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R&B/hip-hop was the leading combined genre category in the United States in 2020, according to MRC Data’s year-end figures. It accounted for 28.2% of album-equivalent consumption and 30.7% of on-demand audio streams. Those are industry consumption measures—not a count of unique listeners—and the ranking applies to R&B and hip-hop together, not to either genre separately.
What “most listened to” means in the 2020 figures
The headline is best understood as a ranking by recorded music consumption. MRC Data’s album-equivalent measure combines physical and digital album sales with track and streaming equivalents. It is distinct from the report’s separate shares for on-demand audio and video plays, and none of these measures counts individual people.
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In year-end coverage of MRC Data’s figures, the combined R&B/hip-hop category represented 28.2% of total album-equivalent consumption in 2020. A Billboard/MRC Data-derived breakdown gives the more precise share as 28.21% and notes that figures are rounded. Music Business Worldwide’s summary of the year-end results reports the headline figures.
How the category performed across formats
The shares differ by measure because album-equivalent consumption, audio plays and video plays have different denominators. The reported 2020 figures were:
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| Measure | R&B/hip-hop share | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Total album-equivalent consumption | 28.2% (28.21% in a rounded breakdown) | Combined sales and streaming-equivalent measure; rock was second in total consumption. |
| U.S. on-demand audio streams | 30.7% | Rock followed at 16.3%, with pop at 13.1%. |
| U.S. on-demand video streams | 33.9% | Share of reported video plays; not interchangeable with audio or total consumption. |
MRC Data reported 872.6 billion U.S. on-demand audio plays in 2020, a 17% increase from 2019. Billboard’s year-end material notes that video-stream counting was recalibrated, so year-over-year video comparisons should not be read as if the methodology were unchanged.
What the ranking does—and does not—say
R&B/hip-hop is the category name used for the combined ranking. The figures do not establish that hip-hop alone or R&B alone ranked first. Rock was second in total consumption and on-demand audio, while pop was third in on-demand audio; a comparison needs to specify its measure because rankings can vary by format.
Rank #2
The midyear report also placed R&B/hip-hop first in total volume and on-demand streams during the first half of 2020. That finding describes the midyear period, not the final full-year ranking. Billboard’s year-end coverage includes the full-year figures and the video-counting note.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.2020 examples: a leading album and track
Lil Baby’s My Turn
MRC Data’s year-end highlights named Lil Baby’s My Turn the most-consumed album across genres in 2020, with 2.63 million equivalent album units. That album-level result is one example of the year’s listening, not a measure of the entire R&B/hip-hop category. MRC Data’s year-end highlights, as reported by Billboard, give the album figure.
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Year-end coverage identified “The Box” as the leading U.S. on-demand audio and video track. Music Business Worldwide reported 920.4 million audio plays and 399.2 million video plays for the song in 2020. These track totals are format-specific play counts, not unique listeners.
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- Product type: ABIS_MUSIC
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