Spotify’s 16 Personality Types

innerspaceboy · 12-06-2022, 08:34 AM

The information below was gathered and transcribed from three primary sources:
- An article from Yahoo.com outlining news published by Spotify: https://sports.yahoo.com/16-personal...195652285.html
- A short video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/COooOfYkCv0
- And Spotify's recent Newsroom article: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-11...-2022-wrapped/

On Nov 30, Spotify published a news article detailing how they created 16 musical personality types based on its users' listening habits, much in the spirit of the Myers-Briggs typology. I’ve never tried Spotify but I’m always interested in music and MBTI-related concepts so I was curious to explore this new construct.

Here’s how they came up with them...

The Spotify Newsroom announced four metrics to determine users’ “Listening Personality.” This is more about musical taste than musical statistics, like the other data points used in Spotify Wrapped. The company weighed two types of listening behaviors for each metric.

What are the metrics Spotify uses to come up with Listening Personalities?

(F)amiliarity vs. (E)xploration
Those who repeat artists versus those who explore new ones.

(T)imelessness vs. (N)ewness
People are willing to engage with older tunes versus those who only go for newer releases.

(L)oyalty vs. (V)ariety
Those who repeat songs versus those who cycle through a lot of tracks before returning to the same one.

(C)ommonality vs. (U)niqueness
People who follow popular artists versus people who seek out the more obscure.

What are the 16 Listening Personalities on Spotify?

Note: I've added the MBTI parallels for each type as derived by YouTuber LoveWho from the video linked above. I apologize that they did not publish the details of how they arrived at these pairings, but I'll share them for your consideration.

ENTP (ENVU) - "The Adventurer"
A “seeker of sound,” Adventurers veer out into the “unknown, searching for fresher artists, deeper cuts, newer tracks.”

ENFP (ENVC) - The Early Adopter
Early Adopters are always on “the pulse of new music” and are the first to pick up on trends.

INTP - (FTVU) - The Deep Diver
Deep Divers delve into their favorite artists’ catalogs to take “in all the sights and sounds” they discover along the way.

ISFJ (FNLU) - The Devotee
Devoted listeners have an encyclopedic knowledge of their most beloved artists. They know the words to the deep cuts and the hits.

ISTJ (FTLU) - The Replayer
These are “comfort listeners” who stick to a few core artists on their playlists.

ENFJ (FTLC) - The Connoisseur
The Connoisseur has “taste that people can get behind.” The friend whose playlist never disappoints.

ISFP (ETLU) - The Maverick
A more rebellious music lover, Mavericks are “frolicking in that sidestream” while the masses flock to the mainstream.

ESTJ (FNVC) - The Fan Clubber
Every artist’s ideal fan, the Fan Clubber, supports their fave through and through with their “full heart.”

ESFP (ETLC) - The Top Charter
While others prefer the obscure, the Top Charter is here for the hits only.

ESFJ (FNLC) - The Enthusiast
Enthusiasts are super fans who always know what their idols are doing and are always ready to support them.

INFJ (ETVU) - The Time Traveler
Time Travelers seek out music that’s new to them, “regardless of whether it’s new to the rest of the world.”

ISTP (ETVC) - The Musicologist
Musicologists are more preoccupied with the sonic elements of songs, “gravitating towards songs that stand the test of time.”

INFP (ENLU) - The Nomad
These “sonic explorers” are happy to listen to all kinds of music. But the handful of artists and songs they love will always be with them, “kind of like a musical souvenir.”

ESTP (ENLC) - The Voyager
Voyagers live and breathe music and expand their world “through sound.”

ENTJ (FTVC) - The Jukeboxer
Jukeboxers act like every song they like is one of their favorite songs, and they’re happy to queue them all up.

INTJ (FNVU) - The Specialist
The most selective of the bunch. Specialists are curators, but once they fall in love with an artist, they’re all in.

I'm curious what you think about these metrics! Do they seem valid? Do you think LoveWho accurately paired Spotify's personality types with those of Myers-Briggs? And do they align correctly with your own MBTI type? Please share your thoughts!