Latest news with #Loud&Clear
Broadcast Pro
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Egyptian artists ride streaming wave to global success, Spotify report reveals
The report highlights a fivefold increase in royalties earned by Egyptian artists on Spotify since 2022, with a 100% jump from 2023 to 2024 alone. Egyptian musicians are making major strides on the global stage, driven by the power of streaming. To mark World Music Day, Spotify has released its Loud & Clear report in Egypt for the first time, offering insight into how local artists are benefiting from the rise of digital platforms and expanding their international reach. According to the report, royalties earned by Egyptian artists on Spotify have increased more than fivefold since 2022, with a 100% rise between 2023 and 2024 alone. The sharp year-on-year increase highlights growing listener engagement with Egyptian music — both at home and abroad — and reflects the continued evolution of streaming into a key source of income for artists. Mark Abou Jaoude, Spotify's Head of Music for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, said: 'This is a pivotal moment for Egyptian music. The growth we're seeing goes beyond numbers — it signals a real shift in how artists are building audiences, careers, and cultural impact. Streaming is playing a key role in that transformation, creating new ways for artists to be heard and discovered, both locally and globally. What we've shared in Loud & Clear reflects this momentum — and it's only the start.' Independent artists are leading the charge. In 2024, over 90% of royalties generated by Egyptian artists came from those working independently or with indie labels — one of the highest rates globally. Genres like Mahraganat and Egyptian hip-hop, once considered underground, now dominate local streaming charts and shape the evolving identity of Egyptian music. Internationally, Egyptian artists are finding eager audiences. In 2024, more than 80% of the royalties earned came from outside Egypt, with significant traction in countries like the US, UK, Germany, Brazil, India and Indonesia. Egyptian music was discovered more than 480m times by first-time listeners on Spotify that year, reflecting a booming global interest in Arabic-language sounds. The momentum is also local. Within Egypt, Spotify streams of Egyptian music jumped more than 70% in 2024. Since Spotify's regional launch in 2018, domestic listening has grown nearly 450%, with over 80% of tracks in Spotify Egypt's Daily Top 50 chart created by Egyptian artists. Spotify's report also notes the growing global presence of Arabic as a musical language, ranking it among the fastest-growing languages on the platform in 2024. This rise supports Egypt's role at the forefront of Arabic music's global evolution. In addition to streaming exposure, Spotify is bolstering artist development through initiatives like RADAR Arabia, EQUAL Arabia, and curated playlists such as Fresh Finds Arabia. These programmes help spotlight emerging talent while providing tools and analytics through Spotify for Artists to support long-term growth. The report arrives amid a music boom across the Middle East and North Africa, with the region named the fastest-growing recorded music market in the world in 2024, according to the IFPI Global Music Report. Streaming was the primary growth engine, accounting for 99.5% of regional revenue. With rising global demand and increased support for creators, Egyptian artists are turning digital momentum into cultural influence — and building sustainable careers in the process.
Identity
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Identity
Egyptian Artists on the Rise: Spotify's Loud & Clear Report Highlights Global Reach and Independent Artist Growth
Egyptian artists are reaching new heights in the streaming world, building international audiences and growing their earnings. On the heels of World Music Day, Spotify has released its Loud & Clear report — shared for the first time in Egypt — offering a transparent look at how artists are benefiting from streaming, and how local sounds are resonating far beyond national borders. Loud & Clear, Spotify's annual music economics report, was created to bring greater clarity to the music industry by breaking down where royalties come from, how they are distributed, and who is earning. The 2024 Egypt edition paints a picture of an independent-driven music scene with global momentum and a growing local fan base. Royalties for Egyptian Artists Up 5x Since 2022 According to the report, royalties earned by Egyptian artists on Spotify have increased more than fivefold since 2022, with a 100% rise between 2023 and 2024 alone. The sharp year-on-year increase highlights growing listener engagement with Egyptian music — both at home and abroad — and reflects the continued evolution of streaming into a key source of income for artists. 