Tag: podcasts

Introducing the Newest Winners of Spotify’s Creator Milestone Awards

Since early last year, our quarterly Creator Milestone Awards have celebrated podcasts from around the world that hit major streaming milestones on Spotify. Today, we’re announcing the first round of 2026 recipients.

Winners receive a commemorative plaque, as well as editorial features, social media spotlights, and other opportunities to share their accomplishment with fans.

Here are the Creator Milestone Award honorees from the first quarter of the year.

Silver

Our Silver award honors shows that have surpassed 250 million streams on Spotify. This quarter’s winners include a pair of podcasts: one from a beloved comedy duo; the other from an entrepreneur focused on helping audiences live better lives.

Bronze 

The Bronze award is given to creators who have reached 100 million streams, or 50 million in emerging markets. This group of winners represents a diverse range of shows from around the world: 

Spotify is proud to celebrate the voices shaping the podcast world, the audiences who keep the conversation going, and the creative spirit that brings them together. Congratulations to all of this quarter’s winners. 

Explore our Creator Milestone Awards hub on Spotify.

Spotify and Netflix Partner With Jay Shetty to Bring ‘On Purpose’ to Video Across Both Platforms

On Purpose is one of the most popular podcasts in the world, known for conversations with influential voices across culture, wellness, and personal growth. Now, Spotify, Netflix, and host Jay Shetty are teaming up to bring the show to video across both platforms beginning July 13.

On Purpose has built one of the most engaged podcast audiences in the world, and we’re excited to expand our partnership with Netflix and Jay by bringing video episodes to Spotify,” said Roman Wasenmüller, VP, Global Head of Podcasts, Spotify. “Spotify is already where millions of fans come to listen to the show, and this next chapter builds on that momentum by giving audiences an even more immersive way to experience it. This partnership also reflects our continued investment in video and our commitment to helping creators grow global franchises on Spotify.”

The partnership reflects growing demand for video podcast experiences and Spotify’s continued focus on helping creators deepen connections with their fans. 

“Jay Shetty has an extraordinary ability to spark deep, meaningful connections that resonate with millions,” said Lauren Smith, Netflix VP of Content Licensing and Programming Strategy. “By joining forces with Spotify, we’re giving On Purpose an expansive new canvas, bringing these visually captivating interviews to our members’ screens.”

Spotify will now also serve as the global sales representative for the show and offer fans the flexibility to seamlessly watch or listen within a single app.

Ahead of the launch, For the Record caught up with Jay to talk about the evolution of On Purpose and what audiences can expect from this next chapter. 

You called this a “historic moment” for podcasting. How do you think Spotify has helped push the medium forward and open up new possibilities for creators?

Spotify has played a pivotal role in transforming podcasting from an audio format into a global medium for storytelling and conversation. They’ve invested in creators, discovery, video, and global reach in a way that’s expanded what’s possible for podcasts. It’s created more opportunities for creators to build meaningful communities and connect with audiences in deeper, more personal ways.

What excites you most about bringing On Purpose video episodes to Spotify fans around the world?

What excites me most is creating a more immersive experience for our audience on the platform. So much of human connection happens through expression, energy, and emotion, and video allows us to bring people even closer into those conversations. We’ve always wanted On Purpose to feel like you’re sitting in the room with us, and this is another step toward that.

You’ve interviewed so many incredible people over the years—anyone you’re hoping to speak to next?

I’m always interested in speaking to people who are shaping culture in meaningful ways, whether through entertainment, science, sports, wellness, or business. I’d say Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Rihanna are at the top of my list. What draws me most to conversations is creating a space where people feel comfortable sharing stories they have never opened up about before, in a way that feels authentic to who they are. Through those conversations, both the guests and the audience can feel seen, heard, and understood.

What podcasts are you listening to right now?

I’m listening to The Rest Is History hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. I’ve always been fascinated by historical figures and the moments that shape how we think and live. Recently, I really enjoyed their episode on the mystery of the Mona Lisa and the unexpected story behind how it became the most famous painting in the world.

