Nigerian artistes generated more than N60 billion from Spotify streams in 2025, underscoring the country’s surging influence in the global music economy, according to the streaming platform’s latest Loud & Clear report released in Lagos.

The report, which breaks down how money flows through Spotify’s ecosystem, shows that revenue earned by Nigerian artistes on the platform has risen by over 140 per cent in the last two years. Spotify said the figures reflect both the expanding global appetite for Nigerian sounds and the deepening commercial opportunities for creators at home.

In 2025 alone, Nigerian artistes racked up about 30.3 billion streams and 1.6 billion listening hours on Spotify. Their music was discovered by first-time listeners more than 1.3 billion times, a 26 per cent jump compared with 2024, highlighting the pace at which new audiences are being reached.

Domestically, Nigerian music continues to dominate listening habits. The report notes that local artistes accounted for over 80 per cent of the tracks on Spotify Nigeria’s Daily Top 50 in 2025. Local consumption of Nigerian artistes’ catalogues on the platform grew by 170 per cent year-on-year, signalling a robust and loyal home fan base.

Jocelyn Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Africa, said the data confirms Nigeria’s position as one of the continent’s most dynamic music markets.

She said the platform is seeing a landscape where Nigerian talent is not only exporting culture worldwide but also strengthening its roots domestically, using streaming to build sustainable careers and long-term audiences.

The report highlights particularly strong momentum among female and independent creators. Local streams of Nigerian female artistes climbed by 55 per cent year-on-year, while streams of independent Nigerian artistes rose by 75 per cent. About 58 per cent of all royalties generated by Nigerian artistes on Spotify in 2025 went to independent artistes or labels, underlining the growing power of self-managed and indie acts.

Spotify’s editorial and user-driven playlists are also playing a central role in discovery. Nearly 2,000 Nigerian artistes were added to the platform’s editorial playlists in 2025. Globally, Nigerian artistes appeared in about 320 million user playlists, while listeners in Nigeria created more than 12 million playlists featuring homegrown acts. In total, over 60 million playlists including Nigerian artistes were created on Spotify in 2025.

The report further notes that fast-growing genres in Nigeria on Spotify over the past five years include pop urbane, alternative pop, anime, emo, and drill, reflecting an increasingly diverse and experimental soundscape.