Spotify rich list: the 10 artists and tracks that dominated the streaming service and playlists for a decade
The songs and artists that have permeated your Spotify playlists for years, and the amount they’ve earned in that time.
- The debate over streaming royalties continues in 2025, as artists want more equity when it comes to sharing their earnings with streaming platforms.
- So, if many artists are not making a huge amount through Spotify, who is?
- One company decided to take a look over ten years to determine who has earned the most on the streaming platform over the past decade.
There’s been plenty of discussion, or rather, debate, surrounding streaming services and how much they pay out to artists since the likes of Spotify and Apple Music came into our lives.
Many artists and industry types feel there is an ‘inequality’ when it comes to royalties received, with Spotify bearing most of the brunt of the accusations over the course of the conversations. But surely, with the ubiquity of the platform and it having become a household name, someone is making bank from the platform, right?
That’s the question that SpinGenie sought to answer, and they decided to take a snapshot of the last decade to determine who, if anyone, is making a mighty fine royalty cheque from the repeat streams they’ve attained through the streaming platform.
So, if people are making ‘good’ money through Spotify, who are they, what are the songs in question, and how much have they made over that time period?
The science part (methodology)
SpinGenie identified all songs that peaked in the Billboard Hot 100's top three between 2015 and 2025 using Wikipedia. For each track, its Spotify streams were recorded, and the estimated revenue was calculated using Music Gateway’s royalties calculator. All currencies were converted to GBP and CAD using Google Finance on May 19, 2025. It should be noted that for gender-specific rankings, group and multi-artist songs were omitted, and all data were collected in May 2025.
Who are the 10 richest artists on Spotify in the last decade?
The Weeknd is owning the top of the chart with his legendary track ‘Blinding Lights’ pulling in a fantastic £14.5M - but he's not done there!
His collaboration with Daft Punk on ‘Starboy’ also made the list, proving he (or the algorithm at least) is a true force to be reckoned with on digital services. Ed Sheeran's ‘Shape of You’ also boasts huge estimated earnings on Spotify, coming in second, while his song ‘Perfect’ also made the list, showing his undeniable appeal on the platform.
The heartbreaking blue-eyed soul of Lewis Capaldi's heartfelt ‘Someone You Loved’ and Harry Styles' unforgettable ‘As It Was’ round out the top five, though conspicuous in her absence, according to SpinGenie, is Taylor Swift.
The Tortured Poets Department singer may have dominated the album charts over the last few years, but she didn’t even make the top ten list; perhaps owing to some of her older works having been re-recorded at ‘Taylor’s Version’ before you get excited, there’s Swift-tigue on the horizon.
The top ten earners on Spotify over the last decade
- Blinding Lights - The Weeknd: £14.5M
- Shape of You - Ed Sheeran: £13.1M
- Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi: £11.7M
- Starboy - The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk: £11.7M
- As It Was - Harry Styles: £11.6M
- Sunflower - Post Malone and Swae Lee: £11.4M
- One Dance - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla: £10.9M
- Stay - The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber: £10.6M
- Perfect - Ed Sheeran: £10.3M
- Heat Waves - Glass Animals: £10.1M
Feeling a sense of ennui regarding Spotify? You’re not alone - check out our writer’s article on his issues currently as a forty-something going back to basics with his music consumption,