2024 is definitely Taylor’s year.
The music industry in 2024 has a defining figure, and her name is Taylor Swift. Across the digital music landscape, she has outpaced every competitor, dominating as the top artist on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer.
Yet, there’s one glaring exception, YouTube, where Peso Pluma reigns supreme.
This almost-perfect dominance begs a closer look into how Taylor Swift has achieved such success, except for one platform.
The Year of Swift Across Streaming Platforms
Taylor Swift didn’t just have a good year on streaming platforms. She practically owned them.
For the second year running, she grabbed Spotify’s Global Top Artist crown, racking up an incredible 26.6 billion streams in 2024. To put that in perspective, that’s like every person on Earth streaming her songs three times over!
That’s not that surprising though. When she dropped her surprise double album, The Tortured Poets Department, it quickly set multiple records.
For one, it’s the first album to hit more than 300 million streams in a single week on Spotify. And that lead single, “Fortnight” with Post Malone, basically shattered Spotify’s single-day streaming record.
But, it wasn’t just Spotify where Taylor was ruling the roost.
Over on Apple Music, she claimed the top spot as the most-streamed artist, with The Tortured Poets Department leading their album charts.
It’s the same story on Amazon Music. Although, Benson Boone managed to snag the most-played song with “Beautiful Things.”
Even on Deezer, she knocked The Weeknd off his throne to become their most-streamed artist globally. And that’s particularly impressive when you consider how Deezer loves to spotlight rising stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Asake, who both made huge waves in 2024.
But Taylor’s winning streak didn’t stop at streaming. Her Eras Tour became the highest-grossing music tour ever. She also walked away with 10 trophies, including Top Artist in the recent Billboard Music Awards.
Meaning, Taylor wasn’t just successful this year. She basically dominated every corner of the music world.
Why Swift Rules Streaming
Taylor Swift’s success isn’t just about dropping music. She’s basically mastered the art of keeping fans excited year-round.
Think of it like this: while other artists might take breaks between albums, Taylor’s always got something cooking.
Take her genius move with the “Taylor’s Versions” of her old albums. She didn’t just re-record them. She turned each release into an event that both old fans and newcomers couldn’t resist.
Then there’s The Tortured Poets Department, her surprise double album that took 2024 by storm. Not to mention, when she teamed up with Post Malone for “Fortnight,” fans went wild.
The collaboration was pure magic, and the streaming numbers proved it.
But where Taylor really shines is that she makes every fan feel like they’re part of an exclusive club.
She drops little clues (or “Easter eggs” as Swifties call them) about upcoming projects all over her social media. That way, fans are kept busy. They turn into detectives, analyzing every post and lyric for hidden meanings.
Of course, her songwriting hits close to home, too.
Whether you’re going through a breakup, falling in love, or just feeling nostalgic, there’s a Taylor Swift song that feels like it was written just for you. She’s got this incredible knack for turning her personal experiences into stories that feel universal.
And let’s talk about that record-breaking Eras Tour.
It was a global phenomenon that kept the Taylor Swift train running at full steam throughout the year. Every show felt like a massive party where thousands of fans got to experience her music together, and that excitement spilled right over into streaming numbers.
YouTube Goes Its Own Way
While Taylor Swift dominated most streaming platforms, YouTube tells a different story.
Mexican artist Peso Pluma grabbed the top spot there, pulling in 1.74 billion views to Swift’s 1.57 billion.
His magic comes from mixing traditional corridos with modern trap and hip-hop beats, and fans absolutely love it. For example, when he dropped his fourth album, Éxodo, he brought together old-school Latin vibes with fresh rap sounds, and the result was pure gold.
The reason for this switch-up makes a lot of sense when you look at how YouTube works.
Sure, Spotify and Apple Music are all about what hits your ears, but YouTube is the place where visuals tell half the story. It’s like a whole different game, and Peso Pluma plays it perfectly.
His success shows just how huge Latin music has become, especially when artists can show their personality through videos.
Now, don’t get it twisted. Taylor Swift still crushed it on YouTube with those 1.57 billion views, landing her in third place.
But Peso Pluma’s breakthrough just goes to show how much Latin music has grown and how important those music videos can be.
In the bigger picture, this one exception actually makes Taylor’s dominance everywhere else even more impressive. She might not have won this particular battle, but she definitely won the streaming war of 2024.