* Highlife up 224%, Igbo Pop up 303%, Fuji up 187%
Africa’s music scene isn’t just growing, it’s exploding. Across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), established stars are pushing boundaries, while sounds such as Afrobeats and Amapiano continue to captivate audiences worldwide. This explosion is more than just a trend, it’s backed by impressive numbers.
According to the 2024 International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) report, the SSA market boasts the world’s fastest-growing music revenue with a staggering 24.7% growth increase. This growth is fueled by a surge in paid streaming services, which now contributes 24.5% of the revenue. Notably, SSA is the only region surpassing 20% growth.
Nigeria has undoubtedly contributed massively to this growth. With a population of approximately 230 million and being home to some of Africa’s biggest artistes, the country’s music scene is a force to be reckoned with. Streaming platforms like Spotify have been a game-changer, allowing artists to reach audiences beyond their borders and benefit financially from their craft.
Spotify launched its yearly report, Loud and Clear, to increase transparency in the music industry by sharing data on Spotify’s royalty payments and breaking down the global streaming economy, the players, and the process. For the second year in a row, Spotify is releasing the data on earnings specifically for Nigerian artists on the platform.
Streaming royalties for Nigerian artists on Spotify alone exceeded N25 billion in 2023, double the prior year. (2,500% increase since 2017).
The number of Nigerian artistes earning over N10 million in royalties quadrupled since 2018 Over half of these royalties went to independent artistes or labels, showcasing the democratizing power of streaming Spotify. Listeners discovered Nigerian artists nearly 950 million times in 2023.
Nigerian artistes own over 80% of the tracks featured on Nigeria’s daily top 50 chart in 2023.
Over 1,400 Nigerian artistes added to Spotify editorial playlists in 2023.
Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, said: “The significant growth in royalties earned by Nigerian artists on our platform is a powerful testament to their talent, creativity, and global appeal. We’re proud to amplify their voices and fuel the Nigerian music revolution. As a leader in the streaming economy, we’re committed to supporting African creators to make a living from their art and we’ll continue to invest further in African artists to ensure this momentum continues.”
Beyond Afrobeats: A genre revolution While Afrobeats remains the king, Nigeria’s music scene is experiencing a genre revolution. Spotify data reveals an increase in popularity across local genres:
Homegrown genres like Highlife (up 224%), Igbo Pop (up 303%), and Fuji (up 187%) are experiencing significant increase in listenership in the last 12 monthsHighlife, Fuji, and Igbo Pop also saw listenership increase in Q1 2024 growing by 240%, 175%, and 270% respectively, compared to Q1 2023
Top Artists: Fuji king K1 De Ultimate remains on top, while Highlife finds new life with Umu Obiligbo’s energy and Phyno for Igbo Pop.
Top Tracks: Fuji gets a fresh spin with Adewale Ayuba’s Koloba Koloba, Highlife goes nostalgic with Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe’s Nwanem Ebezina and Igbo Pop gets a vibrant boost with KCee’s Ojapiano.
Men dominate listeners of local music genres like Fuji (85%), Highlife (89%), and Igbo Pop (81%). However, Gen Z (aged 18-24) is the leading age group across all the three genres, making up
32% of Fuji listeners, 31% of Highlife listeners, and 46% of Igbo Pop listeners.
Interestingly, cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Katsina all top the charts for streaming these local genres – Fuji, Highlife, and Igbo Pop.
The top five exported music genres from Nigeria are Afrobeats, Nigerian Pop, Afropop, Nigerian Hip Hop and Afro R&B.Inline image.
