At a glanceGuinness's March 2023 description followed The Weeknd's Spotify monthly-listener milestones. It was a dated measurement, not a permanent ranking of every form of musical success.
The record and its date
Guinness World Records reported in March 2023 that The Weeknd had set records for Spotify monthly listeners and for being the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on the service. Its separate milestone entry records Spotify's confirmation of the 100-million threshold on February 27, 2023.
The March report cited 111.4 million monthly listeners as of March 20. Both the platform and the measurement date belong beside that number. Removing them can make a historical achievement appear to be a live chart update.
Source [1] Source [2]What the number can and cannot tell you
A count of listeners answers a different question from a count of plays. Someone who listens repeatedly can generate many streams while still being one listener within the measurement window. Followers, album purchases and concert attendance measure other kinds of activity again.
That is why 'most popular' needs a stated basis. A Spotify monthly-listener milestone is meaningful evidence of reach on Spotify. It does not by itself compare every artist's audiences across radio, other streaming services, live events and all countries. This is a reading guide to the claim, rather than an alternative all-purpose popularity table.
Source [1]How to compare a later music headline
Check whether the later figure uses the same service, the same metric and a comparable date. Then distinguish the first person to cross a threshold from the person who leads a changing chart at a later point. A milestone can remain part of music history after a leaderboard moves on.
NewsCubby's Music section provides a route to current coverage. The original Guinness entries remain linked below so readers can see exactly which achievement this older address refers to.
Source [2]