The most well-liked artist on Spotify proper now hasn’t launched a brand new solo album for eight years. Fairly a stat, proper?
That artist is Bruno Mars, who’s driving excessive off each his evergreen catalog of hits, plus two new-ish international smash duets:
- Die With A Smile with Girl Gaga, launched in August, has simply surpassed a billion Spotify streams;
- APT. with ROSÉ, launched in October, is closing in on half a billion Spotify streams.
Mars overtook The Weeknd as Spotify’s No.1 artist by way of month-to-month listeners on October 29.
A day later, Mars formally broke the all-time report for month-to-month listeners on the platform, topping 126 million (beating the earlier report, set by The Weeknd, of 120.7 million.)
Since then, Atlantic-signed Mars’ reputation on Spotify has continued to mushroom, setting a number of new data for month-to-month listeners on the platform.
On November 12, Mars grew to become the primary artist in Spotify historical past to surpass 130 million month-to-month listeners.
Then, on Monday this week (November 25), he pushed that report previous one other main milestone, topping 135 million month-to-month listeners.
As issues stand right now (November 29), Mars has 135.54 million (see under) – a determine that seemingly retains on transferring skywards.
With Spotify’s complete Month-to-month Lively Consumer determine now standing at 640 million, Mars’ music is being listened to by simply over a fifth of the service’s whole international person base.
Not solely that, however earlier this week Die With A Smile – just lately nominated for Track of the 12 months and Greatest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency on the 2025 Grammys – formally grew to become the fastest-ever observe to hit a billion Spotify streams.
That was excellent news for Common Music Group and Interscope, Girl Gaga’s label, which launched the report.
However the present wave of Mars-mania on the world’s largest music audio streaming platform can be fairly big information for Atlantic Data and its new CEO, Elliot Grainge.
Not solely does Mars’ multi-billion-streaming catalog reside with Atlantic, however the Warner Music Group label additionally launched the ROSÉ collaboration, APT.
In line with Spotify’s credit, the recording copyright for APT. is owned by ROSÉ below unique license to Atlantic worldwide exterior Korea.
ROSÉ, a member of Korean supergroup BLACKPINK, just lately inked a brand new publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music.
(Bruno Mars’ long-time writer is BMG, although he bought a portion of his music catalog to Warner Chappell in 2021.)
Maybe probably the most fascinating factor about Bruno Mars’ present domination of Spotify, although, is {that a} new album merely doesn’t function within the equation.
Mars’ most up-to-date LP is An Night With Silk Sonic, his 2021 collaboration with Anderson .Paak.
Mars’ most up-to-date solo studio LP was his third, 24K Magic, launched in 2016.
One music biz determine who’s notably enthusiastic about Mars’ surge to the highest of Spotify’s reputation rankings is his long-time co-songwriter and collaborator, James Fauntleroy II.
Fauntleroy has co-written previous Bruno Mars smashes together with That’s What I Like. He’s additionally a co-writer (alongside the likes of Andrew Watt) on Die With A Smile.
Celebrating Die With A Smile’s record-breaking escapades, Fauntleroy wrote on X final week: “Quickest music to a billion in Spotify historical past with a few of my DAY ONES THOUGH. Like, we had been all broke with not a single hit to our names after I met these guys. Loopy.”
Fauntleroy options in MBW’s new guide How To Write A Hit, which you’ll be able to obtain right here. (It additionally options APT. co-writers Amy Allen and Theron Thomas.)
How To Write A Hit, supported by BMI, compiles priceless recommendation for creators, all taken from MBW’s World’s Biggest Songwriters interview collection. (James Fauntleroy’s full interview from that collection was a selected corker, and explains his ‘DAY ONES’ relationship with Bruno Mars. It may be learn right here.)
In the meantime, Bruno Mars’ current rise on Spotify seems to have his military of worldwide followers asking one query greater than some other: is that this an indication he is likely to be cooking up the discharge of his fourth studio album (aka ‘BM4’)?
In that case, this Thanksgiving vacation, Elliot Grainge and his new-look staff at Atlantic Data might be treating themselves to some… pie with a smile.
Sorry. Not sorry.Music Enterprise Worldwide
