The world’s most-streamed songs made £4bn: Here’s who wrote them

New analysis from Chordify reveals that the world’s most-streamed songs have generated an estimated £3–£4 billion in lifetime revenue, with a significant share going to a small group of highly sought-after songwriters whose work quietly underpins modern pop, hip-hop and dance music.

By analysing the songwriting credits behind the most-streamed songs of all time, alongside chart performance and industry royalty benchmarks, Chordify found that financial power in modern music is heavily concentrated, with the same writers appearing again and again behind billion-stream hits.

“Many listeners have no idea that not all performing artists write their own songs,” said a Chordify spokesperson. “A handful of songwriters are actually responsible for the most-streamed songs.”

25 of the World’s most-streamed songs and the revenue hidden in the credits:

Chordify’s analysis highlights three clear trends. Songwriting ownership outperforms fame, which means that publishing income continues for decades after a song is released.

Repeat writers also dominate streaming-era wealth, as the same names are seen across several eras and genres. Additionally, one hit can be worth more than a career – a single global song can generate £20–£100m+.

To achieve the results Chordify analysed the most-streamed songs globally across Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, official songwriting and publishing credits, chart longevity, including no.1 performance and cultural reuse, and industry-standard publishing royalty benchmarks.

All figures are conservative estimates intended for comparative insight.

Photo credit: Atlantic Records