If you had to predict your Spotify Wrapped for 2026, who would be your top artist, top podcast, and top audiobook?

My top artist would be Justin Bieber—I am such a Belieber. My top podcast would be The Rest Is History. And my top audiobook would be The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety by Alan Watts, or really anything by him.

Listen to audio episodes of On Purpose with Jay Shetty on Spotify now. Video episodes begin dropping July 13 and will also be available to Netflix subscribers worldwide.

Podcast Clips Make Your Favorite Moments Easier to Save and Share

3 images showing the user experience for the new podcast clips feature on Spotify, set against a purple/blue gradient backdrop

The best podcast moments deserve more than just a mental note. That’s why today, we’re making those moments easier to save and share with clips.

Whether it’s a piece of advice that reframes how you think, a conversation that makes you laugh, or a segment you know a friend needs to hear, those moments are often what turns a casual listener into a devoted fan. 

With clips, listeners can now capture, revisit, and share the exact moments from podcasts that resonate most, without having to search through an entire episode to find them.

Clips also come with an upgraded sharing experience. The updated sharing menu gives you more ways to share what you’re hearing, whether it’s a full episode, a chapter, a timestamp, or a clip—all accessible directly from the share icon.

Moments worth coming back to

When listeners hold onto those moments, they come back for more. Your saved clips have a dedicated space in Your Library and can also be added to podcast playlists, so the moments that matter don’t get lost.

Chapters, which launched earlier this year, are already being saved and playlisted more than 2 million times a month. Early testing has also shown that podcast saving increases when clips are enabled. For creators, a saved or shared clip can be a new entry point for potential fans, turning a single moment into a discovery or deeper connection.

How it works

    • While listening, tap the scissor icon in the Now Playing view to capture the moment you want to keep. Trim it to fit, then hit Save or Share.
    • For more sharing options, tap the share button and choose your format—full episode, chapter, timestamp, or clip—then send it directly to friends via Spotify Messages or any supported platform.
    • All clips are saved in Your Library, ready to revisit or add to a podcast playlist whenever you want.

 

Clips for podcasts are starting to roll out globally to Free and Premium users on mobile, with availability expanding across more shows over time. Look for the clip icon next time you’re listening and start saving the moments that matter.

Spotify Levels Up Our Podcast Experience With New Features for Fans and Creators

Colorful background with Spotify logo

Podcasting on Spotify continues to grow, and so do the ways listeners engage with it. At Investor Day 2026, we shared how we’re building the next chapter of podcasts on Spotify by making them more interactive, more personalized, and more connected to everyday life. 

Here’s a look at what we announced.

A more dynamic and interactive podcast experience

Video is a core part of Spotify’s podcast experience, giving fans and creators another way to connect while creating opportunities for more resonant storytelling. More than 500 million users have streamed a video podcast, up nearly 50% year over year. These users engage more, use more devices, and spend more time across podcasts, music, and audiobooks. 

Now, we’re adding a new layer of interactivity: Users can ask Spotify questions about the podcast they’re listening or watching, and get answers in real time. Whether it’s clarifying a concept, exploring something mentioned in an episode, or getting recommendations related to their favorite creators, they can delve deeper without leaving Spotify. 

This new capability makes the experience more dynamic, helping fans learn more and connect more deeply with the topics, perspectives, and creators they care about.

This feature is available starting today for Premium mobile users in the U.S., Sweden, and Ireland.

Expanding how creators earn on Spotify

Sponsorships are one of the most valuable revenue streams in podcasting, but managing them hasn’t always been easy. Earlier this year, we announced new tools that give creators more control over how they schedule, replace, and analyze brand sponsorships. Today, Creator Sponsorships are live for creators and publishers in the Spotify Partner Program, bringing smarter, more flexible sponsorship management for video content. 

