‘Despacito’ Makes History as Most Streamed Song of All-Time

The undeniable “Despacito,” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee and featuring Justin Bieber, has become the most streamed track ever, Universal Music Latin Entertainment has announced on July 19, with combined global streams of more than 4.6 billion plays across leading streaming platforms in the six months since its release.

The record had previously been set by Bieber for the 2015 hit “Sorry,” which, along with remixes, has logged 4.38 billion plays.

“Despacito” is credited to UMLE, Raymond Braun Music Group, Def Jam, and Republic Records, and has spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Streaming has opened up the possibility of a song with a different beat, from a different culture and in a different language to become a juggernaut of success around the world,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group. “Luis Fonsi already had the undisputed, biggest song of the year – and now he’s setting even bigger records. My congratulations to Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, as well as everyone at Universal Music Latin Entertainment, Republic Records and Def Jam, on this tremendous accomplishment.”

Added Jesús Lopez, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Latin America & Iberian Peninsula: “Streaming has democratized music consumption, it has made Latin music increasingly relevant on the charts and it has amplified our songs and videos to a world stage. ‘Despacito’ has broken every record thanks to Luis Fonsi’s talent and creativity, which have positioned him as a pillar of Latin music for the past 20 years. I also congratulate Erika Ender, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber for their valuable contributions, as well as the different teams involved in the success of this song.”

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