In 2018, Drake found the perfect angle to every money stream available to him. As far as his steaming totals are concerned, the stark data compiled in the month of December tells the story of Drake reigning supreme in the category of "on-demand audio streams," divided in part into two separate colonies: ad-supported streaming and the subscription-based system. No matter the platform or interface being put to good to use by the consumer, Drake figures somewhere in the conversation, as a means to an end.
BuzzAngle Music's 2018 report on "Paid Streams" points to Drake assuming the mantle of "the industry's favorite child," because of his incredible outreach, and his confidence in front of an audience. The "God's Plan" music video isn't what it cracked up to be. In reality, Drake and the executive order watched the masses absorb this message of "social wellness" while they patted their pockets. And that doesn't account for the devilish laugh they mustered together in the backroom politickin'.
Ad-supported streaming correlates with free services like YouTube, in streamlining content, instrumental to the for-profit system. When BuzzAngle creates a distinction between "Paid Streams" and "Non-Paid Streams," they are simply making things needlessly complicated for the consumer. Buzz has spoken, Drake is the stream King, and with that comes the inevitable rise of streaming habits, up 41.8% in 2018 the year, for a total of 534.6 billion on all platforms combined.