Who Were The Top Songwriters of 2018?

There are plenty of charts ranking the top songs, and the artists who performed them. But only one chart ranks the songwriters that play as vital a role in creating the music we all love—Royalty Exchange’s Top Hitmakers chart.

The company has published this chart on a weekly basis for over two years, and today released the compiled results for all of 2018. Topping the list of 50 is Aubrey Graham, better known as hip-hop superstar Drake. 

While a popular performer, Drake is also a prolific writer and frequent collaborator. His leading spot is due not only to 25 of the hit songs he wrote and released himself last year, but also the success of nine other songs performed by eight other artists he collaborated with in the same timeframe. 

Many other performers also made the list due to their songwriting credits—such as Post Malone (No. 3), Ed Sheeran (No. 4), and Cardi B (No. 5). But the Top Hitmakers chart also reveals several songwriters whose names are rarely celebrated as publicly as the performers whose music they are so influential in creating. 

This includes producer Louis Bell in the No. 2 spot. In addition to his work with Post Malone, Bell also reached his position thanks to his work on eight other hit songs from the likes of Halsey, Selena Gomez, Tiesto, and Lil Wayne. 

Another is Adam Feeney, AKA Frank Dukes. His work with Camila Cabello, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, and other artists across 18 songs placed him at No. 9. Just behind him at No. 10 is the songwriting master Max Martin, with writing credits on five songs split between Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. 

“The Top Hitmakers chart offers a fascinating glimpse into the web of creativity behind today’s popular music,” said Royalty Exchange CEO Matthew Smith. “In the two years that we’ve published the Top Songwriter’s chart, we’ve learned one thing for certain—the role songwriters play in the music industry far outweighs the attention they receive for it. Raising awareness of this is a crucial component of ensuring they get fair compensation for their efforts.”

The Top Hitmakers chart is compiled by analyzing the songwriters behind every song on the Billboard Hot 100 each week. Songs are given a point value based on their position, and the songwriters credited to each song split those points equally. The songwriter with the most points week to week top the chart. 

You can view the complete Top Hitmakers 2018 chart at charts.royaltyexchange.com/2018, where you can also sign up to receive weekly chart updates. 

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