One Direction
One Direction are expected to score yet another number one with their new single Drag Me Down Syco Records

It has been less than a week since One Direction released new single Drag Me Down (31 July 2015), but it is already dominating music sales. The single is reportedly raking in the big bucks on Spotify, and is on course to knock Little Mix off the number one spot on the UK singles charts on Friday.

Since its release, Drag Me Down has amassed an average of 3.11m plays on the music-streaming service on a daily basis. Based on the average payout per stream, Music Business Worldwide has estimated that the single is earning music-business rightsholders $21,700 (£13.9m) a day.

The Spotify For Artists website explains that the company pays music rightsholders between $0.006 and $0.0084 for each stream. It is believed the single would have grossed slightly more than the subsequent days after acquiring 4.75m streams on its release day alone, earning an estimated $33,250 for music rightsholders in just 24 hours.

Listen to One Direction's new single Drag Me Down:

The four-piece of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson will no doubt be celebrating soon, as Drag Me Down is also set to become the UK's new number one single, with the track expected to end Little Mix's two-week reign with their song Black Magic. The What Makes You Beautiful hitmakers already have three UK number-one singles to their name. The track is 1D's first official release since Zayn Malik quit the group in March.

Supporters of Malik, 22, were quick to accuse the group of releasing the song as a jab to their former bandmate, but Tomlinson has denied these claims. Speaking to Capital FM's Breakfast Show, the singer said: "Are you trying to look for some kind of controversial answer here? You're not getting it. The song is not about that... obviously. [It's] just saying no one can drag you down, you'll be all right, don't worry – as long as we're with each other that's all right."

Coinciding with the single's release, Malik announced that he had signed a deal with RCA Records and is looking forward to making what he has called "real music". Drag Me Down is expected to feature on the boy band's forthcoming fifth studio album, which is set for release later in 2015.

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