Apple Music and music tracking account Chart Data published something on Thursday the streaming service has never shared before: a definitive ranking of its 20 most-streamed artists across the platform’s entire history.
Many of the megastars on it will come as no surprise, but you might find some head-scratchers on there, too.
Apple Music top 20 most-streamed artists of all time
Even as Apple Music heads for compelling upgrades in iOS 27, the list covers more than 11 years of listening data, stretching back to Apple Music‘s launch in June 2015. After Chart Data posted the rankings on X.com, Apple Music’s official account quickly reposted the chart. That seems to signal the numbers carry the platform’s official endorsement.
Drake and Taylor Swift lead the pack
Top 20 most streamed artists of all-time on Apple Music pic.twitter.com/c4WyaRZCTx
— chart data (@chartdata) June 18, 2026
Drake claimed the top spot, cementing his standing as Apple Music’s most-played artist since the platform launched. Taylor Swift follows in second place, earning the title of the most-streamed female artist in Apple Music history. She was also the streamer’s 2023 artist of the year.
Swift’s presence near the summit carries some historical irony: before the platform even debuted, she publicly pushed back against Apple’s original plan to withhold artist royalties during a free three-month trial period. Apple flip-flopped, and Swift responded by making her then-withheld album 1989 available on the service.
Future rounds out the top three, with YoungBoy Never Broke Again — perhaps still an unfamiliar name to many — and Bad Bunny taking the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Hip-hop dominates, with a few pop and country crossovers
The full top 20 breaks down as follows (with links to their work on Apple Music):
1. Drake
2. Taylor Swift
3. Future
4. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
5. Bad Bunny
6. Lil Baby
7. The Weeknd
8. Morgan Wallen
9. Kanye West
10. Post Malone
11. Travis Scott
12. Ariana Grande
13. Chris Brown
14. Kendrick Lamar
15. Lil Durk
16. Gunna
17. Rod Wave
18. Ed Sheeran
19. Justin Bieber
20. Eminem
Hip-hop and rap artists dominate the list, claiming the majority of spots. Country star Morgan Wallen stands out as a notable outlier, landing at number eight — a striking placement in a ranking otherwise defined by rap and pop. Pop crossover artists like Ariana Grande (12), Ed Sheeran (18) and Justin Bieber (19) round out the latter half of the list alongside veterans like Eminem (20), whose decades-long career gives him a distinct profile compared to most of his ranking neighbors.
Kendrick Lamar’s appearance at number 14 draws particular attention given his cultural moment over the past couple of years, including the release of GNX in late 2024 and his headlining performance at the Super Bowl in February 2025.
A rare look inside Apple’s numbers
Apple Music rarely releases streaming figures publicly, which makes this list genuinely notable. Spotify, its primary competitor, regularly publicizes listener data and runs high-profile annual events like Wrapped. Apple has historically kept its metrics closer to the chest, so Chart Data’s post — apparently made with Apple’s blessing, given the official repost — offers one of the clearest windows yet into what Apple Music subscribers actually listen to.
If you want a more personal version of these insights, Apple Music Replay offers a monthly-updated breakdown of your own most-played artists and songs for the year, available through the Apple Music app.
Apple Music costs $10.99 per month for an individual plan in the United States, with student and family pricing also available, as well as access through the Apple One bundle.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
