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.

Widely known for his stand-up performances and his role as Spence Olchin The King of Queens, Patton Oswalt checks in today at #4.  Oswalt began performing stand-up comedy in 1988, eventually moving from Virginia to San Francisco and then Los Angeles, where he became part of the comedy scene.

#4: Patton Oswalt
iTunes stats: 1402 plays
Previous ranking: #4

Funnyman Patton Oswalt stays level from five years ago, despite a small 9.7% increase thanks to 124 new listens to the 135 comedy bits in my collection.  In addition to the seven comedy albums, I’ve also read his book and, in 2018, saw him do a talk, moderated by author Gillian Flynn, about his late wife’s book, about the search for the Golden State Killer.  Little did he, or anyone, know, the next day Sacramento police announced that they had made an arrest in the case.

I recently added his latest two comedy albums via iTunes and I hope to one day make it to one of his live shows.