The Official Top 20 IFPI Global Recording Artists ranking has been revealed, and the top artist isn't actually surprising at all!
Annually, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry ranks artists worldwide on who among them has amassed the biggest units when it comes to streaming and sales - which includes vinyl, CDs, and downloads.
This year, the IFPI Global Recording Artist Ranking was topped by an artist who is no stranger to the charts - Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift 2022 IFPI Global Recording Artist Award
According to the Federation, Swift notched an "unprecedented third" win in the chart's ten-year history since 2013.
Swift topped the bill in 2014 and 2019 during her "1989" and "Lover" eras, and now her "Midnights" era.
"Taylor is a truly magnificent international star, who continues to grow and evolve as an artist whilst maintaining an incredibly strong connection with her fans around the world," IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement. "It is exciting to see this year's Global Recording Artist Chart reflect the increasingly diverse spectrum of music available to music fans today, with superstars from Latin America, Taiwan, and South Korea as well as the US, UK and Canada represented.
The IFPI Global Recording Artist Award is given to an artist who has racked up the biggest total of calculated worldwide performance across both digital and physical formats throughout the year - covering their whole catalog of work from streaming units to vinyl sales.
In 2022, upon the release of her tenth studio album, "Midnights," Swift broke (and set) records for album, streaming, and vinyl sales for almost the entire 2020 decade.
2022 IFPI Global Recording Artist Award Ranking
Coming in second is Korean supergroup BTS, who is gunning for a third consecutive ranking at the top of the bill. They have won the award since 2020.
Might in third is Drake, who released two albums last year, "Her Loss," and "Honestly, Nevermind." Bad Bunny, perhaps the biggest artist last year next to Swift, was at fourth as The Weeknd was ranked fifth.
Korean acts SEVENTEEN and Stray Kids ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, while Grammy Award winner Harry Styles surprisingly sat eighth.
Jay Chou marks Taiwanese history for becoming the first artist from the said nationality to appear on the coveted worldwide ranking, while Ed Sheeran closes the Top 10 bill at the tenth spot.
Check out the full Top 20 list here.
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