Taylor Swift Reigns Spotify: In 2023, Taylor Swift has once again asserted her dominance in the music industry, securing the title of Spotify’s top-streamed artist of the year. The announcement was made as part of Spotify’s annual year-end Wrapped rundown on November 29.
Swift’s achievement is noteworthy, with a staggering 26.1 billion streams globally on the platform since January 1. Surpassing previous champions like Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Drake, and Peso Pluma, Swift’s success on Spotify is a testament to the enduring popularity of her late-2022 album, “Midnights,” and her chart-topping re-recordings, “Speak Now (Taylors Version)” and “1989 (Taylors Version).” The latter amassed an impressive 375.49 million on-demand official streams in its debut week.
This accolade sets a new record on Spotify, marking the highest number of streams in a year by any artist on the platform. In comparison, when Bad Bunny claimed the top spot in previous years, his stream counts were 18.5 billion in 2022, 9.1 billion in 2021, and 8.3 billion in 2020.
Billboard’s royalty calculator estimates that Swift’s 26.1 billion streams translate to about $97 million in recorded music royalties, and the year isn’t even over yet. With projected streams reaching 27.2 billion by the end of December, Swift is anticipated to earn around $101 million in recorded music royalties from Spotify alone. When factoring in publishing revenue, her total earnings from Spotify are estimated to reach about $131 million by the year’s end.
It’s crucial to recognize that these figures only account for Swift’s performance on Spotify, the leading platform in the streaming market. When considering on-demand streams across all platforms, including Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music, Billboard estimates that her catalog will have garnered a total of 38.3 billion streams by the year’s end, translating to approximately $160 million in recorded royalties. With publishing revenue factored in, Swift’s total on-demand streaming revenue is projected to approach $200 million.
Swift’s ability to retain the master rights to all her music under her 2018 contract with Universal Music Group and Republic Records significantly impacts her earnings. This includes her highly successful re-recordings known as Taylors Versions, a strategic move following the acquisition of her previous label by Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2019. The re-recordings have consistently outperformed the originals on streaming platforms, proving to be a lucrative venture for the superstar.
Also read: Taylor Swift Shines in Balmain at Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Premiere
Our Reader’s Queries
Why did Taylor Swift pull out of Spotify?
In 2014, she withdrew her catalog because she believed that music should not be offered for free. She penned an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal expressing her view. “I firmly believe that music should not be given away for free, and I foresee a future where individual artists and their labels will determine the price of an album,” she stated.
Who is #1 on Spotify 2023?
1 – Taylor Swift garnered a whopping 29.10 billion streams in 2023. That’s an average of 79.73 million streams per day, or 55,365 streams every minute, all year long. With Spotify averaging 550 million users for the year, it’s safe to say that every user listened to Taylor Swift for an average of 12,698 seconds in 2023, assuming an average song length of 4 minutes.
Who is the most streamed female artist on Spotify?
As of January 2024, Taylor Swift remains the top female artist on Spotify based on monthly listeners. In fact, she has nearly 110 million monthly listeners, solidifying her status as the most-streamed female artist on the platform.
Who is the No 1 Spotify artist?
As of January 2024, English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran holds the title of the most-followed artist on Spotify, with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift leading as the most-followed female artist.