Happy 20th birthday, Spotify. Here’s the most streaming platform ever

On the occasion of her twentieth birthday, she released Spotify Spotify at 20: Most streamed lists of all time Thursday. It’s as if all our Spotify Wrapped lists have been compiled into one.

The charts look universal Spotify Streams of all time (or at least 18 years) as of April 2026 and includes top artists, songs, albums, podcasts, and audiobooks (in Premium).

Spotify was founded in 2006 and began counting streams when it launched in Finland, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in October 2008. Podcasts were added to the platform in 2015, and audiobooks were added in Premium plans 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 does 20 years of data tell us about where listeners’ tastes are headed, especially with? AI generated music On the horizon? Who almost made the cut but did not?

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

Spotify is the most streamed of all time

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

Most streamed artists

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

Most streamed albums

1. Summer without you 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. “How you lookWritten by Ed Sheeran
3. “weather jacket“By the neighborhood
4. “Starboy“By The Weeknd and Daft Punk
5. “As it wasWritten by Harry Styles

Most streamed podcasts

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. Mixed minced meat
3. Crime addict
4. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
5. Last podcast on the left

Most streamed audiobooks (in premium version)

1. A court of thorns and roses By Sarah J. diamond
2. Fellowship of the Ring By J. R. R. Tolkien
3. Fourth ward By Rebecca Yaros
4. I’m glad my mother died By Jennette McCurdy
5. Court of Mist and Fury By Sarah J. diamond

A look back at Spotify’s most streamed lists

A lot has happened in the ten years since Spotify was first released Listen data all the time. In 2016, Ed Sheeran won best album (÷) and song (Shape of You)., While Drake was the top artist. Now, The Weeknd is at No. 1 with Blinding Lights, and Taylor Swift has gone from not being a top 10 artist to now being at No. 1.

Other all-time favorite artists of 2016 include Eminem, Rihanna, Kanye West and Coldplay. Back in 2008, Lady Gaga was the most streamed artist, while the top album and single, respectively, were Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and Viva La Vida, both from Coldplay. Now this list looks a lot different with Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, BTS, J.K. Balvin and Bruno Mars are among the best artists. However, I’m surprised that Beyoncé hasn’t been on my list of top artists over the years.

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

Will AI change Spotify’s next 10 years?

We don’t know if AI generated music It will change the most streamed music or artists on Spotify. while permitted On the platform, impersonation policies help avoid deepfakes and protect artists.

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

Spotify is still leaning into AI in other ways, e.g AI-based taste profile feature To personalize your listening habits. You can listen to new podcasts based on prompts, e.g Build a podcast playlist Focused on travel or parenting. Spotify also revealed Partnership with music companies Including Sony, Universal and Warner to develop “AI music products,” but we’re still not sure what that entails.

Spotify welcomes 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?