Happy 20th Birthday, Spotify. Here’s the Platform’s Most Streamed of All Time

To mark its 20th birthday, Spotify released Spotify at 20: Most Streamed of All Time Lists on Thursday. It’s like all our Spotify Wrapped lists were compiled into one. 

The charts look at global Spotify streams of all time (or at least almost 18 years) as of April 2026 and include the top artists, songs, albums, podcasts and audiobooks (in Premium). 

Spotify was founded in 2006 and began counting streams when launching in Finland, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK in October 2008. Podcasts were added to the platform in 2015, and audiobooks in Premium plans were added in 2023, according to a Spotify representative. 

A lot has changed since 2006: where we listen, how we listen and even what headphones we choose. What do 20 years of data tell us about where listener tastes are headed, especially with AI-generated music on the horizon? And who almost made the cut but didn’t? 

Here are the lists that may surprise you, especially if you’re a member of the BeyHive.

Spotify’s most-streamed of all-time 

Here’s a look at the top five most-streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts and audiobooks. For a full list, check out Spotify’s official list. 

Most-streamed artists 

1. Taylor Swift 
2. Bad Bunny
3. Drake 
4. The Weeknd
5. Ariana Grande

Most-streamed albums 

1. Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
2. Starboy by The Weeknd
3. ÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran
4. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
5. After Hours by The Weeknd

Most-streamed songs

1. “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
2. “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
3. “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
4. “Starboy” by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
5. “As It Was” by Harry Styles

Most-streamed podcasts 

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. Gemischtes Hack
3. Crime Junkie
4. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
5. Last Podcast On The Left

Most-streamed audiobooks (in premium)

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
4. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A look back at Spotify’s most-streamed lists

So much has happened in the 10 years since Spotify first released all-time listening data. Back in 2016, Ed Sheeran had the top album (÷) and song (Shape of You), while Drake was the top artist. Now, The Weeknd claims the top song with Blinding Lights, and Taylor Swift went from not even being among the top 10 artists to now claiming the No. 1 spot. 

Other all-time favorite artists back in 2016 included Eminem, Rihanna, Kanye West and Coldplay. And going back even further to 2008, the most-streamed artist was Lady Gaga, while the top album and song were, respectively, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and Viva La Vida, both by Coldplay. Now that list looks much different with Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, BTS, J. Balvin and Bruno Mars among the top artists. However, I’m surprised Beyoncé hasn’t been on the list of top artists over the years. 

Taylor Swift’s spot at the top of the all-time list may not just be a function of the passion of Swifties: The singer’s first album dropped in 2006, meaning her career has lasted just as long as Spotify, and she’s been popular throughout that run. By contrast, second-place Bad Bunny’s first album was released in 2018. 

Will AI change Spotify’s next 10 years?

We don’t know whether AI-generated music will change Spotify’s most-streamed music or artists. While it is allowed on the platform, impersonation policies help avoid deepfake voices and protect artists.

However, the streaming platform has always used AI and similar technologies to help listeners broaden their tastes, a Spotify representative said. 

Spotify is still leaning into AI in other ways, such as an AI-driven Taste Profile feature to customize your listening habits. You can listen to new podcasts based on prompts, like building a podcast playlist focused on travel or parenthood. Spotify also revealed a partnership with music labels including Sony, Universal and Warner to develop “AI-music products,” but we’re still unsure of what that entails. 

Spotify is welcoming bots with open arms, but we’ll have to see if listeners are ready to do the same. When Spotify turns 30, where will the most-streamed machine rank?