How we listen to recorded music has certainly changed over the years. First came old-timey wax cylinders, spun on turntables with broad-mouthed horns serving as speakers. Your grandparents or great-grandparents probably played fragile shellac discs at a rate of 78 revolutions per minute or rpms. Albums, in those days, were literally albums – bound books containing individual sleeves for a number of records (because of their speed, they typically only fit one song on each side).
The LP (short for “long play” or “long playing”) – now very much trendy again – first appeared in 1948, revolving at 33⅓ rpm and capable of holding a whole progression of songs, followed the next year by a return to the one-song-on-each-side arrangement with the 45 rpm disc, with its big center hole and its penchant for jukeboxes. Then came 8-track cartridges and cassette tapes and their variations, and then CDs.
Surprisingly, cassette sales are actually growing again, according to Billboard, which reported a 28% increase in the format in 2022. The publication also noted that LPs are thriving, with sales growing in 2022 for the 17th consecutive year, up 51.4% over 2021.
That’s all really academic, though, because the way we listen most to music today, by far, is through streaming services, with Spotify leading the way with more than 30% of the music streaming market share as of 2023.
If you want to listen to something, whether it’s Beethoven or Bad Bunny or drumming from Burundi, chances are it’s available on the service. More than 100 million songs and other pieces of music (plus five million podcasts) are cataloged on Spotify – and its reach is worldwide. (If you prefer to see Bad Bunny live, be forewarned that his are among the most expensive concert tickets in 2024.)
To determine the 50 most streamed songs on Spotify around the world in 2023, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a study tracking Spotify streams last year in 72 nations across the globe, compiled by CasinoGuardian, an international U.K.-based casino news site.
You’ll find plenty of familiar songs on the list, and a constellation worth of today’s biggest musical stars – among them Harry Styles, The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, the aforementioned Bad Bunny, Miley Cyrus (who’s No. 1 on the list for “Flowers,” which just won Cyrus her first Grammys, for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year), and, oh yes, this year’s most famous NFL fan, Taylor Swift. She appears three times on the list, though not, perhaps surprisingly, in the top five.
50. Sunflower – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
- Artist: Post Malone, Swae Lee
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 549,154,571
49. Me Porto Bonito
- Artist: Bad Bunny, Chencho Corleone
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 553,180,284
48. Yellow
- Artist: Coldplay
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 563,567,826
47. Die For You (with Ariana Grande) – Remix
- Artist: The Weeknd, Ariana Grande
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 564,047,869
46. Romantic Homicide
- Artist: d4vd
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 564,777,241
45. WHERE SHE GOES
- Artist: Bad Bunny
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 567,460,130
44. STAY (with Justin Bieber)
- Artist: The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 570,407,482
43. Sure Thing
- Artist: Miguel
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 571,482,500
42. Hey Mor
- Artist: Ozuna, Feid
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 577,747,285
41. Dance The Night – From Barbie The Album
- Artist: Dua Lipa
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 581,705,851
40. Like Crazy
- Artist: Jimin
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 584,727,064
39. Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52
- Artist: Bizarrap, Quevedo
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 597,746,877
38. Blank Space
- Artist: Taylor Swift
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 608,752,396
37. Mockingbird
- Artist: Eminem
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 622,250,101
36. Yandel 150
- Artist: Yandel, Feid
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 634,181,093
35. Until I Found You (with Em Beihold) – Em Beihold Version
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 12: Stephen Sanchez attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for MTV)
- Artist: Stephen Sanchez, Em Beihold
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 638,890,500
34. Snooze
- Artist: SZA
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 641,913,056
33. vampire
- Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 642,595,163
32. Blinding Lights
- Artist: The Weeknd
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 643,155,820
31. CLASSY 101
MALAGA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 13: Feid, aka Ferxxo, performs on stage during Latin GRAMMY Sessions Urbano at La Malagueta Bullring on October 13, 2023 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy)
- Artist: Feid, Young Miko
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 661,335,283
30. Last Night
- Artist: Morgan Wallen
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 662,357,801
29. golden hour
- Artist: JVKE
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 664,469,249
28. Boy’s a liar Pt. 2
- Artist: PinkPantheress, Ice Spice
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 667,695,544
27. Sweater Weather
- Artist: The Neighbourhood
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 668,045,772
26. LALA
- Artist: Myke Towers
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 692,072,042
25. Cupid – Twin Ver.
- Artist: FIFTY FIFTY
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 692,698,114
24. Here With Me
- Artist: d4vd
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 694,372,277
23. Paint The Town Red
- Artist: Doja Cat
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 715,448,508
22. Unholy (feat. Kim Petras)
- Artist: Sam Smith, Kim Petras
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 718,380,699
21. I Ain’t Worried
- Artist: OneRepublic
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 721,037,282
20. Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53
- Artist: Bizarrap, Shakira
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 738,321,173
19. Another Love
- Artist: Tom Odell
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 772,803,389
18. Daylight
- Artist: David Kushner
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 779,418,460
17. La Bachata
- Artist: Manuel Turizo
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 786,575,490
16. Starboy
- Artist: The Weeknd, Daft Punk
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 795,479,194
15. un x100to
- Artist: Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 809,826,950
14. TQG
- Artist: KAROL G, Shakira
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 837,664,033
13. I’m Good (Blue)
- Artist: David Guetta, Bebe Rexha
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 850,865,257
12. Die For You
- Artist: The Weeknd
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 851,668,016
11. La Bebe – Remix
- Artist: Yng Lvcas, Peso Pluma
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 858,024,516
10. Anti-Hero
- Artist: Taylor Swift
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 895,551,185
9. I Wanna Be Yours
- Artist: Arctic Monkeys
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 909,560,233
8. Calm Down (with Selena Gomez)
- Artist: Rema, Selena Gomez
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 910,484,082
7. Creepin’ (with The Weeknd & 21 Savage)
- Artist: Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 996,347,274
6. Cruel Summer
- Artist: Taylor Swift
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 1,035,756,867
5. Ella Baila Sola
- Artist: Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 1,035,940,488
4. Seven (feat. Latto) (Explicit Ver.)
- Artist: Jung Kook, Latto
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 1,086,147,111
3. As It Was
- Artist: Harry Styles
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 1,173,200,236
2. Kill Bill
- Artist: SZA
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 1,416,144,183
1. Flowers
- Artist: Miley Cyrus
- Worldwide streams on Spotify (2023): 1,652,816,928