Taylor Swift is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, ending Bad Bunny’s 3-year reign

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Taylor Swift has claimed the title of Spotify’s most-streamed artist in 2023, marking the end of Bad Bunny’s three-year reign. According to Spotify Wrapped, Swift accumulated over 26.1 billion streams since January 1, making her the top artist globally for the year. This achievement means she has dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetón sensation Bad Bunny, who had held the prestigious title for the past three years, starting in 2020.

In the 2023 rankings, Bad Bunny secured the second spot, followed by The Weeknd in third, Drake in fourth, and regional Mexican musician Peso Pluma in fifth place.

However, it’s not all bad news for Bad Bunny, as his 2022 album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” retained its position as Spotify’s most-streamed album for the second consecutive year, amassing 4.5 billion global streams. In this category, Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” came in second place, with SZA’s “SOS” in third. All three albums were released in the previous year.

The top five most-streamed albums also included The Weeknd’s 2016 album “Starboy” and Karol G’s “Mañana Será Bonito,” which was the only 2023 release to reach the pinnacle of the list.

Miley Cyrus’ empowering anthem “Flowers” claimed the title of Spotify’s most-streamed song of the year, with 1.6 million streams globally. SZA’s “Kill Bill” secured the second spot, while Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” BTS member Jung Kook featuring Latto’s “Seven,” and Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” occupied the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively.

In the United States, Taylor Swift continued her dominance as the most-streamed artist on the platform, followed by Drake and country star Morgan Wallen. Wallen’s “Last Night” emerged as the most-streamed song, and his full-length album “One Thing at a Time” claimed the top spot among the most-streamed albums.

Apple Music also recognized Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” by placing it at the top of its global song chart for 2023. The song enjoyed significant success, staying atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks, tying with Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” for the second-longest reign in the Hot 100’s 65-year history.

It’s no surprise that the biggest global artists found their way to the top of Spotify Wrapped, given their prominent presence on the platform and dedicated fanbases. Independent artists seeking a top spot on the global list would need billions of streams, considering that artists typically earn between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream. Spotify’s payment model is based on “streamshare,” calculated by dividing the total number of streams for a rights holder’s music by the overall streams in the market each month.

In a recent announcement, Spotify revealed a new royalty payment policy, discontinuing payment for songs with fewer than 1,000 annual streams, starting in 2024. This move reflects ongoing changes in the music streaming industry’s economics and revenue distribution.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Spotify 2023 Rankings

More about Spotify 2023 Rankings

• Spotify Wrapped
• Taylor Swift
• Bad Bunny
• Miley Cyrus
• Billboard Hot 100
• Spotify Royalty Payments