Taylor Swift has done it again, securing the top spot as Spotify’s most-played artist of 2023. With over 26.1 billion streams since the beginning of the year, Swift has officially dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny, who held the title for three consecutive years.
Bad Bunny still managed to secure the number two spot for 2023, followed by The Weeknd, Drake, and regional Mexican musician Peso Pluma. However, it’s not all bad news for Bad Bunny, as his album “Un Verano Sin Ti” was the most-streamed album for the second year in a row, earning 4.5 billion global streams. Taylor Swift’s album “Midnights” came in second in this category.
Miley Cyrus’ empowering anthem “Flowers” took the top spot for most-streamed song of the year, with SZA’s “Kill Bill” coming in second. In the U.S., Swift continued her dominance, topping the most-streamed artist and album categories on Spotify.
In addition to her streaming success, Swift also made headlines for another reason. Spotify recently announced a new policy regarding royalty payments, which includes eliminating payments for songs with less than 1,000 annual streams starting in 2024. This policy change will undoubtedly have an impact on the music industry, especially for independent artists.
The fact that the biggest artists globally earned top spots on Spotify Wrapped should come as no surprise, as they are heavily featured on the streaming service’s influential playlists and have dedicated fanbases. For independent artists hoping to reach the top spot on the global list, achieving billions of streams will be a daunting task.
As streaming continues to dominate the music industry, the issue of fair compensation for artists remains a hot topic. According to Business Insider, artists currently make around $.003 and $.005 per stream on Spotify, though the platform uses a “streamshare” model to determine payments.
With Taylor Swift leading the charge as Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, it’s clear that she continues to reign supreme in the music world. As the music industry adapts to the rise of streaming, the conversation around artists’ compensation and fair treatment will undoubtedly continue.