What is the Most Listened-to Genre on Spotify?
Many people use Spotify as the primary way they stream music. You can access every genre and thousands of different artists on Spotify. So, what is the most listened-to genre on Spotify?
Pop is the genre that is most frequently listened to by Spotify users, and 6 out of the top 10 most popular genres include variations of pop. There are a large variety of artists that fall into this genre. Other popular genres streamed on Spotify are house, EDM, R&B, hip-hop, and country.
Many different genres can be listened to on Spotify, but a few are more popularly streamed than others. The most popular genres aren’t always the same genres you listen to, as everyone has different music tastes. After researching the most listened-to genre on Spotify, you’ll learn more about the most frequently streamed genres and artists.
The Top Genre On Spotify
Pop is streamed most by Spotify users than any other genre in every location Spotify is used. According to Spotify Statistics, the average amount of followers a pop artist has is 575,580, over 200,000 followers higher than the second-highest genre. Not only can you use Spotify to stream music easily in this category, but you can also discover new artists that fall into your favorite genre.
So many artists perform music that falls into the pop genre. While some artists are more known than others, Spotify allows you also to discover newer and less-known artists.
If you’re a person who enjoys pop music, you may find yourself listening to one of the subgenres of pop.
Subcategories of Pop Popular on Spotify
While pop is the most popularly streamed genre on Spotify, there are subgenres segmenting pop into smaller groups.
One subgenre of pop is known as pop punk. This genre is listened to by many different Spotify users throughout the world. A large variety of bands and artists fall into this category of pop. While some individuals like pop, pop-punk might fit those who want a bit more rock. This subgenre includes bands and artists such as All Time Low, Panic at the Disco, The Maine, and Mayday Parade.
Electropop is another subcategory of pop. This pop category includes various artists, some of them famous. Pop songs from this subgenre were prevalent from 2008 until about 2012. Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and other artists performed songs in this category.
Indie music is another type that falls into the category of pop. Many indie artists and bands are less known in the pop community. While some people don’t think indie music necessarily falls into the pop genre, it is commonly accepted as a part of it.
Boybands can be another category of the pop genre. While these boybands aren’t always performing pop songs, many of these bands are. Boybands that would fall into the pop category include *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, One Direction, and Big Time Rush.
How Popular is Pop on Spotify?
Pop has been a popular genre throughout the decades. Many different bands have been popular and loved by many people.
Pop is the genre that is the most listened to on Spotify and one of the most played genres on the radio and other streaming services.
Some of the most known and popular pop artists include Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Prince, Beyonce, and Rihanna, to name just a few. Each of these artists and countless others has released popular songs that fall into the pop genre. Some of these songs are the ones that get stuck in your head without you even knowing when you last heard them.
Pop is so popular that according to Spotify, 7 of the top 20 most followed genres include some variation of pop, and 6 of those are within the top 10.
| Genre | Average no. of followers per artist |
|---|---|
| Pop | 575,580 |
| Dance Pop | 366,189 |
| House | 328,939 |
| Teen Pop | 328,082 |
| Electro House | 327,309 |
| EDM | 323,467 |
| Pop Rap | 323,125 |
| Pop Christmas | 303,698 |
| Pop Rock | 168,562 |
| R&B | 154,259 |
Second Most Popular Genre on Spotify
After pop, the second most listened-to genre on Spotify is hip-hop. The genre is often found throughout many different playlists created by Spotify listeners.
Some people claim that hip-hop is probably the most streamed music by individuals who aren’t just listening to the popular playlists produced by Spotify. Currently, alternative hip-hop songs are the 12th most popular genre by followers, with many of the other genres often appearing on Spotify-produced playlists.
Hip-hop is a genre that many enjoy as a result of the beat that is included in these songs. Many find themselves dancing while listening to different artists who fall into the hip-hop category. Hip-hop is commonly played at parties, clubs, and other large social gatherings.
You may notice a lot of different hip-hop artists in various popular shows. Rather than only portraying pop songs in these shows, many different shows try to incorporate different genres of music to give viewers exposure to different artists. It has helped hip-hop grow even more popular, ranking 5th in average popularity per artist in a given genre.
