Drake Is the Top Streamed Artist in Spotify History
By almost every quantifiable measure of commercial success, Drake is one of the most dominant artists of the last decade. The latest piece of evidence proving this point comes from the folks at Spotify, who earlier today (Oct. 10) revealed that the 6ix God is their top streamed artist of the last 10 years.
Other artists on this particular list, which is one of several Spotify revealed in order to celebrate their 10th anniversary, include superstar singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Eminem, Kanye West, The Weeknd and more. Even among these megastars, Drizzy stands out.
If you've been keeping track of Spotify records, this news probably isn't all that surprising. In 2015 and 2016, Drizzy was the Spotify's most streamed artist. In 2017 he checked in at No. 2 behind Sheeran. This past August, the streaming platform certified Drake's Scorpion single, "In My Feelings," as the most-streamed song of the summer. Don't be surprised to see Drizzy check in near the top of Spotify's most-streamed artists of 2018, too.
See each of Spotify's 10th anniversary-commemorating lists for yourself below. Check out Spotify's special playlist celebrating their anniversary beneath the lists.
Most-streamed song each year since Spotify launch
2008: The Killers – “Human”
2009: The Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”
2010: Eminem, Rihanna – “Love The Way You Lie”
2011: Don Omar, Lucenzo – “Danza Kuduro”
2012: Gotye, Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used To Know”
2013: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Can't Hold Us” (feat. Ray Dalton)
2014: Pharrell Williams – “Happy” – from Despicable Me 2
2015: Major Lazer, MØ, DJ Snake – “Lean On”
2016: Drake – “One Dance”
2017: Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
Top-streamed artists of all time
1. Drake
2. Ed Sheeran
3. Eminem
4. The Weeknd
5. Rihanna
6. Kanye West
7. Coldplay
8. Justin Bieber
9. Calvin Harris
10. Ariana Grande
Most-streamed songs of all time
1. Ed Sheeran – “Shape Of You'”
2. Drake – “One Dance”
3. The Chainsmokers, Halsey – “Closer”
4. Post Malone – “Rockstar” (feat. 21 Savage)
5. Ed Sheeran – “Thinking Out Loud”
6. Major Lazer, MØ, DJ Snake – “Lean On”
7. Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber – “Despacito - Remix'”
8. Justin Bieber – “Love Yourself”
9. Justin Bieber – “Sorry”
10. The Chainsmokers – “Don't Let Me Down”
First 10 artists to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify
1. Rihanna (2013)
2. David Guetta (2013)
3. Eminem (2013)
4. Kanye West (2014)
5. Avicii (2014)
6. Coldplay (2014)
7. Jay-Z (2014)
8. Katy Perry (2014)
9. Drake (2014)
10. Pitbull (2014)
Most-streamed albums globally
1. Ed Sheeran – ÷
2. Justin Bieber – Purpose
3. Drake – Views
4. Ed Sheeran – x
5. Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys
6. The Weeknd – Starboy
7. Drake – Scorpion
8. The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
9. Post Malone – Stoney
10. Kendrick Lamar – Damn.
Most-streamed female artists globally
1. Rihanna
2. Ariana Grande
3. Sia
4. Beyoncé
5. Nicki Minaj
6. Adele
7. Taylor Swift
8. Selena Gomez
9. Katy Perry
10. Shakira
Total time streamed on Spotify: 16,858,080 years
Total tracks now on Spotify: 40M+
Total playlists now on Spotify: 3B+
October 2008 Flashback – top global track, artist, and album:
Most-streamed track: Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”
Most-streamed artist: Lady Gaga
Most-streamed album: Coldplay – Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
See Photos of Drake's Different Looks Over the Years