Mark Elliot was a brave man - an early advocate for same sex marriage and courageously talked about his struggles with addiction to help others. Rest In Peace
By External Source
Mark Elliot was a brave man - an early advocate for same sex marriage and courageously talked about his struggles with addiction to help others. Rest In Peace
- Mayor John Tory, Jan. 12, on Twitter
The annual report offers key insights on the country’s Top 10 albums, songs, songwriters and more, including big spots for The Weeknd and Tate McRae. Plus, a look at sales figures for physical, digital and streaming music.
In Canada, it’s artists based south of the border that capture listeners’ attention.
According to Luminate’s Year-End Music Report, the country juggernaut’s I’m the Problem was the top album, while Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” was the most popular songs (by on-demand audio streams) across Canada.
From Jan. 3 to Jan 1, 2026, the entertainment data tracking firm captured a variety of metrics on the music industry, with a handful of insights into the Canadian music market and listener habits.
Notably, total album consumption hit 116.6 million, up 4.1% from the previous year’s 112 million.
This year, Wallen’s chart-topping record, I’m The Problem, amassed 481,000 equivalent album units. Released on May 16, the country singer has impacted the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, too, spending a total of 12 weeks at the top. Despite spending a mere month in the world, Wallen managed to snag the No. 1 spot in Luminate’s midyear ranking, securing 231,000 units.
Wallen’s I’m The Problem scored eight consecutive weeks at No. 1, while the other four weeks were interspersed by top placements from Justin Bieber’s Swag, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man Best Friend and the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack.
Towards the bottom of the year-end list is Wallen’s 2023 album, One Thing at a Time, at No. 9, which scored 202,000 units.
Wallen’s longevity has been a major force to be reckoned with on the charts, only rivalled by Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which has broken several Canadian chart records and spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in 2025. Per Luminate’s year-end report, Showgirl earned 408,000 units, followed by the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack with 255,000 units.
Two Canadian artists round out the top five, including Scarborough native The Weeknd. While he released Hurry Up Tomorrow last January, it’s his ever-popular compilation album, The Highlights, that lands a spot at No. 4 (246,000 units). He’s followed by pop it-girl Tate McRae, whose chart-topping record, So Close To What, scores 235,000 at No. 5. Both artists have major years on the road, scoring two of the biggest tours of their careers.
On-demand streaming saw an uptick by the end of the year, increasing 4.6 % to 150.8 billion — up from 144.1 billion in the 2024 period.
Alex Warren scores the top spot with “Ordinary,” as it notches 114.5 million on-demand audio streams. Warren’s emotional pop ballad has catapulted the American singer-songwriter to the mainstream — and onto the charts. Last August, it scored its 21st week at the top, becoming the second-longest song at No.1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. He came in behind Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which still maintains the longest-running track at the top at 25 weeks.
All year, the two artists have been competing for the top spot, with Shaboozey often coming in at No. 1. But despite the country singer’s hold on the charts, Shaboozey’s ditty falls to second place at 84.6 million. It’s only a slight hit for the Virginia native who sat at No. 1 on 2024’s year-end report with 143.8 million streams.
Earlier, Warren’s anthemic song came in at No. 2 on the midyear ranking, behind Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ collab “Die With A Smile.” At the end of the year, the duo’s track comes in at No. 5 with 75.9 million streams.
During the midyear ranking, Drake's collaborative album with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U and their viral single “Nokia” snagged spots on their respective charts — however, his songs don't factor on the year-end report. That said, as often, he has still found a way to top the ranking.
Drake takes the top spot on the Global Songwriters Ranking, which rewards artists who are credited most often in the top 10,000 global on-demand audio songs. The Toronto rapper (credited in the report with both his artist and government name, Aubrey Graham) has written over 100 tracks that made the list, as did Puerto Rico hitmaker Bad Bunny who comes in at No. 2. The Weeknd comes in at No. 6, between 50 and 75 tracks.
Elsewhere, total Canadian album sales — including physical and digital download albums — hit 5 million, down 2.1% from 5.1 million in 2024.
Canadian listeners are not just streaming, but buying records. Physical album sales — vinyl, CD and cassette — increased 3%, from 3.7 million to 3.8 million.
Find more insights from Luminate's 2025 Year-End Music Report here.
