Spotify
photo via Spotify

Spotify reveals most streamed artists, albums & tracks of 2020

It’s December 1, which means year-end list season is in full effect, and that continues with Spotify, who has revealed the most streamed artists, songs, albums, podcasts, and trends of 2020.

The most streamed artist globally is Bad Bunny, with over 8 billion streams this year, and his album YHLQMDLG is the most streamed album of the year. Following Bad Bunny is Drake, J Balvin, the late Juice WRLD, and The Weeknd.

Billie Eilish is the most streamed female artist for the second year in a row, and she’s followed by Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, and Halsey.

The most streamed song of the year is The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” and that’s followed by Tones And I‘s “Dance Monkey,” Roddy Ricch‘s “The Box,” Imanbek & SAINt JHN‘s “Roses – Imanbek Remix,” and Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now.”

The most streamed albums after Bad Bunny’s YHLQMDLG are The Weeknd’s After Hours, Post Malone‘s Hollywood’s Bleeding, Harry StylesFine Line, and Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia.

The most streamed podcast is the (controversial) Joe Rogan Experience (which Spotify paid a lot to have), and that’s followed by TED Talks Daily, The Daily, The Michelle Obama Podcast, and Call Her Daddy.

According to Spotify, this year also saw an increase in work-from-home-themed playlists (duh), nostalgia-themed playlists, and playlists titled either “BLM” or “Black Lives Matter.”

Spotify also donated $500,000 to the National Independent Venue Association’s (NIVA) #SaveOurStages campaign to help support independent music venues. More info on that below.

Update: Find out what music you personally streamed the most on Spotify on the mobile app.

You can also listen to Spotify’s Top Artists of 2020 and Top Tracks of 2020 playlists below.

Most Streamed Artists Globally
Bad Bunny
Drake
J Balvin
Juice WRLD
The Weeknd

Most Streamed Female Artists Globally
Billie Eilish
Taylor Swift
Ariana Grande
Dua Lipa
Halsey

Most Streamed Albums Globally
YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny
After Hours, The Weeknd
Hollywood’s Bleeding, Post Malone
Fine Line, Harry Styles
Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa

Most Streamed Songs Globally
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
“Dance Monkey” by Tones And I
“The Box” by Roddy Ricch
“Roses – Imanbek Remix” by Imanbek and SAINt JHN
“Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa

Most Popular Podcasts Globally
The Joe Rogan Experience
TED Talks Daily
The Daily
The Michelle Obama Podcast
Call Her Daddy

Most Popular Podcast Genres Globally
Society & Culture
Comedy
Lifestyle & Health
Arts & Entertainment
Education

More info on Spotify’s new partnership with NIVA, via press release:

Today, Spotify kicked off its annual Wrapped campaign by unveiling the top artists, albums, songs, playlists and podcasts that defined how more than 320 million people around the world listened and discovered audio this year. For the first time, Spotify is sharing this unique listener experience through a partnership with the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). As NIVA’s 3,000 members anxiously await the passage of the Save Our Stages Act in Congress to preserve independent music venues across the country, Spotify is continuing to shine a light on their plight by taking over space on the marquees of more than 30 COVID-shuttered music venues and donating a total of $500,000 to those stages and the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund. The NIVA Emergency Relief Fund was created to support America’s most vulnerable venues and is intended to provide short-term relief for independent music venue owners and promoters on the precipice of eviction or permanently shuttering due to the COVID-19 shutdown. The fund is intended to work hand-in-hand with federal and local programs, assisting with the most immediate needs facing the country’s independent venues and promoters and making it more likely that they will be able to reopen, fully, when it’s safe.

“As 2020 draws to a close, the live music industry enters month nine of no shows, no income, no federal support, and ever-mounting debts. Music is what connects us all – as Spotify shows us, it’s what helped our friends, our families and our communities get through this tumultuous year,” said Stephen Sternshein, co-founder / treasurer of NIVA, and managing partner of Heard Presents in Austin. “Everyone’s favorite artists started somewhere, and we’re immensely thankful to Spotify for helping us to tell these stories. The stories that artists like Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, The Strokes, and so many more began on the very stages that today are struggling to survive.”

“In a year that has taken on so many twists and turns, a first reaction might be to look forward and forget the challenging times. However, that would discount all of the amazing work that creators, fans, venues and activists have poured their hearts into this year,” said Dan Brill, Global Group Creative Director at Spotify. “That’s why, instead of turning our backs on 2020, we wanted to give our appreciation for those who gave us hope — the people who, despite challenging circumstances, found ways to infuse magic into our world and give us hope for a better tomorrow.”

The partnership will be rolled out across the next few weeks, beginning with the following artists and venues:

Alicia Keys – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee

Lady Gaga – The Ritz Ybor, Tampa

Childish Gambino – The Aladdin, Portland, Ore.

The Weeknd – The Orange Peel, Asheville, Tenn.

Jessie Ware – Center Stage, Atlanta

Learn more about NIVA’s #SaveOurStages campaign here.