Spotify’s Loud & Clear 2025 report reveals record growth for Indian artists

Spotify has released its latest Loud & Clear 2025 report, offering insights into how the streaming economy continues to shape the global music industry while significantly boosting India’s artist economy. As Spotify celebrates six years of operations in India, the platform’s impact on local musicians has been nothing short of transformative.

The report highlights how Spotify’s initiatives are helping Indian artists tap into international markets, with nearly 50% of all royalties generated by Indian artists in 2024 coming from overseas listeners. This figure reflects a substantial increase from the previous year’s 40%. The most popular markets outside India include the United States, United Kingdom, UAE, Pakistan, Canada, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

The platform has proven to be a significant revenue generator for Indian musicians. The number of artists earning over INR 50 lakh annually through Spotify has more than doubled since 2022. Even more impressive, the number of musicians earning over INR 1 crore per year has tripled, while those earning above INR 5 crore have doubled during the same period.

According to Spotify, approximately two-thirds of all royalties generated in India in 2024 came from Indian artists. This success is attributed to artist education initiatives, emerging artist programs, and various on-ground experiences designed to connect creators and fans more effectively.

Spotify’s daily top 50 playlist in India continues to be dominated by local artists, with over 90% of the tracks featured in 2024 belonging to Indian musicians, marking a 6% increase compared to 2023. Moreover, more than 9,000 Indian artists were included in global and local editorial playlists in 2024, a rise from the 8,700 artists featured the previous year.

Spotify’s influence extends beyond the Hindi-speaking audience, with music performed in Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu also seeing substantial growth. For instance, Telugu music’s popularity rose by 39% year-on-year globally, with royalties more than doubling since 2021.

From Hindi pop and hip-hop to Punjabi pop, Tamil pop, and Malayalam hip-hop, Indian music is breaking barriers and reaching new audiences worldwide. The platform’s success is largely driven by artists like Arijit Singh, Pritam, Anirudh Ravichander, Karan Aujla, Shreya Ghoshal, Diljit Dosanjh, Hanumankind, Kalmi, A.R. Rahman, Sidhu Moose Wala, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Vishal-Shekhar, AP Dhillon, Badshah, and Alka Yagnik.

Interestingly, over 65% of the top 30 most-exported songs in 2024 were created outside the Indian film industry, signalling a shift toward independent music gaining global traction.

Globally, Spotify paid out over $10 billion in music royalties in 2024, with cumulative payouts now approaching $60 billion since its inception. The company’s efforts to democratize the music ecosystem continue to pay off, creating a landscape where fans and creators thrive together.