hub location
7 May, 2025
Media releases
SBS has today launched a Request for Expressions of Intere...
07/05/2025
Warsaw, Poland - April 28, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest March All Screens Video Landscap...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
MECCA, Saudi Arabia Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has selected Grass Valley to provide a major technology upgrade of its broadcast facility here....
2020 was an unprecedented and challenging year. It was also one that inspired curiosity and creativity-both of which were reflected in the songs and podcasts listeners streamed, the new ways creators connected with fans, and in the For the Record stories that resonated with readers the most. 