 

We’re also introducing Memberships, a new way for creators to build recurring revenue directly from their most engaged fans on Spotify. As listeners spend more time with a show, Memberships create a natural path to go deeper, unlocking new and exclusive experiences for fans and new revenue opportunities for creators.

 

Creators will own the relationship with their audience, with direct access to subscribers, the ability to import and export across platforms, and audience intelligence tools that provide actionable insights to help them grow. Creators who manage subscriptions on other platforms can continue to distribute gated content through Spotify Open Access

Memberships will launch for select creators soon, with more details to come.

Better discovery and engagement with more personalized experiences

We recently expanded Prompted Playlists to podcasts, allowing listeners to generate personalized episode lists using simple prompts. More than half of listeners who have used the feature have discovered a new show, reinforcing what we’re seeing across the platform: When users can directly express their intent, they’re more likely to find something they love.

We’re building on that idea with Personal Podcasts, a new experience that lets listeners generate and schedule short, private audio episodes tailored to their interests and their listening habits. It also helps connect them with relevant podcasts from millions of creators on Spotify, making it easy to keep exploring the topics they care about.

Some listeners have already started creating custom audio using their own agents, and we recently introduced the ability to save those episodes to Spotify. The response has been strong, making it clear that there’s growing demand for this kind of personalized, on-demand experience.

 

Soon, we’re opening up this capability more broadly, enabling curious listeners to create Personal Podcasts directly within Spotify. Just like with Prompted Playlists, all you need to do is write a prompt, and Spotify generates personalized, private audio based on your input. It draws on world knowledge and your Spotify taste profile to create something relevant and uniquely yours.

You can create a daily briefing, a deep dive on a topic you’re curious about, or a weekly roundup of whatever’s on your mind. Ask “Share my daily city updates, and tell me about local concerts from artists I love,” or “Help me understand economics in five minutes,” and Spotify will create a tailored audio overview while linking you to relevant episodes, shows, and creators where you can explore more.

In addition to scheduling episodes to generate daily or weekly, you can also add context through text, PDFs, or links, refine your prompts, and choose a voice. Each episode is saved privately in Your Library, available only to you, and ready to play whenever you want.

Personal Podcasts will roll out to eligible Premium users in the U.S. next month, with a set number of monthly credits included and the option to purchase more.

Personal Podcasts is one way we’re expanding how people can create personalized audio. Today, we also introduced Studio by Spotify Labs, a standalone desktop app that can use your web browser and the personal apps and services on your computer to create audio shaped around your life. With your permission, Studio can also schedule and run these workflows on your behalf, opening up new possibilities for experimental and creative formats.

Investing in the experiences, formats, and technologies that move podcasting forward

Spotify has played a central role in shaping podcasting into the global format it is today, expanding audiences, empowering new voices, and building tools creators need to succeed.

As the medium continues to evolve, we’ll keep building on that foundation, helping creators reach more listeners, unlocking new ways for fans to engage, and making Spotify the best place to create, discover, and experience podcasts.

Explore all the news and announcements from Spotify’s 2026 Investor Day.

And the Winners of the 2026 Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico Are. . .

A group of people sitting on a stage holding awards

Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country’s capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are helping shape the cultural conversation across Mexico in Latin America. Leading up to the ceremony fans turned out in record numbers to support their favorite shows, with more than 1 million unique voters casting nearly 8 million votes.     

“Eight million votes say much more than any metric; it speaks of a community that not only watches and listens, but organizes, supports, and celebrates,” said Thais Tavara, Head of Podcast, Spotify Latin America. “That’s exactly what we want to celebrate.”

Save Your Personal Podcast to Spotify and Listen Anywhere

From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It’s what’s driven us to expand from music to podcasts to audiobooks, and onto more than 2,000 devices. Whether you’re listening on your morning commute or through your speakers at home, Spotify moves with you throughout your day. But being everywhere only matters if everything you want to hear is there. 

