From Vinyl to Viral
Once upon a time, success in music meant selling millions of records. Big hair, world tours, and wall-to-wall CD shelves defined the era. Then came the internet, streaming platforms, and algorithms that know your taste better than your best friend. This site tells that story not with words alone, but with data that dances.
Top 20 Artists by Claimed Sales
Music has shaped cultures, generations, and identities. But who truly defined its sound? Let’s take a look at the legends who sold the most records in history. A snapshot of greatness before the streaming era.
Evolution of Music Genres by Sales (1954–2015)
This streamgraph shows how music genres rose and fell across the decades, based on claimed sales by top-selling artists.
Some genres like Pop and Rock span the entire timeline, reflecting long-term dominance. Others such as Smooth Jazz or Grunge peak briefly, capturing short cultural moments.
Genres that appear only once often reflect niche movements or limited commercial reach. Some may have grown through streaming, which isn't fully captured in physical sales data.
These waves of color represent changing tastes, shifting formats, and how music reached the world.
(Some years don't have any data.)
The Spotify Era Begins
As genres rose and fell through decades of physical sales, a new force quietly reshaped everything: streaming. Record shelves gave way to smartphones, earbuds, and endless scrolling. Spotify became the new stage, where virality, algorithms, and playlists shape what the world hears. From bedroom artists to global icons, the way we discover and experience music has transformed. Behind every stream is a story, not just of sound, but of connection in the digital age.
Top Streamed Songs by Energy and Danceability
This bubble chart maps the rhythm and energy of the most streamed Spotify songs of each year, capturing how popular music has moved over time.
Each bubble represents one song, positioned by its Energy (how loud, intense, and fast it feels) and Danceability (how easy it is to move to). Songs with high values in both often fuel clubs and parties, while calmer or less danceable tracks settle toward the lower corners of the chart.
The size of each bubble shows just how many people streamed the song. And as you filter through decades, the colors shift to highlight how different years brought their own musical moods. This graph shows the top five most streamed songs each year.
Credits
Made by Selina & Michelle
Best-Selling Music Artists Dataset
Spotify Most Streamed Songs Dataset
There was assistance of ChatGPT.