Streams of mental health playlists on Spotify have doubled in 2020

Spotify have revealed that streams of mental health playlists have doubled this year.

Gathered to mark World Mental Health Day, which takes place tomorrow (October 10), the data shows a dramatic rise in playlists and podcasts related to self-care during the coronavirus pandemic.

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As reported by The Independent, the new data collected by Spotify shows that playlists related to ‘mindfulness’, ‘calm’, and ‘self-care’ have been streamed 57 per cent more in 2020 than they were last year.

Podcasts related to self-help and self-care have also seen a massive rise, with a 122 per cent increase in streams.

Last month, it was revealed that Spotify are reportedly developing a new karaoke feature for the platform.

According to Music Business Worldwide, the streaming service is currently building ‘Spotify Karaoke Mode’ amid the recent news that Amazon’s Twitch Sings app will close in January.

Spotify UK has also announced that it’s launching its first playlist featuring music and news all in one location.

In other Spotify news, the streaming service’s CEO Daniel Ek received criticism recently when he said that it “wasn’t enough” for artists to “record music once every three to four years”.

“It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans,” Ek said in a recent interview about the way artists release music on Spotify.

“I feel, really, that the ones that aren’t doing well in streaming are predominantly people who want to release music the way it used to be released.”