People are already starting to use their agents to create personal audio that guides their day: from summaries of class notes before an exam to briefings of what’s on their calendar. And they’re asking for a way to listen to it on Spotify, where they already listen to everything else.

Now, we’re making it possible to save and play Personal Podcasts on Spotify. Your agent can generate a daily briefing, private to you, and it’s saved alongside everything else in Your Library. And as always with Spotify, it’s seamlessly integrated across the devices you use.

Use your agent to create and save a personal podcast to Spotify

If you’re already using an agent like OpenClaw, Claude Code, or OpenAI Codex on desktop, add our new Save to Spotify beta tool and with a simple prompt, turn things like your daily digest, class notes, or weekend itinerary into a Personal Podcast that’s saved directly to your Spotify library.

Organizing your week? Create a quick Daily Brief for your morning. Ask to flag key meetings that need prep, check the weather, and recommend a podcast for your commute.

Or maybe you’re learning something new, like philosophy. Create a progressive weekly audio deep dive to guide your learning. Ask it to pull from your notes, saved articles, recent searches, and relevant files. Start simple, then build complexity, with pauses to think through key questions before moving on.

 

To get started:

    1. Open the Save to Spotify CLI GitHub page on desktop and follow the installation instructions.
    2. You will be prompted to sign in to Spotify via your browser.
    3. Once setup is complete, the tool is ready to use.
    4. Describe the Personal Podcast you want to hear and ask your agent to save it to Spotify.
    5. Open the link provided to listen from Your Library on Spotify.

Available for eligible Spotify Free and Premium users around the world. 

We’ll continue improving this experience as we learn from listeners and their feedback. As we expand in this beta phase, some aspects may evolve, with usage limits in place while we test and learn.

Spotify at 20: The Most Streamed Music, Podcasts, and Audiobooks of All Time

Most-streamed of all time lists graphic with Spotify 20 branding

It’s been 20 years since Spotify began, but the real story is what the world chose to play. For the first time, we’re unveiling the most streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and audiobooks in our history.

Drawn from years of listening across hundreds of millions of fans, these lists capture the music and stories that didn’t just break through but stayed, becoming part of everyday life around the world.

Data reflects global Spotify streams as of April 2026.

Most streamed artists of all time

List of the top 20 most-streamed artists in Spotify history as of April 2026

    1. Taylor Swift
    2. Bad Bunny
    3. Drake
    4. The Weeknd
    5. Ariana Grande
    6. Ed Sheeran
    7. Justin Bieber
    8. Billie Eilish
    9. Eminem
    10. Kanye West
    11. Travis Scott
    12. BTS
    13. Post Malone
    14. Bruno Mars
    15. J Balvin
    16. Rihanna
    17. Coldplay
    18. Kendrick Lamar
    19. Future
    20. Juice WRLD

Most streamed albums of all time

List of the top 20 most-streamed albums in Spotify history as of April 2026

    1. Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny
    2. Starboy by The Weeknd
    3. ÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran
    4. SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo
    5. After Hours by The Weeknd
    6. SOS by SZA
    7. Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone
    8. Lover by Taylor Swift
    9. AM by Arctic Monkeys
    10. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish
    11. Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa
    12. beerbongs & bentleys by Post Malone
    13. ? by XXXTENTACION
    14. MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO (BICHOTA SEASON) by KAROL G
    15. YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny
    16. Doo-Wops & Hooligans by Bruno Mars
    17. Views by Drake
    18. Midnights by Taylor Swift
    19. Scorpion by Drake
    20. Beauty Behind The Madness by The Weeknd