'This is a pivotal moment for Egyptian music. The growth we're seeing goes beyond numbers — it signals a real shift in how artists are building audiences, careers, and cultural impact. Streaming is playing a key role in that transformation, creating new ways for artists to be heard and discovered, both locally and globally. What we've shared in Loud & Clear reflects this momentum — and it's only the start,' said Mark Abou Jaoude, Spotify's Head of Music for the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. Independent Sounds Take the Spotlight Independent artists and labels are at the forefront of Egypt's music scene, accounting for the majority of royalties earned in 2024. In 2024, more than 90% of royalties earned by Egyptian artists came from independent creators or labels — one of the highest independent shares globally. Genres like Mahraganat and Egyptian Hip-Hop, once considered underground, now rank among the most streamed in the country. These sounds, rooted in local culture and led by artist-owned creativity, are shaping the sonic identity of Egypt and finding resonance with listeners around the world. Egyptian Music Travels Far The data shows that Egyptian artists are increasingly finding fans across borders. In 2024, more than 80% of royalties were generated by listeners outside Egypt, including in countries like the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, India, and Brazil. Egyptian music was discovered over 480 million times by first-time listeners on Spotify that year, signaling a surge in global interest in local talent. Spotify data also reveals that the average year-on-year growth rate of global consumption of Egyptian music has reached nearly 60% since 2018 — the year Spotify launched in the Middle East and North Africa — highlighting the growing global reach of Egyptian music. Arabic-Language Music Gains Global Traction This international reach is part of a wider cultural trend. Arabic ranked among the fastest-growing languages on Spotify in 2024, joining Greek, Telugu, Turkish, and Polish. This growth reflects a rising appetite for regional sounds and supports the expanding influence of Arabic-language artists, with Egypt playing a central role in the narrative. Local Listening on the Rise While global discovery is accelerating, domestic streaming is also gaining momentum. Domestically, Egyptian music streams on Spotify grew by over 70% in E 2024, while local listening surged nearly 450% year-on-year since 2018. Notably, more than 80% of the tracks featured on Spotify Egypt's Daily Top 50 were by Egyptian artists, underscoring the strong connection between fans and homegrown music. Backing Artists Beyond the Stream Beyond global reach, a growing number of Spotify initiatives are helping Egyptian artists translate creative momentum into sustainable careers. Programs such as RADAR Arabia, EQUAL Arabia and playlists like Fresh Finds Arabia spotlight and elevate local talent, while tools like Spotify for Artists provide real-time insights, planning resources, and promotional support for artists and their teams. This combination of access, education, and targeted support reflects the heart of Spotify's mission: to give artists the opportunity to live off their art. Streaming Powers Regional Growth The launch of Loud & Clear in Egypt comes at a time of rapid transformation across the region. According to the IFPI Global Music Report, the Middle East and North Africa was the fastest-growing recorded music market in the world in 2024, with a 22.8% increase in revenue year-on-year. Streaming made up 99.5% of that growth, underscoring its role as the economic backbone of the modern music industry. As streaming continues to reshape the global music economy, Egyptian artists are turning opportunity into impact — reaching wider audiences and building lasting careers.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Indian music is a soft power with potential to woo global audiences'
Mumbai: Indian Pop—or I-Pop—isn't just having a moment but may be on the verge of going global in a big way. That was the big takeaway from a panel on 'How Music Can Amplify India's Global Identity' on Day Three of the first-ever World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES). Artistes and music industry voices said Indian music is increasingly being seen as a soft power force with real potential to connect with international audiences. The panel featured singer Amruta Fadnavis, Tips Industries' Kumar Taurani, playback singer Asees Kaur, music industry veteran Ralph Simon, and Spotify India MD Amarjit Batra. The group discussed how music can act as soft power and why Indian pop is well placed to catch the ears and hearts of global listeners. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Backing that up with numbers, Batra shared findings from Spotify's Loud & Clear report, released last March. In 2024 alone, Indian artists were discovered over 11.2 billion times by first-time listeners across the world—a 13% rise from the previous year. "This shows that there is a lot of interest in Indian artistes, even in other countries," he said, adding that even within India, the focus has largely shifted to homegrown music. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Amruta Fadnavis made a strong case for Indian pop's global potential. "The success of K-Pop and J-Pop shows how a country's music can serve as soft power and spark international interest in its culture," she said. "Indian Pop has the same potential," she said pointing to Nattu Nattu and Jai Ho as examples of Indian songs that have already made waves internationally. Singer Asees Kaur shared how her performance at London's O2 Arena hit home. "The love and energy from the crowd felt just like it does here," she said. "Indians as well as foreigners, you could see everyone connecting with the songs in their own way." Her experience points at a bigger shift. Between 2019 and 2023, streams of Indian artistes in global markets shot up by over 2,000%, according to Spotify. Ralph Simon, a pioneer of mobile music and fondly known as 'the father of the ringtone', credited this rise to the distinct voice and rootedness of Indian artistes. He namechecked talents like Hanumankind, Shankar Mahadevan, and Arijit Singh for creating music that stays true to Indian culture while still sounding global. "India is right on the cusp of the golden era of music," he said.
