Spotify, the global music streaming giant, said that streaming earnings for Nigerian artists will increase—not due to higher subscription prices, but because more people in Nigeria will be paying for music.
Nigerian subscription costs are still far lower than those in other African markets. Currently, Spotify Premium costs roughly ₦1,600 ($1.16) in Nigeria, whereas it costs $4.29 in South Africa, $2.07 in Ghana, and $3.23 in Kenya.
In an interview, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director of Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa, stated, “We cannot just say, let’s try to meet our benchmark and multiply and increase unreasonably.” “We must consider people’s realities.”
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the international association for the recording industry, reports that in 2025, streaming accounted for 69.6% of recorded music earnings worldwide.
According to data from Spotify’s annual Loud & Clear report, Nigerian musicians made about ₦1.98 for each stream in 2025.
”That is the current reality, but it will change with volume and market growth,” Muhutu-Remy stated. “It will be less if the revenue per user is at that level,” stated the head of Spotify Africa. For us, the most crucial thing is to help Nigerians and Africans develop the habit of streaming music on a daily basis. to make advantage of platforms such as ours.
With 761 million active users and about 300 million customers, Spotify presently operates in 184 markets. Spotify stated that subscriptions across the region are increasing, although without disclosing country-specific data.
The figures are so obvious that you can tell how they are expanding. That money comes mostly from subscriptions, but it also comes from our total revenue, she said.
Spotify reports that between 2023 and 2025, the income of Nigerian musicians increased by 140%. It increased by 28% annually in South Africa.
Due to their contribution to Nigerian music’s worldwide popularity, local listeners continue to be economically significant beyond simple membership fees.
According to Muhutu-Remy, “just because Spotify is less expensive in Nigeria does not mean a Nigerian fan is less valuable.” “Because removing Nigerian music from Nigeria requires a Nigerian. Therefore, even though the individual streaming in Nigeria is only paying a $1, ten of their relatives in the US and Canada are paying multiple digits.
The rest of the world is South African music’s largest market on Spotify, accounting for about 74% of the R504 million ($30.69 million) earned by South African artists in 2025.
Local Spotify artist consumption has increased by 170% in Nigeria. This had an effect on artists’ compensation in 2025. The artist payout increased by 3.45% between 2024 and 2025, despite growing by 140% in just three years.
In order to boost paid subscriptions throughout Africa, the business said it is investing in local pricing, telecom alliances, payment interfaces, and alternative payment ways rather than boosting rates in regions under economic strain.
In 2023, Spotify and telecom behemoth Orange collaborated to provide free music on Spotify’s platform to users in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and Mali who signed up for an Orange mobile contract.
”This will build the business and the ecosystem as a whole by diversifying the partners we work with, making payment accessible, being sensitive to affordability, and putting forward a product that really brings value in people’s lives,” she stated.
Muhutu-Remy claims that it is incorrect to assume that despite growing economic pressure, African customers are hesitant to pay for digital subscriptions.
”You will be happy to know that there is generally a willingness to pay in Africa,” she stated. “To say the opposite is a cliché.”
Nigeria is one of Spotify’s largest long-term bets on the continent because it is a market with established cultural influence but still growing subscription economics.
According to Muhutu-Remy, “Nigeria is a superpower from a cultural perspective.” “Because the conditions are right, it has the potential to become a commercial superpower.”
