Entertainment

Spotify Boosts Nigerian Music Industry with N25 Billion Royalties

Written by Jerry Alomatu on May 10, 2024

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Spotify, the renowned global music streaming platform, has announced that it disbursed more than N25 billion in royalties to Nigerian artists throughout 2023. Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, revealed this in a statement on Friday, highlighting a significant surge from previous years, marking a 2,500 percent increase since 2017.

Muhutu-Remy shared these details from Spotify’s newly launched annual report, “Loud & Clear,” aimed at enhancing transparency in the music industry by providing insights into Spotify’s royalty payments and elucidating the global streaming economy, its stakeholders, and processes.

She further disclosed that the number of Nigerian artists earning over N10 million in royalties has quadrupled since 2018. Notably, more than half of these royalties were directed to independent artists or labels, underscoring the democratizing influence of streaming.

In 2023, Spotify users discovered Nigerian artists nearly 950 million times, with Nigerian artists owning over 80 percent of the tracks featured on Nigeria’s daily top 50 chart. Additionally, over 1,400 Nigerian artists were added to Spotify’s editorial playlists in the same year.

Muhutu-Remy emphasized the remarkable growth in royalties earned by Nigerian artists on Spotify, attributing it to their talent, creativity, and global appeal. She reiterated Spotify’s commitment to amplifying their voices and supporting the Nigerian music revolution.

While Afrobeats remains dominant, Muhutu-Remy highlighted a genre revolution in Nigeria’s music scene, evidenced by an upsurge in popularity across local genres. Highlife experienced a 224 percent increase in listenership, Igbo Pop surged by 303 percent, and Fuji saw a 187 percent rise over the past year.

Furthermore, in Q1 2024, Highlife, Fuji, and Igbo Pop continued their growth trajectory, with a surge in listenership compared to the same period in 2023.

Top artists like Fuji King K1 De Ultimate, Umu Obiligbo, and Phyno have played pivotal roles in these local genre expansions. Notable tracks like Adewale Ayuba’s “Koloba Koloba,” Chief Osita Osadebe’s “Nwanem Ebezina,” and KCee’s “Ojapiano” have fueled the momentum.

While men dominate listenership across local genres, Gen Z (aged 18 to 24) represents the leading age group across Fuji, Highlife, and Igbo Pop genres. Cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Katsina have emerged as top streaming hubs for these local genres.

The top five exported music genres from Nigeria include Afrobeats, Nigerian Pop, Afropop, Nigerian Hip Hop, and Afro Rhymes and Blues, underlining Nigeria’s diverse and influential musical landscape.