An analysis published by financial publication Top Dollar has revealed Spotify‘s top earners and assets—and the numbers are eye-popping.
Perhaps not surprising, Drake is the current king of Spotify with a take of $52.5 million in earnings generated from his 21.5 billion streams. His haul is unmatched, even by J Balvin, who took the #2 spot on the outlet’s “Spotify Rich List” by netting $37.9M.
The first sighting of dance music producers comes at #16 with The Chainsmokers, who’ve generated an impressive 7.2 billion streams and $17.7 million. Calvin Harris has taken home a cool $14 million so far, landing him at #25.
Drake, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, and more landed on Top Dollar’s “Spotify Rich List.”
c/o Top Dollar
The platform’s top grossing tracks are equally intriguing, with Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” taking the coveted top spot and generating $6.6 million in earnings off of a staggering 2.7 billion streams. Post Malone and 21 Savage‘s “Rockstar” is sitting in second, having generated 2.1 billions streams and $5.1 million in earnings so far.
There have been several tracks in the electronic music realm to join the one-billion stream club. The top dance music asset remains “Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, which has amassed 1.5 billion streams and $3.6 million in earnings. Major Lazer and DJ Snake’s “Lean On” came in right behind with 1.4 billion and $3.5 million, respectively.
These numbers are impressive, but due to Spotify’s royalties structure, earnings of this magnitude are few and far between. According to Rolling Stone, the average artist in the bottom 98.6% of earners took home just $12 per month. These statistics are fueling a bigger conversation about fair earnings potential on Spotify as musicians’ unions have launched a campaign lobbying for one-cent streams on the platform.
All said and done, Spotify’s ten highest-earners have made a combined $337,485,480 from streams on the platform. Check out Top Dollar‘s full Spotify Rich List here to see which artists and songs made the cut.