CBC
12-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Spotify paid over $10B US to the music industry last year. How much actually makes it to the artists?
Spotify announced in late January that it had paid out a record $10 billion US in royalties in 2024, the largest payout to the music industry in a single year. This amounts to a tenfold jump from $1 billion US in 2014. The Swedish streaming giant on Wednesday released further details in its Loud & Clear report, saying that nearly 1,500 artists earned over $1 million US in royalties from Spotify last year. The report also highlighted how artist generating royalties have tripled since 2017. And though Spotify has absolutely changed the game for artists in terms of exposure and helping them build their fanbase, that doesn't always translate to financial stability, according to music publicist Eric Alper. Spotify doesn't pay artists and songwriters directly and how much they get paid depends on their agreements with rights holders. And after all the pit stops on the revenue chain, he says what makes it into their hands could amount to a very tiny percentage. The streaming giant's report comes amid the ongoing debate about how much money artists and songwriters actually receive in royalties and whether it is actually fair. Many artists, especially songwriters, struggle to see substantial earnings from streaming, even if their songs rack up millions of plays. "While Spotify boasts a $10 billion payout in 2024, only a fraction of that ends up in the pockets of those who create the music. A typical signed artist might see only 10 to 20 per cent of their total earnings after their label takes its cut," Alper told CBC News. "Songwriters have it even worse since mechanical and performance royalties are split among multiple stakeholders. Independent artists fare slightly better, as they avoid label deductions, but they still must navigate distributor fees and publishing splits," he said. How the money flows Spotify breaks down how the money flows in its report. The music platform pays the rights holders, which are typically record labels, distributors, aggregators or collecting societies. Artists and songwriters choose their rights holders and make agreements on their music, including giving them permission to deliver it to Spotify. The streaming giant then pays the rights holders, and they then pay the artists and songwriters. Spotify has different agreements with each of these rights holders and in general Spotify pays them roughly two-thirds of every dollar made from music. "As is the case with other streaming platforms, the payout to music creators and publishers is significantly minimal, especially considering that it is the music itself which initially provided the platform with its value," said Dr. Charlie Wall-Andrews, creative industries professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. Spotify was hit with a lawsuit last year that accused it of underpaying songwriting royalties for tens of millions of songs. Several Grammy-nominated songwriters, including Amy Allen and Jessi Alexander, boycotted a Spotify awards event earlier this year after the platform's decision to cut royalty rates for songwriters and publishers on premium-subscription streams last April. "Spotify continues to announce royalty payout numbers that distort the infinitesimal amount that ends up going to songwriters. To put real Spotify numbers into perspective, in 2024 Daniel Ek cashed out $376 million in stock. In that same period, it is estimated that all songwriters in the U.S. received $320 million from Spotify," National Music Publishers' Association president and CEO David Israelite told CBC News. "To add insult to injury, just last year Spotify enacted a bundling scheme to further slash what little they pay songwriters by unilaterally combining their premium music service with audiobooks. We continue to fight back against these efforts to find solutions that give creators their fair share of the massive value they create for Spotify." CBC News reached out to Spotify for comment, but did not immediately hear back outside of office hours. Pennies per stream The Loud & Clear report also showed music publishing payouts surpassing $4.5 billion US to songwriters and publishing rights holders in the past two years — with double-digit percentage growth from 2023 to 2024 alone. "The numbers are wild — 1,500 artists made over $1 million from Spotify in 2024, and 100,000 artists generated at least $6,000. That sounds great, but when you realize that there are over 12 million uploaders, the competition is staggering," Alper said. "The vast majority of artists are still making pennies per stream, and unless you're in the top few per cent of streamers, you're probably not quitting your day job anytime soon," he added. Alper explained that major-label artists with massive streaming numbers can make substantial money, but for mid-level and emerging artists, streaming income is often unsustainable. "The industry's shift toward streaming has widened access to distribution, but it has also devalued individual streams," he said. Spotify operates on a pro-rata model, where revenue is pooled and divided based on total streams and smaller artists can often get lost in the system. Alper would rather see fees distributed based on what each listener actually plays — and that the per-stream payout be increased. He explains that if Spotify and other platforms shift to a fan-powered, user-centric model, subscription money goes directly to the artists you actually listen to which alone could significantly boost earnings for independent and niche artists. "Spotify isn't the enemy, but the system needs tweaking to ensure that more artists — especially songwriters — can thrive," Alper said.
Euronews
12-03-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Is the $10bn Spotify gave artists last year enough to silence its critics?
