Spotify reveals its most played music of the last 20 years

This month marks 20 years since the founding of Spotify. Since it began operating in April 2006, the platform has become today dominant force in music streaming and has completely changed the music industry.

Some of those notable changes have included audiobooks, Spotify Wrapped year-end recaps that nearly every company in every industry has started copying, and, in recent years, a controversial introduction of artificial intelligence in the music streaming experience.

Now, for the first time in its 20-year history, Spotify announced its internal data on the 20 most played podcasts, audiobooks and music since the creation of the platform. The results may not be entirely shocking. For example, the most reproduced artist of the last 20 years is none other than Taylor Swift.

But there are some surprises and potential setbacks, Beyoncé perhaps chief among them. Not only did the hugely popular Beyoncé fail to make the top 20 most streamed artists, but none of her songs or albums were in the respective top 20. K-pop, a subgenre with a huge and very dedicated fandom, also got just one nod with the boy band BTS.

According to the data, the most played album of all time is Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti,” and the most played song is “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd

On the non-music streaming side, the most played podcast of all time was The Joe Rogan Experience, and the top audiobook was Sara J. Maas A court of roses and thorns.

Here are the complete lists:

Most Streamed Artists of All Time on Spotify:

1. Taylor Swift
2. bad bunny
3. Duck
4. the weekend
5. Ariana Grande
6. Ed Sheeran
7. justin bieber
8. Billie Eilish
9. eminem
10. Kanye West
11. Travis Scott
12. bts
13. Malone Message
14. Bruno Mars
15. j balvin
16. Rihanna
17. Coldplay
18. Kendrick Lamar
19. Future
20. juice world

Most played albums of all time on Spotify:

1. A summer without you by Bad Bunny
2. The Weeknd’s star boy
3. ÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran
4. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
5. After Hours by The Weeknd
6. SOS by SZA
7. Hollywood Bleeding by Post Malone
8. Taylor Swift lover
9. AM by Arctic Monkeys
10. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish
11. Nostalgia for the future of Dua Lipa
12. Post Malone beer pipes and bentleys
13. ? by XXXTENTACION
14. TOMORROW WILL BE NICE (BICHOTA SEASON) by KAROL G
15. YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny
16. Doo-Wops and Bruno Mars hooligans
17. Drake Views
18. Taylor Swift Midnights
19. Drake Scorpion
20. The beauty behind The Weeknd’s madness

Spotify’s Most Played Songs of All Time:

1. “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
2. “The Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
3. “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood
4. “Starboy” by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
5. “Just the way it was” by Harry Styles
6. “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi
7. “Sunflower – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” by Post Malone and Swae Lee
8. “One Dance” by Drake, Wizkid and Kyla
9. “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
10. “STAY (featuring Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber
11. “Believer” by Imagine Dragons
12. “I want to be yours” by Arctic Monkeys
13. “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
14. “Charming (with Khalid)” by Billie Eilish and Khalid
15. “Yellow” by Coldplay
16. “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron
17. “Closer” by The Chainsmokers and Halsey
18. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
19. “Riptide” by Vance Joy
20. “Die with a smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

Spotify’s Most Played Podcasts of All Time:

1. The Joe Rogan Experience
2. mixed minced meat
3. crime addict
4. Armchair expert with Dax Shepard
5. Last podcast on the left
6. The diary
7. Firm and spongy
8. Morbid
9. My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
10. Stories of the Night
11. calls his daddy
12. Don’t make it impossible
13. Sorry for my opinion
14. distractible
15. The Cotorrisa
16. NBC Dateline
17. Mordlust
18. baywatch berlin
19. Hobbylos
20. Murderous stories with Harvey Guillén

The most played audiobooks of all time on Spotify:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR 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
6. Lights Out by Ted Koppel
7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
8. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
9. Freida McFadden’s Maid
10. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
11. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
12. A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
13. Hannah Grace Icebreaker
14. End Us by Colleen Hoover
15. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
16. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
17. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
18. Freida McFadden’s boyfriend
19. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
20. Emily Henry Funny Story