--- title: Ed Sheeran Song First to Hit 500 Million Spotify Streams description: Spotify says Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran is the first song ever to reach 500 million streams. canonical: https://time.com/4070038/ed-sheeran-spotify-record-thinking-out-loud/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-12T16:09:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:54.581Z og:title: Ed Sheeran Just Set a Big Spotify Record og:description: With this song og:url: https://time.com/4070038/ed-sheeran-spotify-record-thinking-out-loud/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb84934ecdd24a33a/69885c882dce0185ef9e4cb5/ed-sheeran-proposal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Ed Sheeran Performs At Croke Park In Dublin og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ed Sheeran Just Set a Big Spotify Record twitter:description: With this song twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb84934ecdd24a33a/69885c882dce0185ef9e4cb5/ed-sheeran-proposal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ed Sheeran Just Set a Big Spotify Record > Sponsored content. 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Waxman Staff Writer Oct 12, 2015 4:09 PM UTC [Spotify announced](https://insights.spotify.com/us/2015/10/12/ed-sheeran-listening-map/) Monday that Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” has become “the first song ever to reach 500 million streams on Spotify.” The music streaming service says the popular singer-songwriter is second in streams only to Eminem, and also boasts the “third most worldwide listeners of any artist (behind The Weeknd and Calvin Harris).” One in four users has the recording artist in “at least one playlist,” the company claims. In a statement, the English singer said, “Thanks to all the people who use this as a wedding song, soundtrack to a date, and as a way to woo someone into a netflix-and-chill situation.” Listen to “Thinking Out Loud” below: ### Artists Who Have Never Won A Grammy  Queen John Rodgers—Redferns/Getty Images  Jackson 5 Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Spice Girls Ray Burmiston—Photoshot/Getty Images  GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01: Recording artist Katy Perry performs onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage) Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images  Björk Mark Horton—WireImage/Getty Images  Diana Ross performs in Dublin. ShowBizIreland/Getty Images  Nicki Minaj Denise Truscello—WireImage/Getty Images  Janis Joplin Evening Standard/Getty Images  Patti Smith Dick Barnatt—Redferns/Getty Images  Snoop Dogg Gabriel Olsen—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Jimi Hendrix David Redfern—Redferns/Getty Images  The Who The Visualeyes Archive/Redferns/Getty Images  The Doors Gunter Zint—Redferns/Getty Images  Led Zeppelin Chris Walter—WireImage/Getty Images  Public Enemy David Corio—Redferns/Getty Images  Journey Michael Putland—Getty Images  Kiss Michael Putland—Getty Images  Run-D.M.C. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  Ramones Roberta Bayley—Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images  Brian McKnight KMazur—WireImage/Getty Images  Nas Merrick Ales—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Iggy Pop Frans Schellekens—Redferns/Getty Images  Kid Rock Scott Legato—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4070038/ed-sheeran-spotify-record-thinking-out-loud/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4070038/ed-sheeran-spotify-record-thinking-out-loud/"},"headline":"Ed Sheeran Just Set a Big Spotify Record","datePublished":"2015-10-12T16:09:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:46:54.581Z","description":"With the song \"Thinking Out Loud\"","url":"https://time.com/4070038/ed-sheeran-spotify-record-thinking-out-loud/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb84934ecdd24a33a/69885c882dce0185ef9e4cb5/ed-sheeran-proposal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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