Most streamed songs of all time

List of the top 20 most-streamed songs in Spotify history as of April 2026

    1. Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
    2. Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
    3. Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood
    4. Starboy” by The Weeknd and Daft Punk
    5. As It Was” by Harry Styles
    6. Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi
    7. Sunflower – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” by Post Malone and Swae Lee
    8. One Dance” by Drake, Wizkid, and Kyla
    9. Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
    10. STAY (with Justin Bieber)” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber
    11. Believer” by Imagine Dragons
    12. I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys
    13. Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
    14. lovely (with Khalid)” by Billie Eilish and Khalid
    15. Yellow” by Coldplay
    16. The Night We Met” by Lord Huron
    17. Closer” by The Chainsmokers and Halsey
    18. BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
    19. Riptide” by Vance Joy
    20. Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

Most streamed podcasts of all time

List of the top 20 most-streamed podcasts in Spotify history as of April 2026

    1. The Joe Rogan Experience
    2. Gemischtes Hack
    3. Crime Junkie
    4. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
    5. Last Podcast On The Left
    6. The Daily
    7. Fest & Flauschig
    8. Morbid
    9. My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
    10. Relatos de la Noche
    11. Call Her Daddy
    12. Não Inviabilize
    13. Pardon My Take
    14. Distractible
    15. La Cotorrisa
    16. Dateline NBC
    17. Mordlust
    18. Baywatch Berlin
    19. Hobbylos
    20. Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén

Most streamed audiobooks in Premium of all time

    1. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
    2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
    3. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
    4. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
    5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
    6. Lights Out by Navessa Allen
    7. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
    8. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
    9. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
    10. Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
    11. The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
    12. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
    13. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
    14. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
    15. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
    16. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
    17. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
    18. The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
    19. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
    20. Funny Story by Emily Henry

Visit our Spotify 20 hub to explore more from the anniversary celebration, and press play below on the 20 most streamed songs of all time.

What 20 Years of Spotify Data Reveals About Our Listeners

Silver confetti-style streamers printed with Spotify logo and the number 20, celebrating an anniversary

All data tells a story, and in our case, that story is written by you. To celebrate 20 years of Spotify, we’re sharing bite‑sized moments that capture how the world listens, discovers, and connects.

Check back each day as we build out the full story.

Day 1

“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd is the most streamed song of all time on Spotify.

Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd is the most streamed song of all time on Spotify.

For the first time, we’ve unveiled the most streamed artists, albums, songs, podcasts, and audiobooks to date. Check out the full lists here.

Day 2 

Since the beginning, fans have streamed over 1.2 trillion hours of audio on Spotify. That’s enough time for Artemis II to travel around the Moon and back over 5 billion times.

Day 3

Do listening habits fall along generational lines? We’ll let your streaming be the judge of that…

    • Musical Geniuses: 18-24-year-olds win the award for streaming the most minutes of music in 2025
    • Literary Leaders: 25-34-year-olds win the award for streaming the most minutes of audiobooks in 2025 
    • Information Junkies: 35-44-year-olds win the award for streaming the most minutes of podcasts in 2025

Day 4

A visual stating that the word “Chill” is the most-streamed mood on Spotify with 4.4 trillion all-time streams.

One word to describe Spotify listeners over the years? Chill. 

    • “Chill” is the most streamed mood on Spotify with 4.4 trillion all-time streams.
    • It’s followed by moods like relaxing” (No. 2), nostalgia” (No. 7), “heartbroken” (No. 5), love” (No. 16), and happy” (No. 22).

Day 5

Out of every word in the world, one four-letter-word has stood the test of time for Spotify fans: Love” is the most searched word on Spotify across all languages, with 4.3 billion searches since December 2018.

Note: December 2018 is when Spotify began counting search data.

Day 6

December 24, 2025 was the biggest day in Spotify music listening history — with over 11 billion streams in a single day.

The greatest Christmas gift of all? 11 billion streams of music. 

We’ve had a lot of big music streaming days over the years, but one stands out: December 24, 2025 was the biggest ever day for global music streams, with over 11B streams.

Day 7

a spotify data reveal that "Die With A Smile” by Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga hit 1 billion streams faster than any song in Spotify history.

