Spotify has been working with artists to record two-track ‘Spotify Singles’ since 2016, and yesterday the company revealed a milestone for the series. The more than 630 tracks released so far have generated more than 5bn streams. Yes, maths fans, that’s an average of just over 7.9m streams each, although clearly there is a wide range of popularity: Harry Styles’s ‘Girl Crush’ is the series’ biggest hit so far with 145m streams.
The curious duo of Post Malone and Bob Dylan are the most covered artists in the initiative, which tends to get artists to re-record one of their own tracks, and then cover one of their favourites by another musician.
The stats are a reminder of how the notion of exclusivity in music streaming has shifted since the days when some tracks and albums were only available on one DSP. Now, the wider catalogue is available everywhere, but the individual services focus on live sessions and video content as their exclusive material.
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