What We Can Learn From The Top 20 Streamed Artists Of 2014

One of the ways that streaming music differs from radio is that it's so democratic. You listen to what you want to, so any streaming chart or list better reflects the musical tastes of the listeners.

Soundexchange put together a list of the 20 most streamed artists in 2014 based on royalties it has collected, and it will surprise you. The list shows a variety of new and classic artists, as well as a cross-section of genres. Here it goes:

1. Drake
2. Pearl Jam
3. Rihanna
4. Katy Perry
5. Bruce Springsteen
6. Lil Wayne
7. Luke Bryan
8. Imagine Dragons
9. Eminem
10. Pink Floyd
11. Usher
12. Maroon 5
13. Jason Aldean
14. Bruno Mars
15. One Republic
16. Lorde
17. Chris Brown
18. Tim McGraw
19. Beyonce
20. Taylor Swift

And the top 5 streamed tracks of 2014?

1. "Counting Stars" - One Republic
2. "Dark Horse" - Katy Perry
3. "Demons" - Imagine Dragons
4. "Royals" - Lorde
5. "Happy" - Pharrell Williams

The Billboard charts have always been skewed towards pop music because they were based on radio airplay, which has a very limited playlist that gets even more so every year. That said, streaming is a much better way to see what people actually listen to, and the analytics are far more accurate than the surveys traditionally used to determine radio airplay.

I think you'll see a much better reflection of music consumers tastes in the coming years, which could very well influence the music available, as record labels follow the analytics.