Spotify Wrapped 2024: Swift’s Unbroken Reign Continues

• Taylor Swift is Spotify’s most-played artist for the second year, with over 26.6 billion streams in 2024.
• Swift’s album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was the most-streamed album globally in 2024.
• The most-streamed song globally was Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” with over 1.6 billion streams.
• Streaming now accounts for most of the music industry’s revenue, with Spotify being the largest platform.

In a year marked by the continued dominance of streaming services in the music industry, Spotify has once again crowned Taylor Swift as its most-played artist for the second consecutive year. The streaming giant unveiled its annual Spotify Wrapped, a comprehensive overview of individual and global listening trends, on Wednesday. Swift’s reign at the top is a testament to her enduring popularity, with the singer racking up more than 26.6 billion streams in 2024.

Swift’s dominance was not just limited to the global stage. In the United States, she also claimed the top spot, followed by Drake, Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, and Kanye West. This mirrors the previous year when Swift dethroned Puerto Rican reggaeton star Bad Bunny for the global top spot, a title he had held for three consecutive years starting in 2020.

Swift’s album, The Tortured Poets Department, also earned the title of the most-streamed album in 2024. The album was followed by Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet, Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito, and Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine. All these albums were new releases in 2024, except for Karol G’s album, which was released in the previous year.

Most-Streamed Songs and Albums

In the United States, the list of most-streamed albums had slight differences. Swift’s album still led the pack, followed by Wallen’s One Thing At A Time, which was released in 2023. Then came albums by Carpenter, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, and Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, also released in 2023.

The most-streamed song both in the U.S. and globally was Sabrina Carpenter’s summertime hit Espresso, which earned over 1.6 billion streams. Globally, Carpenter was followed by Benson Boone’s Beautiful Things, Eilish’s Birds of a Feather, FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s Gata Only, and Teddy Swims’ Lose Control. In the U.S., the list included Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us, Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy), Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s I Had Some Help, and Tommy Richman’s Million Dollar Baby.

New Features and the Power of Streaming

Spotify Wrapped 2024 also introduced new features, including a data story called Your Music Evolution, which documents three distinct musical phases for each user, and a personalized playlist. The individualized Your Top Artist feature has also been slightly modified and now includes Longest Listening Streak along with the familiar Top Listeners.

The fact that globally recognized artists earned top spots on Spotify Wrapped is not surprising. These artists are prominently featured across the streaming service, including on its influential playlists, and have loyal, dedicated fanbases. For independent artists who may appear on an individual listener’s Wrapped, reaching a top spot on the global list would require billions of streams.

Streaming now accounts for most of the revenue generated by the music industry, contributing to 84% in the United States and 67.3% worldwide. Spotify is the largest platform, making up roughly 31% of the total market share, with a reported 626 million users and 246 million subscribers in over 180 markets.

The rise of streaming services has revolutionized the music industry. The shift from physical sales and digital downloads to streaming has allowed artists to reach a global audience more easily. This has also led to the rise of new artists who have been able to build a fanbase through these platforms. The success of artists like Swift and others on Spotify is a testament to the power of streaming and its impact on the music industry.