Dolly Parton’s streaming surge tops charts; she becomes the world’s most streamed artist

New York – Dolly Parton, the country music icon, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur and theme‑park enthusiast, has become the world’s most streamed artist following her death on Tuesday. According to data released early Friday afternoon by industry analytics firm Luminate, the singer’s catalog saw a 2,458 % spike in audio and video streams in the United States on the day of her passing, jumping from 1.2 million to 30.5 million streams, and reaching 46.3 million by Wednesday. Worldwide, streams surged 1,549 %, climbing from 2.5 million on Monday to 41.8 million on Tuesday, and then to 79.7 million on-demand audio streams by Wednesday, a figure that placed her at the top of the global charts.

In the U.S., ten tracks led the surge. “Jolene” exploded from 196.2 K streams on Monday to 3.3 million on Tuesday and 4 million on Wednesday. “9 to 5” rose from 208.6 K to 3 million and then 3.6 million. Her duet “Islands in the Stream” with the late Kenny Rogers climbed from 165.9 K to 2.1 million and then 2.9 million. “I Will Always Love You,” her own rendition of the song that Whitney Houston later popularised, grew from 64.9 K to 2 million and 2.8 million. “Here You Come Again” moved from 48.7 K to 1.5 million and 2.1 million. “Coat of Many Colors” jumped from 28.9 K to 1.3 million and 1.9 million. “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That?” climbed from 22.1 K to 827 K and 1.3 million. “There Was Jesus,” a 2019 duet with Christian singer Zach Williams, rose from 85.2 K to 635.1 K and 682 K. “My Tennessee Mountain Home” increased from 5.8 K to 562.3 K and 1.1 million. Finally, “Tyrant,” her collaboration with Beyoncé from Beyoncé’s 2024 album “Cowboy Carter,” jumped from 47.8 K to 559.2 K and 755.5 K.

The surge in streaming has also translated into a boom in book sales. Parton’s memoir “Dolly Parton, Songteller,” the collection “My Life in Lyrics,” and a picture story based on “Coat of Many Colors” all entered the top five of Amazon.com’s bestseller list by early Friday afternoon. The Associated Press has compiled an official playlist of Parton’s work, highlighting songs that challenge gender norms and showcase her songwriting prowess, and readers can explore the stories behind each track.