In just a year since surpassing Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” as Spotify’s most-streamed song, The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” has now accumulated over four billion plays. Spotify officially announced this record on January 4, solidifying a significant achievement for the artist, Abel Tesfaye. Not only does he hold the top spot for the most-streamed song, but he also surpasses Ed Sheeran in monthly listeners, boasting 113 million compared to Sheeran’s 82.8 million. Despite Taylor Swift securing the title of the most-streamed artist in 2023 with 26.1 billion streams, The Weeknd secured the third position.
Spotify compensates artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream, translating to earnings of approximately $12 to $20 million for “Blinding Lights,” depending on various factors. Tesfaye shares songwriting credits with Ahmad Balshe, Jason Quenneville, Max Martin, and Oscar Holter, with Martin and Holter also co-producing the song, likely leading to a higher percentage share of royalties.
The Weeknd’s other songs on Spotify as of January 12 demonstrate his continued dominance on the platform:
1. “Blinding Lights” – 4,001,022,234 streams
2. “Starboy” – 2,951,315,909 streams
3. “The Hills” – 2,132,263,033 streams
4. “Die For You” – 1,994,707,875 streams
5. “Save Your Tears” – 1,803,059,308 streams
6. “I Feel It Coming” – 1,642,395,909 streams
7. “Can’t Feel My Face” – 1,637,405,466 streams
8. “Call Out My Name” – 1,623,527,002 streams
9. “Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)” – 1,558,206,736 streams
10. “Save Your Tears (Remix) ft. Ariana Grande” – 1,399,497,849 streams
All of The Weeknd’s top ten most-streamed songs have surpassed one billion streams, with even the 11th spot, “Creeper,” achieving this milestone. His extensive catalog continues to demonstrate its streaming prowess, with songs outside the top twenty still boasting impressive numbers, underlining the artist’s formidable presence on streaming platforms.
