Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

As streaming platforms inundate users with endless content, Spotify playlists have become a handy resource for people who want to curate and easily discover content that's aligned with their personal tastes. How can brands provide music fans with personalized and participatory user experiences?

As interest in pop psychology and audio content collide, Spotify Wrapped is adding listening personalities to its offering. Based on users' browsing and listening habits, the move signals how creative, consensual uses of data aiming for self-expression are winning with consumers.

Spotify has launched an in-app experience called Playlist in a Bottle, designed to let users capture their current music tastes to be revisited in exactly a year. The platform is leaning into nostalgia as a way to help its consumers relive their favourite musical moments.

Concerns around data have made people more distrustful of tech. Despite this, companies like Spotify are winning people over via a humanised approach to data handling, with users enjoying the packaging of their data in ways that reveal deeper insights into who they are.