More Popular Types of Music on Spotify
Many other different types of music can be streamed on Spotify and are available at your fingertips as a Spotify user. Many people listen to a variety of music from Disney movies. Accessing music from nearly every Disney movie is an excellent resource if you have children who are obsessed with anything and all things Disney.
Shortly after a new Disney movie is released, Spotify begins allowing users to stream the most popular songs from these movies. As a Spotify user, you can listen to songs from Mulan, Tangled, Tarzan, Encanto, and many other Disney movies.
In addition to music from Disney movies, Spotify allows users to access music from their favorite musicals. This will enable you to learn the songs from a musical you once saw performed or a musical you’ve heard others talking about. Some popular musicals streamed on Spotify include Hamilton, Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, and many other crowd favorites.
Famous songwriter Lin-Manuel Maranda, who wrote all of Hamilton, and many songs for Disney movies, has climbed the Spotify charts quickly and is ranked as the 516th most popular artist on the platform.
Some Spotify users love that many different comedy bands and artists are included in this music library. If you’re interested in listening to comedy in the form of music, many different artists can be streamed on Spotify. The most famous artist who falls into the genre of comedy performing is Bo Burnham, who ranks as the 1,516th most listened-to artist on Spotify. However, many others can be enjoyed depending on your sense of humor.
Other Popular Genres You Can Stream on Spotify
In addition to pop and hip-hop, many other genres of music can be streamed on Spotify.
One of these genres is rock. Rock has grown into many subcategories, starting with what is known as “classic rock.” This includes bands like Queen, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, ACDC, Aerosmith, and many other known bands that have been loved since the 80s. Music that falls into this genre is very distinctive from different genres.
Another genre that many streams on Spotify is punk or metal. Many different bands or artists fall into this category. This genre isn’t as popular as pop, but there are enough people who enjoy these artists that Spotify includes them in their music library. Some of the most known groups in the metal or punk genre include Metallica, Korn, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Slipknot.
Country is another genre that is often listened to by various Spotify users. Many country artists include instruments that aren’t always present in music produced by other artists, such as the banjo. Famous country artists include Tim McGraw, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Rascal Flats, Brad Paisley, and many others.
It shows on Spotify’s popularity lists that pop is far and away the most popular. Still, various niche music has become more popular, with Indie R&B ranking 15th, Synthpop ranking 18th, and Neo Mellow ranking 20th. In the ranking by popularity, you have genres like Soul, Trap, Big Room, and Classical, all ranking within the top 20.
The music you can access from Spotify’s library as a user does not stop at these genres. You can easily access many other types of music and many podcasts.
Other Things to Listen to on Spotify
Music is not the only thing you can listen to on Spotify. Podcasts are becoming more common for people to be streaming on this platform. Some Spotify users strictly use this platform for listening to various podcasts. Along with podcasts, you also now can listen to audiobooks on Spotify.
Podcasts
Podcasts are becoming more popular due to the many topics podcasters discuss throughout their episodes.
Many different people produce true crime podcasts that shed light on the horrible cases of the victims of serial killers, murders, thieves, and sexual predators. Each of these true crime podcasts contributes something different to the genre, whether their unique opinion or insight on a case or focusing on a particular type of case. Some of the most streamed true crime podcasts include Crime Junkie and Morbid.
In addition to true crime, many podcasts give advice and suggestions for different aspects of life. There are podcasts to help you learn more about finances, manage your mental health, and give advice on dating. Many different people who want to better their lives listen to these podcasts.
The most popular podcast on Spotify is the Joe Rogan Experience, followed by New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. Both of these are very different podcasts. The former involves Joe Rogan conducting interviews with various famous and influential figures, including scientists, athletes, artists, and more. New Heights is hosted by two Super Bowl-winning brothers talking about their experiences and opinions on various NFL topics.
Audiobooks
The newest feature that Spotify has added is the ability to listen to audiobooks. Since this feature is so new, Spotify has yet to release any data on which books are the most listened to. However, the books that are expected to do the best include the following:
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Sandworms of Dune by Frank Herbert
- Dead Awake by Jack McSporran
- Me by Elton John
- The Champagne Diet by Cara Alwill Leyba
Because this is such a new feature, it is being pushed toward users very strongly. This new feature will likely do just as well as the music and podcast sections of Spotify, as it offers a massive convenience for those looking to read a book but doesn’t have the time to sit down and read.
