Spotify’s latest Loud & Clear data reveals a surge in artist royalties on the streaming platform in 2024.

Spotify’s latest announcement

Spotify has revealed that European artists generated a record-breaking €1.7 billion in royalties on the platform in 2024, according to its latest (in a spree) of Loud & Clear announcements. The news comes just days after the platform announced it reached 100 million paid subscribers across Europe. The record-breaking royalty figure marks a 15% year-on-year increase and nearly double the royalties earned in 2020.

“Being the first and only streaming service to share data on artist remuneration, our European Loud & Clear data is a core example of how streaming continues to empower European artists and creators to surpass geographical confines – to grow global fan bases, awareness, and success.”

Federica Tremolada, Spotify’s General Manager of Europe
Spotify hits 100 million paid subscribers in Europe

Global reach and discovery

Spotify is always looking for new ways to enhance music discovery on its platform. For European artists, this was to the tune of 28 billion people discovering their content in 2024. Not only did EU acts feature in more than 830 million user-generated playlists in the US, but they also featured 4% more in Spotify’s curated editorial playlists compared to 2023.

Additionally, 351.66 billion streams of EU artists came from European listeners themselves.

A transparent look at royalties

Spotify paid over €10,000 to more than 17,000 European artists in 2024, and more than 27,000 earned over €5,000. Importantly, nearly 44% of all royalties generated in the EU went to EU artists. The platform emphasized that it remains “proud to be the only streaming platform” to openly share how royalties are distributed.

Female representation also saw a major boost. Streams of female EU artists were up 83% globally and 81% across Europe- progress that Spotify “is especially proud of”. 

A global appeal

Spotify’s report highlights the growing demand for non-English music. Over half of all royalties generated by EU artists came from those performing in non-English languages. The company also revealed that seven of the top 10 most-streamed languages on the platform in 2024 were European: Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Dutch, and Swedish. Why English isn’t in that list, who knows.

The report also took a deep-dive into standout data from individual EU markets:

  • France: The number of artists earning over €100K has quadrupled since 2017.
  • Italy: Streaming market revenues passed $100M for the first time.
  • Germany: Impressively, over half of Germany’s streaming revenues went to independent acts.
  • Belgium: More than 80% of royalties came from outside the country.
  • Denmark: Total royalties have doubled since 2017, with 192 artists earning over 500,000 DKK (approx $76,000).
  • UK: Those earning over £1M rose 20% year-over-year, and the number of artists making £10K, £50K, and £100K has more than doubled since 2017. 

Opportunities for all artists

Spotify’s report aims to provide transparency and context to streaming’s economic impact in Europe. The figures serve as a reminder of the opportunities that streaming can present. Whether you’re an independent or make music in a non-English language, Spotify shows there are opportunities for everyone.

Get your music on Spotify and other streaming platforms worldwide for free with RouteNote.