Streaming Masters – U2
Since the beginning of the 80s, U2 is one of the biggest rock band on the planet and has released a lot of classic albums of songs. Is their status of rock icon also visible through their streaming numbers?
PS: Updated on September 18, 2021. These values are used for automatic update of artist and albums total instead of those from CSPC analysis.
U2 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
U2 streaming review – the results
Total: 5,208,141 EAS
U2: Most streamed tracks (EAS)
1. With Or Without You [The Joshua Tree] – 671,000
2. One [Achtung Baby] – 446,000
3. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For [The Joshua Tree] – 433,000
4. Beautiful Day [All That You Can’t Leave Behind] – 358,000
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday [War] – 251,000
6. XXX [Orphan] – 180,000
7. Pride (in The Name Of Love) [The Unforgettable Fire] – 166,000
8. Where The Streets Have No Name [The Joshua Tree] – 158,000
9. Vertigo [How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb] – 96,000
10. Sweetest Thing [The Joshua Tree] – 86,000
11. You’re the Best Thing About Me [Songs of Experience] – 86,000
12. New Year’s Day [War] – 82,000
13. Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of [All That You Can’t Leave Behind] – 80,000
14. Every Breaking Wave [Songs of Innocence] – 75,000
15. Song for Someone [Songs of Innocence] – 61,000
16. Mysterious Ways [Achtung Baby] – 56,000
17. All I Want Is You [Rattle and Hum] – 55,000
18. Bad [The Unforgettable Fire] – 54,000
19. Elevation [All That You Can’t Leave Behind] – 53,000
20. City Of Blinding Lights [How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb] – 52,000
You may be interested in…
… U2‘ full CSPC analysis
… streaming tops and tools
