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.
We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering a large mix of genres and decades, from pop to punk, hip hop to new jack swing, and everything in between.
#138: Hootie & the Blowfish
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #154
The group, formed in Columbia, South Carolina in 1986, saw a 25-play increase spread across the five songs in my collection.
#138: Katy Perry
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #143
Five tracks from the pop singer, who embarrassed herself last year following a Blue Origin flight into “space,” accounted for 21 new listens.
#138: Ramones
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #131
The New York-based punk rock pioneers increased their total by 27% thanks to 17 new plays over the past five years.
#134: The Police
iTunes stats: 81 plays
Previous ranking: #133
The English band, led by Sting until their 1984 breakup, added 19 new plays.
#134: Color Me Badd
iTunes stats: 81 plays
Previous ranking: #117
The boy band, first formed in 1985 in Oklahoma and popular in the New Jack Swing sub-genre, saw a slight 17% increase over the past five years.
#134: The Mamas & The Papas
iTunes stats: 81 plays
Previous ranking: #154
Together for only four years in the mid-to-late 60s, the influential vocal group, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, added 26 new plays for across the three songs in my collection.
#134: Warren G
iTunes stats: 81 plays
Previous ranking: #154
The stepbrother of Dr. Dre combines the total from three tracks off his debut album to add 26 additional plays over these past five years.
#133: John Travolta
iTunes stats: 82 plays
Previous ranking: #117
The 71-year-old actor combines his contributions to two movie soundtracks, Grease and Pulp Fiction, to add thirteen additional listens.
#129: Matthew Sweet
iTunes stats: 83 plays
Previous ranking: #164
After seeing him in concert back in 2017, I added two new tracks to the three already in my collection, which combined for 30 new plays over these past five years.
#129: Bruce Springsteen
iTunes stats: 83 plays
Previous ranking: #120
The Boss adds fifteen new listens while dropping nine spots on the list thanks to the four tunes in my collection.