The month of November provided plenty of opportunities to stream music. At FanLabel, we are always paying attention to trends, so now that we have rolled into December, we decided to take a look at the most listened-to albums by song stream for the previous month. Of the millions of albums that are available to stream, these five were the most popular.
Counting down…
5. Takeoff – “The Last Rocket”
Migos member Takeoff’s first independent album was clearly a smash hit. Following in fellow Migos member Offset’s footsteps, this album is another example that each member of the supergroup can have standalone talent. With over 20 million streams this month, it looks like Takeoff has a promising career ahead of him both in Migos and as a solo artist.
4. Anderson .Paak – “OXNARD”
On the heels of his hit single Tints with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak released his long-awaited album to widespread acclaim. With vibrant west-coast influence and soulful instrumentals, “OXNARD” appeals to a wide variety of audiences earned it over 24 million streams in November.
3. Imagine Dragons – “Origins”
Rock’s smash band released another smash hit, raking over 26 million streams in November. As the only rock album on this list, Imagine Dragons prove they have a loyal fanbase and that rock is still going strong in 2018.
2. Metro Boomin – “Not All Heroes Wear Capes”
One of rap’s most seasoned producers, Metro Boomin did not play games with his latest project. As far as “producer albums” go, few have achieved a comparable level of success. With over 56 million streams, this star-studded album featured a diverse set of rappers that each brought their own flavor to Metro Boomin’s instrumentals.
1. Trippie Redd – “A Love Letter To You 3”
Released only three months after his widely successful album “Life’s A Trip,” Trippie Redd returned with a vengeance in the third addition to his “A Love Letter To You” mixtape series. While not technically an album, this project earned the coveted spot of November’s most streamed album. With over 61 million streams, Trippie Redd’s star power is hard to dismiss.
Trends We Noticed
As a data-driven platform, FanLabel stays on top of trends in today’s top music. Looking at November’s Top 5 streamed albums, here’s what we noticed:
Rap’s Dominance
If you look at today’s Billboard Top 100, you’ll definitely notice that rap is the most common genre. Rap’s versatility means listeners can enjoy top songs in a wide variety of settings that favor streaming, such as the gym or long commutes. With a constant flow of quality albums and viral hits, people are listening to rap more than ever. With four out of five top albums in November classified as the genre, rap is clearly one of today’s dominant types of music.
A Big Jump
The bottom three albums on November’s Top 5 had between 20 million and 26 million streams. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a huge difference. The second most streamed album, Metro Boomin’s “Not All Heroes Wear Capes,” raked in over double the third most streamed album. After this jump, the top two are more closely packed. The top album, Trippie Redd’s “A Love Letter To You 3”, had only five million more streams. This could have any number of explanations, but our best guess is that these two albums share some degree of connection. A likely explanation is that the same people are streaming their favorite songs on a regular basis, and these albums are frequently combined with each other in playlists or other means of personal preference.
Rise of the Underdogs
Three of these five albums feature artists that have only recently been in the spotlight. Anderson .Paak has maintained a small yet loyal fanbase, and Trippie Redd was relatively unheard of until the beginning of this year. Takeoff was the last member of Migos to release a side project under his own name, so he also achieved a huge increase in recognition after the recent success of his album. Big names like Drake or Ariana Grande were absent from this list. Does this say something about the shelf life of today’s top artists, or was this just not a big release month? Regardless, the new wave of music stars is beginning to take shape, and the future is looking brighter than ever.
Data was collected through the industry reporting authority, BuzzAngle Music.
