South African artists earned more than R504-million from music streaming giant Spotify in 2025 alone, marking a sharp 28% increase from the previous year and almost double the earnings recorded in 2023.
The figures were revealed on Tuesday during Spotify’s annual Loud & Clear report launch held at the company’s new offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The report highlights the growing commercial success of South African music and the increasing global appetite for local sounds.
Power shift in music industry
According to Spotify, more than half of all royalties generated by South African artists on the platform last year came from independent artists and labels, signalling a major shift in power within the music industry.
The report also found that nearly 74% of royalties earned by South African artists came from listeners outside the country, reinforcing the international appeal of genres such as amapiano, hip hop and Afro-pop.
South African artists were discovered by first-time listeners more than 1.6 billion times on Spotify in 2025, a 40% increase compared to 2024. Meanwhile, close to 3,550 local artists were added to Spotify’s editorial playlists during the year.
Local music also continued to dominate streaming charts at home, with South African artists making up 67% of tracks featured on Spotify South Africa’s Daily Top 50 playlist in 2025.
Among the fastest-growing genres in the country over the past five years were cloud rap, pop country, acoustic country, pop rap and worship music.
Growing influence of female artists
The report further highlighted the growing influence of female artists and indigenous languages. Streams of South African female artists increased by 22% locally and 20% internationally year-on-year, while music performed in isiZulu saw a 37% increase in global royalties over the past year and more than 120% growth over two years.
Speaking at the event, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy said the latest figures prove South African artists have become a dominant global creative force.
“Their success is driven by worldwide demand, ensuring that independent and local talent alike are being discovered by billions of listeners and taking the international stage by storm,” she said.
Solly Malatsi, who could not attend the event, shared a statement praising Spotify for investing in South Africa and recognising the country as a continental creative hub.
Malatsi also challenged the platform to do more to support African languages, improve transparency and invest in skills development across the music ecosystem.
During a panel discussion, Spotify’s Head of Music for Sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, responded: “This is a challenge we accept as Spotify.”
Spotify said African music has become a global cultural force, with cities such as Johannesburg, Lagos, Accra and Nairobi shaping worldwide music trends in real time.
- South African artists earned more than R504-million from music streaming giant Spotify in 2025 alone, marking a sharp 28% increase from the previous year and almost double the earnings recorded in 2023.
- The figures were revealed on Tuesday during Spotify’s annual Loud & Clear report launch held at the company’s new offices in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
- The report highlights the growing commercial success of South African music and the increasing global appetite for local sounds.
- Power shift in music industry According to Spotify, more than half of all royalties generated by South African artists on the platform last year came from independent artists and labels, signalling a major shift in power within the music industry.
- The report also found that nearly 74% of royalties earned by South African artists came from listeners outside the country, reinforcing the international appeal of genres such as amapiano, hip hop and Afro-pop.
