Most streamed artists on Spotify
Streaming now dominates the music industry, accounting for a whopping 67% of global recorded music sales – and at the forefront of it all is Spotify, the undisputed leader.
Curious about the most-streamed artists of all time? Wondering where your favorite stands? Dive into this daily updated ranking to discover the answers!
Most streamed artists on Spotify
Would like to see song by song figures?
Understanding Spotify rankings
Most listened to artists vs monthly listeners
When it comes to measuring an artist’s popularity on Spotify, there’s often confusion between different metrics. For example, publications like Guinness World Records frequently highlight the artist with the most monthly listeners as the “most streamed” or “most popular” on the platform.
In reality, the most streamed artists are those who have amassed the highest total playcounts, reflecting their cumulative success over time. This distinction is significant because Spotify does not publicly share total stream counts for artists, focusing instead on monthly listeners – a metric that comes with technical limitations.
Spotify also uses a popularity index that ranks artists based on recent streams, but this data isn’t openly available. As a result, the true cumulative impact of artists on the platform often goes unnoticed.
Since 2020, this page has provided a clear and updated view of the artists who have generated the most streams on Spotify. With a daily refreshed top 1,000 list, it offers insight into long-term streaming trends rather than short-term fluctuations.
A brief history of streaming milestones
Back in late 2015, EDM artist Kygo made waves by becoming the first artist to reach 1 billion streams in a year, a record-breaking achievement at the time. Fast forward to today, and streaming milestones have reached unprecedented heights, with several artists now closing in on the remarkable 100 billion streams mark.
For years, Drake led the pack, becoming the first artist to achieve 30 billion streams in April 2020, followed by 40 billion in August 2021 and 50 billion in September 2022. By December 2023, his total had surpassed 70 billion.
However, in February 2024, Taylor Swift claimed the title of Spotify’s most-streamed artist. Her meteoric rise has been nothing short of extraordinary: from 11.9 billion streams in 2020 to over 90 billion by late 2024. Notably, she was still trailing Ariana Grande among female artists as recently as a few years ago.
Today’s top three is rounded out by Bad Bunny, the leader among Latin artists, whose dominance reflects the global reach of reggaeton and Latin music. Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny have also consistently alternated as the platform’s most popular daily artists for several years.
More record-breaking artists
Among groups, BTS leads with their exceptional success in K-pop. In the realm of legacy acts, rock legends Queen remain the top performers, demonstrating the enduring appeal of classic hits.
When it comes to averages, Harry Styles stands out. Despite releasing only 36 distinct songs across his solo career, each one has exceeded 100 million streams, securing him a place among the top 40 most-streamed artists overall.
Beyond Spotify
While Spotify dominates the streaming conversation, it’s important to note that other major platforms, such as Apple Music and Amazon Music, are relevant as well. Yet, they don’t share playcount data publicly.
To bridge this gap, we’ve set up advanced algorithms to estimate comprehensive on-demand audio streams across platforms. These calculations provide a broader view of an artist’s streaming footprint worldwide.
This ranking is a reflection of years of analysis, consistently validated against certified results. It offers fans and industry professionals alike a reliable snapshot of streaming achievements across the globe.
Explore the full ranking below to see where your favorite artist stands and gain a deeper understanding of the streaming world.
Frequently Asked Questions
This ranking showcases the top Spotify artists based on streams from tracks listed under their personal page’s Albums, Singles, and Compilations sections. These are combined into what we define as “Lead Streams.”
Milestones such as the number of tracks available and total streams are calculated using lead songs only. Streams from tracks listed in the “Appears On” section of an artist’s Spotify page are categorized as “Featured Streams” and do not impact the overall ranking or milestone statistics.
The most streamed artist of all-time is American icon Taylor Swift, leading ahead of Canadian rapper Drake and Latin star Bad Bunny.
Taylor Swift also holds the crown as the most-streamed solo female artist of all time. She is followed by Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish, with Rihanna and Dua Lipa rounding out the top five.
The most-streamed group of all time is South Korean global sensation BTS, ahead of Coldplay and Imagine Dragons.
The most-streamed rapper of all time is Canadian hip-hop star Drake. The top five most listened to rappers also includes Eminem, Kanye West, Travis Scott and Juice WRLD, in that order.
Rock legends Queen take the top spot as the most-streamed rock artist of all time. They are followed by Linkin Park, Arctic Monkeys, The Beatles, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The most streamed Asian artist of all-time is South Korean group BTS. Indian superstars Arijit Singh and Pritam complete the top three.
Latin music’s king, Bad Bunny, holds the top spot among Latin artists, followed by J Balvin and Ozuna.
The most streamed album of all-time is Bad Bunny‘s Un Verano Sin Ti. Explore the full top 5,000 right now.
The most streamed song (across all versions) and the most streamed track (with no side version) is Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, taking the lead over Shape of You by Ed Sheeran.
Spotify’s database can occasionally be tricky to manage, so while we’ve developed robust controls to ensure accuracy, occasional glitches may still occur.
When issues arise, we perform manual fixes to restore data consistency. If a problem persists, don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know so we can investigate further.
We have more for you
This article is being discussed in our forum, join us to share your comments! »