The Weeknd and other Spotify ‘billionaires’

There are lists and there are lists and I just came across one that is a total delight. The List of the Most Streamed Songs on Spotify, as of April 2023. Here are on record the historic 100 tracks that have reached the one billion mark. So, forget the media hype about artists being an Internet sensation. Here is the real deal. Thanks to this list, we now know who the true hitmakers are.

Now, I love checking out chart movements in the music industry, which, thanks to digital platforms, have now become a global thing. That is why reading this list and having questions pop up in my head made for an enjoyable afternoon. Examples. Is The Weeknd really that big? He is. Then, are the fans of Taylor Swift averse to using Spotify? I do not know.

Now there are billionaires and there are billionaires. There are now 400 titles which have broken through the one billion tally. But as far as Spotify is concerned, the biggest billionaire of them all is The Weeknd. Blinding Lights, a cut from the After Hours album by the powerhouse talent from Canada, has been streamed 3.546 billion times as of last month. That is such a lot of listens in four years. The song was uploaded in January 2019.

Coincidentally, well not really, because the song is that big a hit, Blinding Lights was also named by Billboard as the Greatest Song in the Hot 100 hit list. As for The Weeknd, who was born Abel Tesfaye in Toronto, he was named the World’s Most Popular Artist by the Guinness World Records. His songs Starboy and The Hills also made it to the Top 50.

Here now are the Top 50 titles among the 100 billionaires:

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd with 3.546 streams; Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, 3.458; Dance Monkey by Tones & I, 2.805; Someone You Love by Lewis Capaldi, 2.756; Rockstar by Post Malone ft. 21 Savage, 2.658; Sunflower by Post Malone ft. Swae Lee, 2.633; One Dance by Drake ft. Wizkid and Kyla, 2.612; Stay by Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, 2.525; Closer by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey, 2.521; Believer by Imagine Dragons, 2.478.

Perfect by Ed Sheeran, 2.436 streams; Señorita by Shawn Mendez and Camila Cabello, 2.410; Heat Wave by the Glass Animals, 2.410; Starboy by The Weeknd and Daft Punk, 2.383; Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur, 2.326; Bad Guy by Billie Eilish, 2.257; Lonely by Billie Eilish and Khalid, 2.257; Don’t Stop Now by Dua Lipa, 2.219; Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD, 2.219; Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, 2.215.

The artist with the most tracks in the Billionaire 100 is Justin Bieber with six, who coincidentally again, is also Canadian and comes from Toronto.

Photos from artists’ social media

As It Was by Harry Styles, 2.213; Watermelon Sugar, also by Styles, 2.206; God’s Plan by Drake, 2.172; Photograph, again by Ed Sheeran, 2.158; Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood, 2.135; Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, 2.226; Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, 2.109; Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, 2.083; Love Yourself by Justin Bieber; Take Me to Church by Hozier 2.041.

Circles by Post Malone, 2.039; All of Me by John Legend, 2.015; Sad by XXX Tentacion, 2.014; Thunder by Imagine Dragons, 1.972; 7 Rings by Ariana Grande, 1.967; Goosebumps by Travis Scott ft. Kendrick Lamar, 1.951; Jocelyn Flores by XXX Tentacion, 1.937; Stressed Out by 21 Pilots, 1.907; Counting Stars by One Republic, 1.906; Riptide by Vance Joy, 1.887.

Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug, 1.882; XO Tour Llif3 by Lil Uzi Vent, 1.877; Wake Me Up by Avicii, 1.876; The Hills by The Weeknd, 1.856; Humble by Kendrick Lamar, 1.854; New Rules by Dua Lipa, 1.852; Let Her Go by Passenger, 1.952; Happier by Marshmello and Bastille, 1.848; Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton, 1.840; and Sicko Mode by Travis Scott and Drake, 1.825.

Still no Swiftie. Remember that some years ago Swift pulled out all her songs from Spotify on the issue that music should not be played for free, which Spotify does. It seems like she still has to make that long-awaited return.