Nigerian artistes cash in on streaming boom with ₦60 billion Spotify earnings

The platform recorded 30.3 billion streams and more than 1.6 billion listening hours for Nigerian music in 2025, reflecting growing global demand and stronger engagement from local audiences.

Nigerian artistes generated more than ₦60 billion in revenue from Spotify in 2025, according to Spotify’s latest Loud & Clear annual report, marking its 20th anniversary.

The data provided detailed insights into the economics of music streaming and how artists earn on the platform.

According to the report, revenue earned by Nigerian artistes on Spotify alone rose by more than 140 per cent over the past two years, highlighting the growing global appeal of Nigerian music and the expanding economic opportunities for creators in the country.

The data also showed a sharp rise in audience engagement. In 2025, Nigerian artistes recorded 30.3 billion streams and 1.6 billion listening hours on Spotify. During the same period, their music was discovered by more than 1.3 billion first-time listeners, representing a 26 per cent increase compared with 2024.

Stronger local listening

While Nigerian music continues to enjoy strong international traction, the report highlighted that its domestic popularity is also rising.

In 2025, Nigerian artistes accounted for over 80 per cent of the songs featured on Spotify Nigeria’s Daily Top 50 chart, demonstrating the dominance of local talent in shaping the country’s listening habits.

Local consumption of Nigerian music on the platform also grew by 170 per cent year-on-year.

Commenting on the findings, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director of Spotify in Africa, said the figures highlight the continued global influence of Nigerian music.

“Nigeria’s music story continues to be one of creativity, innovation and global cultural influence. What we’re seeing is a market where talent is not only reaching new audiences around the world, but also building deeper connections at home.

“For us, Loud & Clear is an opportunity to spotlight the evolving pathways artistes are taking to build sustainable careers, and to show the many ways Nigerian creators are shaping the future of music,” she stated.

Independent artistes push

The report also points to growth across different segments of the industry, particularly among female and independent artistes.

Local streams of Nigerian female artistes rose by 55 per cent year-on-year, while streams of Nigerian independent artistes increased by 75 per cent during the same period.

Independent creators and labels also accounted for a significant share of earnings, generating about 58 per cent of all royalties earned by Nigerian artistes on Spotify in 2025.

Spotify’s editorial playlists also played a role in boosting visibility for Nigerian talent. In 2025, nearly 2,000 Nigerian artistes were added to Spotify editorial playlists, helping them reach wider audiences.

Globally, Nigerian artistes appeared in almost 320 million user-generated playlists, while over 12 million playlists were created in Nigeria alone. Altogether, more than 60 million playlists featuring Nigerian artistes were created on the platform in 2025.

Beyond Afrobeats, the data also reveals a diversifying listening culture in Nigeria.

Over the past five years, genres experiencing the fastest growth on Spotify in the country include pop urbaine, alternative pop, anime, emo and drill, suggesting a rapidly evolving musical landscape driven by younger listeners.

Streaming revenue rises

The Loud & Clear report also showed how streaming has become an increasingly important source of income for Nigerian artistes.

In 2024, Nigerian artistes generated over ₦58 billion in royalties from Spotify, more than double the ₦25 billion recorded in 2023 and about five times the estimated ₦11 billion earned in 2022.

The report also notes that streaming activity within Nigeria has grown dramatically, with local listening rising 206 per cent year-on-year in 2024 and 782 per cent over three years. International streams of Nigerian music also increased by 49 per cent during the same period.

The number of Nigerian artistes earning at least ₦10 million annually from Spotify has also surged, more than doubling since 2023 and tripling compared with 2022.

The data also says the company paid over $11 billion in royalties in 2025, bringing its total payouts to nearly $70 billion to the music industry. About 13,800 artistes earned at least $100,000, while more than 1,500 artistes made over $1 million from Spotify streams.

The report also shows growing opportunities for more artistes. The 100,000th-highest-earning artist made about $7,300 in 2025, up from about $350 a decade earlier.

Around half of all royalties went to independent and DIY artistes, and over 50% of earnings came from international listeners, while Spotify also helped drive over $1.5 billion in global concert ticket sales

Nigeria’s biggest streaming stars

Although Spotify does not disclose individual royalty earnings, streaming data offers insight into the country’s most dominant artistes on the platform.

Among the most-streamed artistes in Nigeria are Wizkid, Seyi Vibez, Asake, Burna Boy, Odumodublvck, BNXN, Davido, Rema and Olamide.

Among female acts, Ayra Starr remains the most-streamed female artiste in Nigeria, alongside global stars such as Tems.

Internationally, Nigerian artistes including Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Tems and Ayra Starr continue to dominate global streaming charts.

Rema’s global hit Calm Down, featuring Selena Gomez, has remained the most-exported Nigerian song worldwide for three consecutive years.

In terms of all-time Spotify streams, Wizkid leads Nigerian artistes with about 7.1 billion streams, followed by Burna Boy with approximately 6.7 billion.

The growth is also evident across the African continent, where Nigeria and South Africa are leading a Sub-Saharan streaming boom.