Hitting the high notes

Happy Spotify Wrapped week to those who celebrate (everyone, despite Apple Music’s attempt to copy the format). 

Aside from the highlight of sharing a part of your personality that’s safely contained in headphones for 364 days a year, it’s been a big couple of weeks for music. 

The Wiggles had to issue an apology after the Blue Wiggle and the Tree of Wisdom appeared in a TikTok with performative man of the year, Keli Holiday. The two Wiggles gyrated while Holiday sang about ecstasy, leading to a statement assuring us all the group do not condone MDMA. Although if you had to dress up as a tree every day, no one would blame you.

Somewhat more wholesomely, Dick Van Dyke started celebrating his upcoming 100th birthday by hosting a two-hour sing-a-long charity event with fans.

Van Dyke used the occasion to spruik the importance of putting down your phone, but the algorithm continues to define the future of Australian music.

A report from Spotify that got significantly less attention than Wrapped found 61% of users are satisfied with the amount of Australian music available and accessible to them. But just days later, findings from the Australia Institute showed the number of times an Australian band was streamed in Australia declined by 30%.

Perhaps, when sharing Wrapped this year, it would be handy to look back at previous editions. If they all look very samey (Taylor Swift, again?!), it may be time to do a bit of discovery outside the algo.