According to a new PPL chart to celebrate the upcoming National Album Day 2025, the band have amassed over 400 million seconds of radio and TV airplay, the equivalent of 12.5 years of continuous play this century, with their most played track being ‘A Kind Of Magic’.
Freddie Mercury may have never seen a streaming service in his lifetime, but nearly 35 years after his death, Queen has become the blueprint for what a back catalogue can do in the digital age. In 2026, they are not merely surviving on Spotify but are the most-streamed classic rock band in the world.
Let’s start with the numbers. Queen has eight tracks beyond a billion plays, including ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Somebody to Love’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. The latter has now passed 3.3 billion Spotify streams, while ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ sits behind on 2.8bn.
Reacting to the accolade, guitarist Brian May said: “Astounding news! Bearing in mind that most of Queen’s major works were done in the 20th century, it’s amazing to top a 21st century list. Big thanks to all our fans.”
Peter Leathem OBE, PPL Chief Executive Officer, PPL added: “This chart underlines how rock music across the decades continues to thrive on UK airwaves. Congratulations to Queen on this great accolade in such a significant anniversary year for their first Number One album [‘A Night At The Opera’]. It’s a testament to their expansive and much-loved music catalogue that they continue to mean so much to UK audiences to this very day.”
David Bowie was the second most played rock act ahead of U2 and Oasis.
1. Queen
2. David Bowie
3. U2
4. Oasis
5. Fleetwood Mac
6. Stereophonics
7. The Rolling Stones
8. The Police
9. The Killers
10. Kings Of Leon
This year marks the eighth edition of the event since it was launched by the BPI and ERA in association with broadcast partner BBC Radio 2 in 2018. The theme of 2025 will be centred around rock music.
Wolf Alice, Nova Twins, Architects and Iron Maiden were recently named as Album Champions for its 2025 edition.
