Taylor Swift is concluding the year on a triumphant note! The 33-year-old pop sensation has clinched the title of Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, amassing an impressive 26.1 billion global streams since January 1. Confirming the milestone, PEOPLE reports that she is poised to exceed $100 million in royalties from the platform by year-end.
Securing the top position on Spotify, Swift is closely followed by Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Drake, and Mexican sensation Peso Pluma. The unveiling of this year’s top artists occurred as part of Spotify’s annual Spotify Wrapped, which discloses the prevailing musical trends of 2023. Despite PEOPLE’s request for comment, Spotify remained silent.
Taylor Swift Rules Spotify (Credits: Lifestyle Asia)
Upon being declared Spotify’s global top artist for 2023, Swift expressed her gratitude in a heartfelt social media post on November 29. She conveyed, “Um, ok, this is unreal?? I just wanted to say to anyone who listened to my music this year, anywhere in the world, thank you.” Swift continued to express her joy, calling the recognition the best birthday and holiday gift.
With one month left in the year, Billboard predicts that Swift’s Spotify streams will surge to an estimated 27.2 billion, along with a proportional increase in her royalties. This boost contributes to her overall music streaming earnings, projected at around $160 million, encompassing platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Adding publishing revenue, the total is estimated to approach $200 million.
Taylor Swift Rules Spotify (Credits: Evening Standard)
Notably, Swift’s financial landscape transformed after her 2018 deal with Universal Music Group, granting her ownership of future master recordings. In a Tumblr post cited by Variety, she highlighted a condition in the contract emphasizing the distribution of Spotify sale proceeds to artists, a commitment Universal Music Group agreed to generously.
This achievement follows a remarkable year for Swift, marked by the initiation of her Eras World Tour in March, the release of the deluxe version of her 2022 album “Midnights” in May, and the debut of the concert film in theaters in October. Swift also treated fans to re-recorded albums, “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” in addition to kicking off the Latin American leg of her Era’s tour in November.
As the year concludes, Swift is generously allowing fans to relive the magic of her concert film at home, coinciding with her upcoming birthday on December 13. In a recent post, she joyfully announced the availability of the extended version of the film, featuring additional tracks, for rent on demand in the US, Canada, and more countries to be disclosed, starting December 13. 🫶💋
