Apple Music Reveals All-Time Top 20 Artists, Highlighting Drake, Swift and Others

Apple Music’s first all‑time streaming leaderboard hit the airwaves on June 18, 2026, thanks to a partnership with Chart Data. The chart, which spans the service’s entire history since its June 30, 2015 launch, crowns Drake as the most‑streamed artist, with Taylor Swift in second place and a roster that blends pop, hip‑hop and Latin stars.

The list is a mirror of Apple Music’s long‑standing artist‑friendly ethos. From higher-than‑industry streaming royalties to high‑budget documentaries and the annual Apple Music Awards, the platform has positioned itself as a haven for creators. The leaderboard underscores that philosophy: artists who have been active on the service from day one have accumulated the most streams.

Drake’s top spot reflects his early endorsement of Apple Music at its launch event and his unwavering presence on the platform. Taylor Swift, who once threatened to withhold her 2014 album 1989 over Apple’s no‑payment policy during the first three‑month free trial, ultimately released the album on Apple Music and has since made her entire catalog available.

At number seven, The Weeknd’s placement ties to his 2015 WWDC performance of “Can’t Feel My Face,” the event that announced Apple Music. He was named Apple’s Global Artist of the Year in 2021 after After Hours became the most pre‑added album by a male artist. In 2024 he showcased the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s video capabilities with the official music video for “Dancing in the Flames” and launched an immersive experience for the Apple Vision Pro.

Future sits in third place. He premiered his 2016 album EVOL on Beats 1 (now Apple Music 1) during DJ Khaled’s We The Best Radio show. Bad Bunny, crowned Global Artist of the Year in 2022 after Un Verano Sin Ti shattered single‑day streaming records, is also on the list and recently headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LX halftime show.

Lil Baby, who earned Global Artist of the Year honors in 2020, headlined the inaugural Rap Life Live event at Howard University—a concert film that streamed exclusively on Apple’s platform. Kanye West staged the Donda listening parties in 2021—large stadium events that Apple streamed worldwide—yet later declined to release Donda 2 on Apple Music or other services.

Other performers on the chart share deep ties to Apple Music’s programming. Ed Sheeran appeared at Apple Music Live’s first London concert in 2022. Kendrick Lamar and Lil Durk granted Apple exclusive rights to film their stadium tours. Post Malone and Ariana Grande chose Apple Music 1 and Zane Lowe’s interview studio for album launches, bypassing traditional media junkets.

Apple’s debut of the all‑time top‑20 list is the first time the company has shared a ranking of this nature. The Apple Music account reposted the chart on social media, replying with a heart and trophy emoji—a subtle nod to the data’s significance.

The leaderboard not only charts streaming history but also highlights Apple Music’s growth trajectory: from 10 million subscribers in six months to a global platform boasting over 150 million songs. By prioritising artist‑friendly royalties, exclusive content and high‑profile collaborations, Apple Music has differentiated itself from competitors that lean heavily on algorithmic curation.

While the list captures the service’s history up to the present, no further updates or future releases have been announced.