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There’s no doubt about it: streaming media services like Spotify have revolutionized the process we listen to music. Where once enjoying music suggested first rifling through a heap of CDs or paying and waiting for a download, Spotify instead provides 100 million tracks at the touch of a button.
Spotify has also transformed how we search for music. For instance, personalized playlists, powered by algorithms based on the user’s music preference, meant that Spotify recommended over 30 percent of overall listening in 2017. Tracks by little-known artists that otherwise would remain unknown are moved to the forefront and up the charts, thanks again to Spotify’s playlists.
But the world’s most popular streaming media service doesn’t get access to these tunes for free — in 2021 alone, Spotify shelled out seven billion dollars in royalties to the music industry. What you may not know is that users have a say in just how much is paid to music creators, with a pay-per-stream fee generated each time a song is played.
With this in mind, the data analysts at NetCredit wondered: based on local listeners worldwide, which songs are earning the most money in each nation on Spotify?
Sunflower by Post Malone has earned the most money overall ($4.5 million from American listens)
Blinding Lights by The Weeknd is the highest-earning song in 10 nations (more than any other individual song)
Most of the highest-earning EDM songs are by a handful of artists, including Avicii, the Chainsmokers, Elton John, SAINt JHN, or Tiësto
Meanwhile, top-earning hip-hop rap songs are often by local artists
The Highest-Earning Song in Every Country
With 80 million songs at the touch of a button, Spotify has made it easier than ever to enjoy your favorite music on the go. Artists reap the benefits, too, receiving a fee every time their tracks are played. But which song in every country is earning the biggest bucks thanks to local listeners?
The world map below reveals the overall highest-earning song in each country based on the money generated from Spotify streams. Some songs are the same across countries, like Blinding Lights by the Weeknd and LA CANCION by J Balvin, while others are unique, like Malta’s love for Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You.
The Highest-Earning Rock Song in Every Country
The top-earning rock song in 12 nations is Believer by Imagine Dragons, having racked up the most money ($662k) from listeners in Brazil, where the hit track was certified Diamond.
In 10 countries, Sweater Weather by American rock band the Neighbourhood is the highest-earning song, collecting $2.1 million from U.S. listeners alone.
The Highest-Earning Hip-Hop/Rap Songs in Every Country
In 14 countries, Drake’s 2016 hit One Dance made more money from local streams than any other hip-hop or rap song, earning the most in the United Kingdom ($948k), where the song was also the best-selling single of 2016.
Both INDUSTRY BABY and MONTERO by U.S. rapper Lil Nas X also appear, with the former earning the most money ($47,083) from Spotify streams in Japan. Lucid Dreams by Juice Wrld earned the most money overall ($4.3 million) thanks to American listeners.
The Highest-Earning EDM Song in Every Country
The world map below reveals the electronic dance music (EDM) song in every country that’s made the most money from Spotify streams. In 14 nations, Roses (Imanbek Remix) by SAINt JHN comes out on top, with streams in Canada generating the most money ($369k).
Elsewhere, mostly in South America, Cold Heart (Pnau remix) by Elton John is the highest-earning track. This song was Elton’s first no. 1 single on the U.K. charts in 16 years. The Chainsmokers, Tiesto, and Avicii also appear.
The Highest-Earning Latin Song in Every Country
Spotify has made it easy for Latin fans across the world to enjoy their favorite music, lining the pockets of top artists every time they press play. In 19 countries, Farruko’s 2021 hit Pepas has earned more money from Spotify streams than any other Latin song, banking the most ($411k) in Germany.
Luis Fonsi’s Despacito is the highest-earning in 17 countries, while in the U.S., I Like It by homegrown talent Cardi B and Latin icons J Balvin and Bad Bunny have made the most money ($54,104).
The Methodology Behind This Study
NetCredit set out to reveal the hit song in every nation that has earned its author the most money on Spotify based on its total stream count. The NetCredit team retrieved each country’s ‘weekly totals’ chart from Kworb. These figures illustrate the total number of streams for songs that have spent at least one week in the top weekly charts of Spotify. Then the team used the Spotify API to sort artists into their associated genres:
Rock = any mention of rock
Hip-hop/rap = any mention of either genre
EDM = any mention of “electronic dance music” or “EDM”
Latin = any mention of Latin (e.g., Latin pop, Latin rock) or “reggaeton”
Then the NetCredit team defined the most streamed song for each genre. They multiplied the number of total streams for every song by Spotify’s payout-per-stream figure, which equals $0.005 per stream (data was taken from Ditto Music).
The data was gathered between January 6 and 11, 2023.