Let’s take it back to 2016. Back to Drake, the Mannequin challenge, and the first year for any song to hit 1 billion streams on Spotify…

How it started:

    • On December 16, 2016, One Dance” by Drake, Kyla, and Wizkid became the first song in history to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify. 

How it’s going: 

Day 8

Visual stating Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is the oldest album in Spotify's all-time Top 100 albums.

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (1977) has over 8.3 billion all-time streams on Spotify, 49 years after its original release. It’s also the oldest album in Spotify’s all-time top 100 albums

Michael Jacksons Thriller (1982) and Nirvanas Nevermind (1991) follow in second and third place.

Day 9

Visual stating Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" is one of the most-added songs to "work sucks" playlists on Spotify

From singing in the shower to surviving the workday, Spotify listeners have built playlists for just about every moment of life.

Here’s which tracks have been added the most to daily routine playlists:

Day 10

Visual stating Olivia Rodrigo's song "traitor" has been added to the most breakup playlists on Spotify

Through the good times and the bad, the break-ups and the make-ups, these tracks on Spotify have been there for the fans throughout it all:

    • Top “breakup” song of all time: Olivia Rodrigo – “traitor” (131K playlists) 
    • Top “love” song of all time: Arctic Monkeys – “I Wanna Be Yours” (2.7M playlists)
    • Top “happy” song of all time: Pharrell Williams – “Happy” (675K playlists)
    • Top “sad” song of all time: Billie Eilish, Khalid – “lovely (with Khalid)” (2.4M playlists)

Day 11

Visual stating over 9.67 billion playlists have been created by Spotify users since launch

The treasured art form of playlisting on Spotify goes all the way back to 2008—with millions of fans expressing themselves through music for the past two decades. 

Since then, Spotify listeners have created over 9.67 billion playlists across all time.

Day 12

According to a generation of Spotify listeners, July is the happiest month for music and January is the saddest. 

Wondering what else changes with the seasons? 

    • EDM peaks in June
    • Country peaks in summer
    • R&B peaks in February (Valentine’s Day) 
    • Classical peaks in winter

Day 13

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s "Fortunate Son" and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” are some of the biggest comeback stories in Spotify history.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” (1969) peaked on Spotify in 2024, 55 years after release.

Here are some of the other biggest comeback stories in Spotify history—songs that found their second wind on Spotify decades after their initial release:

    • Bill WithersAin’t No Sunshine” (1971) peaked in 2024—53 years after release.
    • Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now” (1978) had a comeback in 2019—following the Bohemian Rhapsody film—41 years later. 
    • Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) (1985) surged in 2022—following Stranger Things—37 years later.  
    • The Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris” (1998) peaked in 2025—27 years after release.

Day 14

The Joe Rogan Experience is the single-most binge-listened podcast series of all time.

Renegades: Born in the USA is one of the fastest podcast shows to go global on Spotify, hitting global scale just a single day after release (February 22, 2021).

The Joe Rogan Experience is the most binge-listened podcast on Spotify—2.7 million people have listened to 20 or more episodes in a single calendar month. 

Day 15

Music performed in Spanish has seen the greatest growth of any language on Spotify - and one song helped spark it: “Despacito.”

Bad Bunny and J Balvin—two of Spotify’s most-streamed artists of all time—have helped make music performed in Spanish grow more than any other language in Spotify history.

Day 16

Afrobeats streams on Spotify grew 349x between 2014 and 2025 — one of the fastest genre rises in Spotify history.

If music was a passport, Spotify listeners would have traveled to nearly every country in the world. In 2026, over half of all Spotify streams came from outside an artist’s home country

Over the past decade, Afrobeats has played a large role in thatbecoming one of the fastest growing genres on Spotify outside its home countries. The genre saw a 349x spike between 2014 and 2025.  

