As a result, the songs that have the greatest impact on the music industry are often those that go viral on TikTok and the like, as a new report reveals.
The BonusInsider website listed the 30 most listened-to songs on Spotify, the world leader in the online music streaming market.
It also looked at the number of views they garnered on YouTube, but also on TikTok, the social network that has become a major trendsetter and source of musical discovery.
The combined results show that the “most popular and influential song in the 21st century (so far)” is Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” featuring Daddy Yankee.
This is hardly surprising, given that the hit, which combines Latin pop and reggaeton sounds, scored 15.6 billion streams on the three platforms analysed.
Historically, the main vector of popularity for “Despacito” has been YouTube, where its official clip has surpassed eight billion views since its release on Jan 12, 2017. After being uploaded, it soon set a record as the first video in YouTube history to score more than three billion views.
Second place in the chart goes to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” thanks to its 12.2 billion streams on YouTube, Spotify and TikTok.
The British musician also takes ninth place with “Perfect,” the romantic ballad from his third album, “÷” (“Divide”).
But the artist with the most viral hits is The Weeknd. The Canadian artist occupies three of the 15 places in the ranking, with “Blinding Lights” (no. 3), “Starboy” (no. 4) and “Save Your Tears” (no. 15).
Where are the women?
It’s interesting to note that almost all the tracks listed date from the last 10 years.
The two exceptions are The Neighborhood’s “Sweater Weather,” released in 2012, and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which music lovers first discovered in 1975.
Another noteworthy fact is that the chart features predominantly male artists. Tones and I and Billie Eilish are the only female singers to make this Top 15, with their hits “Dance Monkey” (no. 8) and “Bad Guy” (no. 10) respectively.
BonusInsider’s “Most popular and memeworthy songs on social media”:
- “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee
- “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
- “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
- “Starboy” by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk
- “Believer” by Imagine Dragons
- “As It Was” by Harry Styles
- “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
- “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I
- “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
- “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
- “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles
- “Goosebumps” by Travis Scott featuring Kendrick Lamar
- “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X
- “Save Your Tears” by The Weeknd