Spotify recently released its 2021 “Rich List” – a list of the highest-paid artists on the streaming platform. The list is broken down by star, genre, and hit record. The findings are quite interesting and reveal a lot about the music industry.
Drake is the clear winner, earning a whopping $21 million in royalties from Spotify. This is $15 million (or 37%) more than his closest rival, J Balvin. Drake’s success is largely due to his hit singles “God’s Plan” and “One Dance”, which have been streamed over a billion times each.
Hip-hop and R&B artists dominate the list, with the likes of Post Malone, Travis Scott, and Ariana Grande also earning big payouts. Pop stars like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift also feature in the top 10, but they are far behind Drake.
Ed Sheeran’s hit single “Shape of You” is the biggest grosser on Spotify, having been streamed over 2.6 billion times. Other classic rock and pop anthems, such as Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, have also been streamed millions of times and remain popular across the decades.
Overall, the Spotify Rich List reveals a lot about the music industry and the artists who are making the most money. Drake is the clear winner, with hip-hop and R&B artists dominating the list. Ed Sheeran’s hit single is the biggest grosser, and classic rock and pop anthems remain popular across the decades.