Indian artists earn nearly half of their Spotify royalties from international listeners in 2024
Indian artists are reaching new heights on Spotify, with rising domestic success and nearly half of their royalties coming from international listeners.
Indian artists are reaching more listeners than ever, both at home and abroad. According to Spotify’s latest Loud & Clear report, nearly 50% of the royalties earned by Indian artists on the platform in 2024 came from outside India – an increase from 40% in 2023. Countries like the USA, UK, UAE, Pakistan, and Canada have become key markets for Indian music, with non-film tracks making up over 65% of the top 30 most exported songs.
At the same time, India’s domestic music scene is showing signs of positive growth. Over 90% of the tracks featured on Spotify India’s Daily Top 50 in 2024 were by local artists – a 6% increase from 2023. The number of Indian artists earning over ₹50 lakh in Spotify royalties has doubled since 2022, while those earning more than ₹1 crore have tripled, as reported by the Hindustan Times. Two-thirds of all royalties generated in India came from Indian artists, further proving the strength of homegrown talent.
Spotify’s influence in India continues to grow, with Indian artists being discovered over 11.2 billion times by first-time listeners in 2024 – a 13% increase from the previous year. The rise of regional language music has played a big role, with royalties from Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu songs more than doubling since 2021. Telugu music, in particular, saw a 39% increase in global royalties in 2024 alone.
Despite this success, India’s recorded music revenue growth slowed in 2024, increasing by just 2.5% compared to 15.4% in 2023, according to the IFPI Global Music Report. However, the increasing royalty payouts to Indian artists on Spotify suggest that streaming remains a strong driver of artist earnings. In fact, Spotify paid out over $10 billion in music royalties globally in 2024, a tenfold increase over the past decade.
India isn’t the only market seeing this trend. Spotify’s Loud & Clear report on Nigeria showed similar international growth for artists. For independent musicians, this data reinforces the importance of building a global fanbase while tapping into India’s vibrant and growing streaming market.