In 2023, “Calm Down (with Selena Gomez)” by Rema became the first Nigerian artist-led Afrobeats song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Day 17

a stat card sharing that K-Pop is the fastest growing genre in Spotify history

Shout out to the stans who made K-Pop the fastest growing genre in Spotify historycarrying it around the world and back. Fans took K-Pop from the No. 579 genre in 2008 to the top 50 in 2026one of the most dramatic genre rises in Spotify history.

In 2008, almost no one outside South Korea had heard K-Pop on Spotify. Now, it’s a global phenomenon with over 61 billion streams from listeners outside South Korea in 2025 alone.

Day 18

A data card sharing that  “Dad rock air guitar” and “indie sleaze fluorescent” are some of the world’s most popular daylist titles.  

Spotify’s viral daylist feature made its way into listeners’ hearts in 2023 with quirky descriptors that update based on time of day. Since then, listeners have streamed the personalized playlist for over 1.17 billion hoursSome of the most popular descriptors of all time include:

    • dad rock air guitar
    • happy indie surf crush
    • classic cinema vibes film feels
    • afro house tulum
    • indie sleaze fluorescent
    • happy folk stomp and holler

Day 19

From 80s comebacks to string quartet covers, some of the most unforgettable TV moments haven’t just lived on our screens they’ve become the soundtracks to our lives.

Day 20

One thing about Spotify listeners? They like to have a good time.

Over the decades, they’ve streamed one type of playlist more than any other: celebration and party playlists.

When it comes to podcasts, it’s all about the laughs. Comedy is the top-streamed podcast category of all time. 

As for audiobooks, storytelling is king. Fiction & Literature is the top-streamed audiobook category of all time.

To explore more from the anniversary celebration, visit our Spotify 20 hub.

Fans Crown Winners at the First Spotify Podcast Awards in France

Podast Awards Stage

After launching the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico last year, we brought the fan-voted celebration to Paris this week for its first edition in France. Hosted by comedian, columnist, and podcaster Pablo Mira, the event lit up the Grand Rex, celebrating the voices and stories shaping the country’s podcasting scene today. It brought together 800 creators and industry guests alongside 400 fans, with attendees including Paola Locatelli, Romy, David Castello-Lopes, Kiddy Smile, and Camélia Jordana, who also delivered an incredible live performance.

While podcasting took center stage, fans were at the heart of it all. Winners were decided entirely by listeners, who cast more than 750,000 votes on Spotify to recognize their favorite hosts and shows across 11 categories. The evening also spotlighted the many people working behind the scenes to bring podcasts to life.

 

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The awards highlighted the formats and voices captivating French audiences. A decade after podcasts launched on Spotify, the medium continues to play a central role in culture and entertainment. In 2025, listeners in France streamed podcasts for more than 208 million hours.

Without further ado, here are France’s 2026 Spotify Podcast Awards winners.

Fan Favorite

Show of the Year – Male Host

Show of the Year – Female Host

Show of the Year – Media

Show of the Year – Talk Show

Video Show of the Year

    • COUCH Lena Situations

Video Revelation of the Year

Crime/Horror Show of the Year

Pop Culture Show of the Year

News Show of the Year

RADAR Show of the Year

From Audio to IRL: How ‘Let’s Get Haunted’ Is Building Community With Spotify RADAR

As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond audio. Creators are expanding into video, merch, and live events, finding new ways to deepen listener relationships and bring audiences together. One clear example is the paranormal-comedy podcast Let’s Get Haunted.

Hosted by best friends Alyssa Terry and Natalia Strawn, the show has built a devoted fanbase—affectionately known as the “Haunties”—around a shared love of the spooky and the absurd. Last year, the podcast joined Spotify’s 2025 RADAR creators class, our global program designed to help emerging creators reach new audiences.

That support helped pave the way for a new milestone: the show’s first-ever live taping, recently recorded in front of about 120 fans at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles. The episode is now streaming on Spotify, offering a snapshot of the community they’ve built.

To mark the occasion, For the Record caught up with Nat and Aly for a joint Q&A about the show’s evolution, their live debut, and what’s next.

