Spotify reveals Drake, Ed Sheeran as most-played artists

Drake is Spotify's most globally streamed artist. Photo / AP

Spotify has revealed the most-played artists on the streaming platform for its tenth birthday, with Toronto rapper Drake taking out the top spot.

Ed Sheeran, Eminem and The Weeknd follow, with Rihanna taking out the fifth spot. Ariana Grande, at number ten, is the only other female artist in the top ten most-streamed artists on the platform.

The top ten most-streamed albums on Spotify are all by male artists, with Ed Sheeran, Drake, The Weeknd and Post Malone each featured twice on the list. Ed Sheeran's ÷ is number one, followed by Justin Bieber's Purpose.

Ed Sheeran's Shape of You is the most-streamed song on the service, followed by Drake's One Dance.

The top ten most-streamed songs on Spotify are also all fronted by male artists, though women feature twice; Halsey on The Chainsmokers' Closer, which takes the number three spot, while Danish pop star MØ features on Major Lazer's Lean On, in at number six.

The disparity reflects recent research in The Baffler which found Spotify's "most popular and visible playlists to be staggeringly male-dominated".

Spotify's findings also revealed Rihanna to be the first artist to have reached 1 billion streams globally, in 2013. She is also the most globally streamed female artist, followed by Ariana Grande, Sia, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj.

The service also revealed the most-streamed song by year, with 2017's being Ed Sheeran's Shape of You.