Streaming Masters – The Beatles
On Christmas Eve 2015, the catalog of the most successful band in history was finally made available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The initial results revealed some surprises, with Here Comes the Sun unexpectedly claiming the top spot among their tracks.
Nearly a decade later, how have The Beatles fared in the world of streaming? Let’s dive in and uncover the story with a detailed song-by-song breakdown!
The Beatles streaming review – the method
Streaming is made up of audio and video streams. Our CSPC methodology now includes both to better reflect the real popularity of each track. The main source of data for each avenue is respectively Spotify and YouTube.
To factor in the growing impact of multiple Asian countries where these platforms aren’t always the go-to site for music streaming, more sources have been added.
In order to account for their real popularity in each relevant country, the below sources have been used along with the mentioned ratios that reflect the market share of each area.
Audio Streams
– South Korea : Genie streams * 3.05 (consistent with Gaon streaming numbers)
– Japan : AWA streams * 100/5.5 (AWA has 5.5% of the Japanese streaming market)– Elsewhere : Spotify streams * (370 – 8.5 – 9.5 – 33 – 9) / 207 (370 million global subscribers minus 8.5 million from South Korea minus 9.5 million from Japan minus 33 million from China divided by the number of Spotify only users minus 9 million more Asian users) + Genie streams * 3.05 (uses Genie rather than Spotify to extrapolate markets like Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam)
Video Streams– China* : QQ video streams * 50 if the song is available for audio stream, QQ video streams * 5 elseway (scale built based on known figures for several major artists)– Elsewhere : Youtube views
*since 96.4% of Chinese streaming platforms are free users, that paid-for users pay less than $2 a month and that they are also used as video streaming platforms, their streams are weighted on par with YouTube streams.
Audio Stream value – 1500 plays equal 1 album unit
Video Stream value – 11,750 views equal 1 album unit
Equivalent Albums Sales (EAS) = ( Spotify * 310/207 + Genie * 3.05*2 + AWA * 100/5.5 ) / 1500 + ( QQ views* 50(or 5) + YouTube ) / 11750
The Beatles streaming review – the results
Total: 23,737,553 EAS
Want uptodate data? Access updated numbers everyday right here!
The Beatles: Most streamed tracks (EAS)
1. Here Comes the Sun [Abbey Road] – 1,649,000
2. Let It Be [Let It Be] – 1,035,000
3. Hey Jude [Orphan (The Beatles)] – 910,000
4. Come Together [Abbey Road] – 886,000
5. Yesterday [Help!] – 832,000
6. Twist and Shout [Please Please Me] – 628,000
7. Blackbird [The Beatles (White Album)] – 573,000
8. I Want to Hold Your Hand [Orphan (The Beatles)] – 526,000
9. In My Life [Rubber Soul] – 505,000
10. Something [Abbey Road] – 460,000
11. Eleanor Rigby [Revolver] – 442,000
12. Help! [Help!] – 431,000
13. While My Guitar Gently Weeps [The Beatles (White Album)] – 410,000
14. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da [The Beatles (White Album)] – 322,000
15. Don’t Let Me Down [Orphan (The Beatles)] – 318,000
16. Love Me Do [Please Please Me] – 306,000
17. Strawberry Fields Forever [Magical Mystery Tour] – 293,000
18. And I Love Her [A Hard Day’s Night] – 286,000
19. A Hard Day’s Night [A Hard Day’s Night] – 271,000
20. All You Need Is Love [Magical Mystery Tour] – 269,000
Sources: Spotify, YouTube, AWA (app), QQ, Genie, Anghami, Audiomack, Boomplay.
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… The Beatles’ series
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