Spotify paid out more money into the music industry last year than any other retailer in history. ADVERTISEMENT Swedish music streaming platform Spotify paid the music industry over $10 billion (€9.2 billion) over 2024. Loud & Clear, Spotify's annual report on how much the platform gives back to the industry has been released. 2024's figures bring the total amount Spotify has paid back into the industry nearly $60 billion (€55 billion). It makes Spotify the single biggest retailer contributing to the music industry in history, with its annual figures 10 times greater than the largest record store at the height of the CD era. It's also a significant figure in comparison to the company's profits. Spotify paid out over 60% of the €15.7 billion it made in total revenue in 2024. While Spotify's contribution back to musicians, labels, promoters and others in the industry is significantly higher than any single record store ever has been, they exist in an entirely different model. Music streaming makes up around 89% of the revenue of the entire industry. Spotify leads the pack of the streamers, with 31.7% of the market share. It's a dominance over the space that far exceeds any single retailer during previous eras of music. That rise in streaming culture is represented in the Loud & Clear report. In the decade since 2014, global revenues have recovered from a low point of $13 billion to $28 billion (€11.9-25.7 billion). At the same time, Spotify's annual payouts have increased tenfold from $1 billion (€0.9 billion). Spotify uses the report to respond to one of its main sources of criticism: that it underpays artists. What critics miss is the enlarged number of artists attempting careers in music, Spotify argues. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Kelly West/AP 'Looking back to the peak of the CD era, only a few thousand artists had their music on the shelves of record stores,' the report reads. 'Streaming has allowed millions to easily share their music globally – that's an amazing thing. But the sheer volume of uploaders means the fraction who find success appears smaller over time.' The 100,000th-ranked artist based on royalties earn around 10 times what they earned a decade ago, from under $600 to $6,000 (€550-5,500). At the next echelon up, the 10,000th-ranked artist, increased in earnings by around four times, from $34,000 to $131,000 (€31,200-120,000). It means that an artist who received in every million streams on Spotify generated over $10,000 (€9,200) on average. This year, they also included a tool within the report to work out where an artist is likely to fall within the platform's rankings, to be able to guess how much they might earn. Hurray For The Riff Raff, who released Euronews Culture's Best Album of 2024, are in the top 24,000 artists on Spotify through their 508,400 monthly listeners. This means the New Orleans band will earn somewhere between the $6,000 for the 100,000th-ranked and $131,000 for the 10,000th-ranked artist. Comparatively, second favourite album artist Charli XCX is in the top 1,000 streamed artists with her 32 million monthly listeners. Spotify has said that the nearly 1,500 artists generated over $1 million in royalties last year. Spotify also sought to explain some of the misconceptions around earnings. 'Streaming services don't pay out based on a fixed per-stream rate' they write, explaining that instead it is calculated based on an artist's streamshare – the proportion they are being streamed in comparison to streams across the entire platform. Last year, in response to the release of the previous Loud & Clear report, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek offered many of these arguments in response to the platform's critics. Ek also made note that while Spotify is consistent in how it pays artists, it cannot account for what share artists get of that money after labels and publishers touch it. ADVERTISEMENT 'Spotify is probably the worst thing that has happened to musicians,' Icelandic musician Björk said earlier this year. She lamented how younger artists must rely on streaming to grow their fanbases, counting herself lucky to be established and able to tour – where the money really is. Björk performing AP2007 Even with Spotify's grand payout figures, it's still estimated that artists earn somewhere between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream. It pales in comparison to the amount artists would earn from physical media sales. While vinyl sales continue to increase though, Pandora's box of streaming music is unlikely ever to close. How useful comparisons between streaming and physical media sales are anymore is questionable. Spotify has also come under new criticism in the past year. Investigative journalists have found that large swathes of the easy-listening playlists increasingly popular as background music are from seemingly non-existent artists. As Spotify's profits increase, questions have been raised as to whether a significant portion of the payouts are able to be rerouted internally through company-commissioned music. 'What I uncovered was an elaborate internal program. Spotify, I discovered, not only has partnerships with a web of production companies, which, as one former employee put it, provide Spotify with 'music we benefited from financially,' but also a team of employees working to seed these tracks on playlists across the platform,' Liz Pelly wrote in an expose piece. ADVERTISEMENT 'In doing so, they are effectively working to grow the percentage of total streams of music that is cheaper for the platform.' Pelly's investigation is fully explicated in her 2025 book "Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist". Spotify is unlikely to slough off its critics any time soon, but the Loud & Clear report proves once again how enmeshed the platform is within the music industry.
