BTS Sets Unprecedented Record—First Global Group to Reach 10 Billion Annual Streams

BTS has set an unprecedented record in the global music market. By surpassing 10 billion cumulative streams this year on Spotify, the world's largest music streaming platform, they have become the first group in the world to achieve 10 billion streams in a single year. Beyond surpassing records previously reached by solo pop stars, they have once again proven their overwhelming influence in the global music market, recording explosive playback numbers with their 5th full-length album ‘ARIRANG’.

As of the 16th, BTS's cumulative Spotify streams for this year have exceeded 10 billion. Compared to the cumulative annual streams of approximately 4.5 billion recorded last year, this is an increase of a whopping 122%. It is particularly meaningful in that they have reached a level for the first time as a group that global solo artists such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Bad Bunny had achieved. This record demonstrates that beyond the individual members' recognition and popularity, the team's music as a whole is being continuously consumed by listeners worldwide.

The core driver behind this new record is the 5th full-length album ‘ARIRANG’ released last March. Since its release, the album has received an explosive response in streaming markets around the world, recording 5 billion cumulative streams as of the 14th. This marks the record for the most played album among newly released works. It widened the gap by approximately 2 billion streams from Olivia Rodrigo's 3rd full-length album ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’, which ranked second. By creating a significant difference from competing works even on an album basis, they have showcased BTS's global fandom and music consumption power.

The impact of ‘ARIRANG’ was evident from the day of its release. BTS's daily streaming numbers, which were at a level of about 23 million per day before the album's release, soared to about 130 million on the release date, March 20. The explosive increase in playback in a single day showed that the global fans' expectations for the comeback translated into actual listening. In particular, on the day of release, 14 tracks from the album occupied all positions from 1st to 14th on the Spotify ‘Daily Top Songs Global’ chart. It was an unusual achievement where the new songs completely occupied the top of the global charts.

The title track ‘SWIM’ also stood at the center of the record-breaking march. This song recorded approximately 14 million streams on its first day of release alone, marking the highest daily streaming number among songs released by BTS. The combination of the entire album's success and the concentrated popularity of the title track contributed to boosting the annual cumulative playback. Additionally, the ‘SWIM’ music video was selected as the winner in the ‘Best Group Video/International’ category last September, demonstrating their presence in the video content field beyond music.

BTS is continuing their presence not only in music performance but also at award ceremonies. At the ‘2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan’ held on the 14th, they won the major category ‘Artist of the Year’. This award ceremony, which began in 2002, is the Japanese version of the representative American music award ceremony, MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), and serves as a stage to highlight artists receiving attention in the global popular music market. With this award, BTS has once again confirmed their influence in the Japanese music market.

On the 29th, the main ceremony of the ‘2026 MTV Video Music Awards Japan’ will be held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Following the breakthrough of 10 billion annual streams, the record-breaking success of the album ‘ARIRANG’, and winning major award ceremonies, BTS's global presence is growing even further. This record is attracting even more attention in that it does not merely show the scale of the fandom, but proves that the group's music is exerting continuous influence in the global market through actual music consumption, chart performance, and award ceremony achievements.

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