For anyone hearing about Let’s Get Haunted for the first time, how would you describe the show?

It started as a tongue-in-cheek response to the horrors of everyday life. We take turns deep diving into paranormal topics—ghost encounters, alien abductions, cursed objects—with the assumption that each story is true. Our goal is to give the audience a chance to suspend their disbelief and tap into a sense of childlike wonder.

We also have a broad definition of “haunted.” Did you get three flat tires in a month, hunt down the person who stole your credit card instead of calling your bank like a normal person, or rescue a possum on the side of the highway and crowdfund its femur surgery? Congrats, you’re haunted! (These are all things that have really happened to us.) We try to match the chaos of the hauntings in our personal lives with the tales we select for the storytelling portion of the show.

How has the podcast changed since you first launched it? And how have your listeners helped shape where it’s gone?

Our podcast has always been very community-based. We use listener surveys to get feedback at the end of every season, then have a meeting where we go over that feedback and figure out which suggestions are feasible for us to incorporate.

When we first started the pod, we were living on opposite ends of Los Angeles and would scramble to find places to record that were roughly in the middle. We’ve recorded in bathrooms, cars, empty office buildings, and anywhere we could find. 

In 2023, thanks to the generosity of our audience, we were finally able to sublease an office space. Having a stable place to record was a total game changer: It allowed us to increase the number of episodes we were putting out, create vlogs, produce and store merch, and organize fan meet-ups. We literally would not exist without the support of our listeners.

Your first live taping was a big milestone. What did that moment feel like for you?

It was absolutely surreal! We were so nervous going into it, but as soon as we parked at the venue we immediately ran into two Haunties who had arrived three hours early to be first in line. Knowing we were walking into something brand new with the support of the people who’ve been with us since the beginning made us feel so much more at ease.

Spotify’s Creator Milestone Awards Honor the Latest Slate of Record-Breaking Podcasts

A little over a year ago, Spotify introduced the quarterly Creator Milestone Awards to celebrate the incredible growth and success of podcasts around the world. Now, we’re thrilled to announce the winners from the final quarter of 2025.

The awards are given to podcasts that reach specific streaming thresholds on Spotify, and recipients receive a physical plaque to commemorate the achievement. The celebration also includes features in our on-platform editorial hub, social media spotlights, and an out-of-home campaign in Los Angeles.

Join us in congratulating the latest class of Creator Milestone Award winners.

Gold

Reaching 500 million streams is a monumental achievement, and we’re welcoming one of the biggest names in true crime to the Gold tier: 

Silver

Our Silver award recognizes podcasts that have surpassed 250 million streams on Spotify. This slate of honorees spans the worlds of sports, true crime, and comedy:

Bronze

The Bronze award celebrates a diverse and global group of creators who have reached 100 million streams (or 50 million in emerging markets). We’re excited to congratulate this wide-ranging list of shows:

Our commitment to creators is set against an exciting backdrop for the industry. Podcasting recently earned its first-ever recognition at the Golden Globes, where Good Hang with Amy Poehler, from Spotify’s The Ringer, won the inaugural award. As the medium’s influence grows, we’re proud to support and celebrate different voices at the center of it all.

Visit our Creator Milestone Awards hub to explore the full list of winners on Spotify.

Women in Podcasting Craft New Connections at Spotify’s Galentine’s Day Celebration in LA

LA Galentine's Day Celebration Photos

This Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify brought together a group of podcast creators for a Galentine’s Day gathering at the charm-crafting boutique Charmed LA. In an industry that’s often digital-first, the event was a chance to prioritize real-world connection and celebrate friendship.

Over coffee and light brunch bites, guests connected and shared stories, including Cherie Brooke Luo and Jean Luo of Tiger Sisters, Liz Plank of Boy Problems, Sabrina Zohar of The Sabrina Zohar Show, and Ashley Nichole and Taryne Renee of Unsolicited Advice with Ashley and Taryne