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Taylor Swift Crowned IFPI’s Global Recording Artist For Record Fifth Time

Swift creates history by being named as the IFPI's biggest-selling artist worldwide for the fifth time, and for the third consecutive year.

Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Rogers Centre on Nov. 14, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario.
Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at Rogers Centre on Nov. 14, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario.
Emma McIntyre/TAS24/Getty Images

It’s official: Taylor Swift owned the year 2024, we were just living in it.

Swift creates history by being named as the IFPI’s Biggest-Selling Global Recording Artist of the Year for the fifth time, and for the third consecutive year.


With her latest crown, which recognizes the top artist across physical sales, downloads and streaming, Swift is the outright No. 1 recording artist on the planet.

Announced today, Feb. 18, Swift finished at the top of the podium, ahead of Canadian rapper Drake and K-pop sensation SEVENTEEN, respectively.

This year’s victory follows Swift’s wins in 2014, 2019, 2022 and 2023. No one comes close to her record. Now in its 12th year, just two other acts have led the IFPI’s Global Recording Artist Chart on multiple occasions – Drake (in 2016 and 2018) and BTS (2020, 2021).

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The artist award and chart is the first and only ranking to accurately capture the popularity of artists across streaming channels, doing so alongside digital and physical album and singles sales on a global basis, across the calendar year.

Also, the IFPI reports, TayTay does a Swift Sweep on the Federation’s various year-end tallies.

With her all-conquering release The Tortured Poets Department, the pop superstar leads the IFPI’s Global Album Chart, Global Vinyl Album Chart, Global Streaming Album Chart and Global Album Sales Chart.

“We are immensely proud to award the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award to Taylor Swift for the fifth time, as she continues to redefine the limits of global success,” comments Victoria Oakley, CEO, IFPI.

“This has been a huge year for Taylor, and it has been incredible to see the extent to which fans all over the world are connecting with her superb catalog of music.”

With her record smashing The Eras Tour filling stadiums around the globe in 2024, economists and analysts coined the expression “The Taylor Swift Effect,” which explains the broader cultural and economic impact when her shows come to town.

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A product of that phenomenon can be seen in the IFPI’s charts as fans, hyped up by her live performances, boosted her entire catalog on streaming platforms.

On the Global Album Sales Chart, K-Pop once again led the way. Meanwhile, Chinese artist Zhou Shen and Japan’s Snow Man impact the top 20 of the albums tally, which is based on unit sales across physical and download formats.

Top 20 IFPI Global Recording Artist Chart 2024

PositionPrior YearArtist
1 1 Taylor Swift
2 4 Drake
3 2 SEVENTEEN
4 Re-entry (2022) Billie Eilish
5 3 Stray Kids
6 16 Zach Bryan
7 5 The Weeknd
8 14 Eminem
9 Re-entry (2022) Kendrick Lamar
10 NEW Sabrina Carpenter
11 Re-entry (2021) Ariana Grande
12 19 Post Malone
13 6 Morgan Wallen
14 NEW ENHYPEN
15 17 Travis Scott
16 18 Kanye West
17 10 Lana Del Rey
18 Re-entry (2016) Beyoncé
19 NEW Linkin Park
20 9 Bad Bunny

This article first appeared on Billboard U.S.

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Crys Matthews at the International Folk Music Awards
Indie Montreal

Crys Matthews at the International Folk Music Awards

Awards

Indigo Girls, OKAN, Crys Matthews, Susan Werner Win International Folk Music Awards in Montreal

The awards helped launch the 37th edition of the annual Folk Alliance International Conference, which continues until Feb. 23. Find the full list of winners here.

The 2025 International Folk Music Awards were held last night (Feb. 19) at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel as part of the 37th annual Folk Alliance International (FAI) Conference, the largest international gathering of the folk and roots music community.

Honoured with a lifetime achievement award were ground-breaking and Grammy-winning U.S. folk duo Indigo Girls, comprising Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Accepting the award, Ray pleaded “Please stand up with us and make your voice be heard in these times. Gather together with other people. Raise your voice. Stand up strong. Day by day, song by song, we can make this world a better place.”

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