This year, Taylor Swift has taken the crown as Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, ending the three-year reign of Bad Bunny. This shift at the top of the streaming charts is not just about numbers; it’s a story of musical passion and changing trends.
As we delve into the details, we uncover the story behind this exciting development and what it means for the music industry.
What’s the News?
Taylor Swift is the most popular artist on Spotify this year. She’s had more people listen to her songs than anyone else—over 26.1 billion streams since January 1. Before Taylor, Bad Bunny was the top artist for three years, but now he’s in second place. Following him are The Weeknd, Drake, and Peso Pluma in third, fourth, and fifth places, respectively.
Even though Taylor Swift took the top spot overall, Bad Bunny’s album “Un Verano Sin Ti” was the most listened to on Spotify for the second year in a row. It got 4.5 billion streams worldwide in 2022.
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Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” came in second, and SZA’s “SOS” was third. However, please note that all three albums were released last year.
The top five most-listened-to albums on Spotify include The Weeknd’s “Starboy” from 2016 and Karol G’s “Mañana Será Bonito,” which was the only album released in 2023 to reach the top spot. Miley Cyrus’ powerful song “Flowers” got the most streams on Spotify this year with 1.6 million streams worldwide.
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SZA’s “Kill Bill” came in second for the most-streamed song, followed by Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” BTS member Jung Kook featuring Latto’s “Seven,” and Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” in third, fourth, and fifth places.
In the U.S., Taylor Swift continued to be the most streamed artist on Spotify, followed by Drake and country singer Morgan Wallen.
Wallen’s song “Last Night” got the most streams, and his album “One Thing at a Time” was the most streamed album.
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Apple Music also noted Wallen’s “Last Night” as the top global song in 2023. It had a remarkable 16-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, tying with Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” for the second-longest reign in the chart’s history.
It’s no surprise that the biggest global artists topped Spotify Wrapped. They’re heavily featured on the platform’s influential playlists and have devoted fanbases. For smaller artists to make it to the global list, they’d need billions of streams, unlike the big names.
Business Insider mentions that artists generally earn between $.003 and $.005 per stream. Spotify doesn’t pay per stream but uses a “stream share” system based on the total streams of music owned or controlled by a rights holder, divided by the total streams in the market each month.
However, it is important to note that Spotify recently announced a new policy for 2024: songs with less than 1,000 annual streams won’t receive royalties.
What to Do Next?
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