Apple Music: the all-time streaming best list Apfelpatient

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Apple has released its first-ever look at the complete streaming history of Apple Music – and a familiar name tops the list. A newly published ranking reveals the 20 most-listened-to artists since the service's launch. Drake leads the pack, followed by Taylor Swift, the platform's most successful female artist.

Since its launch in 2015, Apple Music has become one of the world's largest music platforms. Until now, no official breakdown of which artists have been streamed most frequently has been available – but now, for the first time, a comprehensive overview is available. At the same time, the service is significantly expanding its offerings, most recently with additional lyric translations and lossless audio on Apple TV. The new chart provides a fitting retrospective of what listeners have actually streamed over the years.

A first for the platform

The list was compiled by industry service Chart Data, which published the figures on X; Apple Music subsequently shared the list via its official account. According to Chart Data, this is the first time Apple has presented a ranking of the most-streamed artists over the entire lifespan of the service. The figures therefore refer to the complete streaming history and not to a single year.

Drake leads the rankings

Drake tops the list, followed by Taylor Swift in second place – making her the most-streamed female artist in the service's history. Future, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Bad Bunny round out the top spots. This brief overview already hints at the genre dominating the list.

Hip-hop and rap shape the image

A large portion of the twenty names are from hip-hop and rap. Besides Drake and Future, numerous representatives of the genre, including Lil Baby, Kanye West, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Durk, Gunna, and Rod Wave, occupy the top and middle half. The field is rounded out by pop and R&B stars such as Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Bieber, as well as country music with Morgan Wallen and Latin American music with Bad Bunny.

The complete top 20 at a glance

#	Artist
1	Drake
2	Taylor Swift
3	Future
4	YoungBoy Never Broke Again
5	Bad Bunny
6	Lil Baby
7	The Weeknd
8	Morgan Wallen
9	Kanye West
10	Post Malone
11	Travis Scott
12	Ariana Grande
13	Chris Brown
14	Kendrick Lamar
15	Lil Durk
16	Gunna
17	Rod Wave
18	Ed Sheeran
19	Justin Bieber
20	Eminem

Taylor Swift and her history with the service

The fact that, of all people, Taylor Swift ranks so high carries a special note. Even before the launch of Apple Music, the singer had publicly opposed Apple's plan not to pay any compensation to artists during the three-month free trial period. Apple subsequently backtracked and announced that it would also pay during the trial period – after which Swift made her album "1989" available on the platform. The relationship between Apple and rights holders continues to occupy the service to this day, most recently with an open letter on the fair handling of AI music.

A look back at over ten years of streaming

The list is therefore more than just a snapshot: it condenses over ten years of listening habits into a concise overview and reveals just how strongly hip-hop and rap have shaped streaming on Apple Music. Those who regularly listen via the service are likely to recognize one or two favorites in the list – and at the same time see how clearly certain names have risen to the top over the years. (Image: Apple)