Music. It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions. It is the universal language that speaks to the soul. It forms the soundtrack of our lives.
It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007. It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray. So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.
Formed in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, this band released their first album in 1975 and have been rocking the world ever since, selling more than 200 million records worldwide. At #9, we have the powerhouse group known as AC/DC.
#9: AC/DC
iTunes stats: 748 plays
Previous ranking: #10
The Australian hard rockers move up one slot from their previous ranking thanks to 20 songs, from seven different albums, which increased by 34%. The most popular song, Thunderstruck, has a tremendous amount of plays due to the White Sox use of it when running out on to the field and its inclusion on my various victory playlists. Another entry, Back In Black, has also made an appearance or two over the years, most recently thanks to former catcher James McCann’s use as his walkup song.
In 2015, I saw the band in concert in Toronto, at Downsview Park. I’d be lying if I said that seeing AC/DC was at the top of my to-do list musically speaking. In fact, they were playing Wrigley Field the following week, and I had passed on the chance to get tickets. But, as a wise man once said, you only live once, and, seeing as this is potentially their last go-around, I guess you can say that I’m glad to have seen them. After missing the opening act thanks to traffic, we got to the show just as AC/DC were starting. The show itself was both good and bad. The songs are what you expect, but there was no real flow, probably due to the band’s conditioning, or lack thereof. After each song, the lights went down and there was a brief break before the next song would begin. The net result of this was a disjointed experience, where each song stood on its own without there being any coherence in the set. This ended up being their last tour with Brian Johnson before the unfortunate Axl Rose experiment, so I guess I’m glad I saw them when I did.