Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service, accounting for more than 31% of the global market share, according to The Associated Press.
Based in Sweden, Spotify was founded in April 2006.
For its 20-year anniversary, Spotify made a special announcement.
“For the first time, we’re unveiling the most streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and audiobooks in our history,” the company said.
Each list ranks the top 20 in its category. Spotify did not share specific streaming data or numbers. Let’s dive in.
Who are the most streamed artists of all time?
The top spot is no surprise: Taylor Swift, who also has two albums in the top 20 most-streamed albums of all time.
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who headlined this year’s Super Bowl, checks in at No. 2, followed by Drake, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande.
Recent Coachella headliner Justin Bieber checks in at No. 7.
Kanye West, who released his latest album in late March, comes in at No. 10, right in between fellow rappers Eminem at No. 9 and Travis Scott at No. 11.
Another rapper, Juice WRLD, who died in 2019 at age 21, rounds out the list of the most-streamed artists of all time at No. 20.
What are the most streamed songs of all time?
The Weeknd’s 2019 hit “Blinding Lights” is the most-streamed song on Spotify.
Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” follows at No. 2; the track is featured on the album “÷ (Deluxe),” which is the third most-streamed album of all time.
“Perfect,” another song from that album, appears at No. 9.
“Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood is No. 3.
The Weeknd appears again at No. 4 with “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk.
“Starboy” is the title track of the album of the same name, which is the second most-streamed album of all time.
What are the most streamed albums of all time?
- “Un Verano Sin Ti” — Bad Bunny
- “Starboy” — The Weeknd
- “÷ (Deluxe)” — Ed Sheeran
- “SOUR” — Olivia Rodrigo
- “After Hours” — The Weeknd
Bad Bunny’s 2020 album, “YHLQMDLG,” is No. 15 in the top 20.
The Weeknd has three albums in the top 20: “Starboy,” “After Hours” and “Beauty Behind The Madness,” which rank at No. 2, No. 5 and No. 20, respectively.
Olivia Rodrigo was 18 years old when “SOUR” came out. It includes hits like “deja vu” and “good 4 u.”
Utah resident Post Malone, the 13th most-streamed artist of all time, has two albums in the top 20: 2019’s “Hollywood’s Bleeding” at No. 7 and 2018’s “beerbongs & bentleys” at No. 12.
At No. 13 is “?” by rapper XXXTENTACION, who was murdered in 2018 at age 20.
Podcasts and audiobooks
For those whose commutes favor true crime podcasts or self-help audiobooks over Drake or Billie Eilish, these lists reveal which favorites made the cut.
Unsurprisingly, “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the most streamed podcast of all time. Right behind that is a conversational German comedy podcast called “Gemischtes Hack.”
Nine of the top 20 podcasts fall into the true crime or murder mystery categories.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s first book in “The Lord of the Rings” series, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” is the second-most-streamed audiobook, topped only by “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas.
Similar to “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses” is the first book of a trilogy.
Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me” cracks the list at No. 11.
It’s no Spotify Wrapped. Those lists usually show up in the last 30 days of the year. But these lists sure are fun.