On-demand streaming may surpass the 1 trillion mark in 2019
Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next leads the pack as the most-streamed album of the year
As music streaming continues to grow rapidly as the primary mode of song and video consumption, it should be no shock that the numbers are astronomical. According to Billboard, on-demand streams half passed the half-trillion mark, and are well on their way to 1 trillion. So far, 2019's total music streams sit at 505.9 billion, up 23% than the same time in 2018, but with music and video counted together, that number jumps to 775.3 billion—a 28% jump from 2018. Considering the numbers continue to rise and the end of 2018 saw 901 billion in total streams (compared to 631.2 billion from the end of 2017), it's quite possible that this year will see that number finally cross the 1 trillion mark.
Unsurprisingly, Ariana Grande's Thank U, Next and Billie Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? albums are the top two most streamed albums of the year, with Grande's album being the first to pass 2 billion streams this year; with Eilish's album coming close behind at 1.887 billion.
Listen to The FADER's weekly playlist of songs you need in your life