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J. Cole's KOD snags title from Drake for most-streamed album

More people in the US listened to the rap album on Apple Music and Spotify in its first 24 hours than any other.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor
Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."
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Shara Tibken
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More people have streamed J. Cole's album on Apple Music and Spotify in its first 24 hours than any other record. 

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People sure are addicted to J. Cole's new music. 

More people in the US listened to the American rapper's new album KOD on Apple Music and Spotify than any other album on its day of release, including the previous record holder, Views from Drake. 

People streamed KOD 64.5 million times in 24 hours on Apple Music, beating Views by almost a million streams. And J. Cole's tracks are 7 of the top 10 most-streamed songs in a 24-hour period on Apple Music. 

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On Spotify, KOD was streamed 36.7 million times in its first 24 hours of availability, the company tweeted, also setting a new record. 

KOD focuses on addiction, depression and other similar themes. The Guardian called it "brilliantly brooding" and said Cole "sets himself up as the conscience of mainstream hip hop." And Vulture calls its a "thoughtful meditation on addiction." Tracks include Once an Addict (Interlude); The Cut Off; and Photograph.

Spotify and Apple Music have emerged as the early leaders in the changing market for how we play and pay for music. Rather than buying music outright, like in the era of CDs and digital downloads, people are increasingly paying flat fees for all-you-can-access tunes. 

While more people streamed KOD on Apple Music, Spotify still dwarfs Apple's service in overall subscriber numbers. In March, Apple said it has 38 million subscribers, which was up 2 million in a month. Spotify, which went public earlier this month, has 71 million paying members. Still, a report from earlier this year said Apple may be on track to overtake Spotify in the US, the biggest music market in the world, based on a snapshot of monthly growth rates.

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