Indie artists in Australia blow up on Spotify
Image credit: Caleb
Spotify are celebrating an incredible year for Australian music which sees independent music take nearly half of their streaming activity.
Spotify‘s biggest year yet was reported in their Loud & Clear report. In it they revealed that they had paid over $9 billion in royalties to the music industry within 2023 alone. Now they’re touting the amazing results in Australia and how artists there are making an impact around the world.
The headline news is that royalties from Australian artists grew nearly 10% from 2022, at almost $275 million for 2023. The music being made in Australia is having a huge impact globally, with more than 80% of their royalties coming from listeners beyond Australia.
2023 was a fantastic year for discovering Australian artists. Spotify report that “Australian artists were discovered more than 2.7 billion times on Spotify”. These first time listeners were helped by Spotify’s editorial playlists, which more than 4,000 Australian artists were added to last year.
As with other regions – like the UK – independent artists had a fantastic year. Streaming services offer indie artists and labels the same reach and visibility as major label artists and their proliferation has seen a huge rise in the independent artist’s success. Nearly half of royalties generated in Australia were by independent artists.
Spotify’s Head of Music for Australia, Alicia Sbrugnera writes: “The Australian music industry has completely transformed in recent years and Spotify has been a significant and consistent driver of that transformation. With nearly $275 million in royalty payments in 2023 and a growth of almost 10% since 2022, it is clear that streaming has been a key factor in the Australian music industry becoming bigger than it has ever been.”
Reportedly half of Australia’s population uses Spotify every month. Their Loud & Clear report is an attempt to clarify how their business operates and increase transparency for artists.
Sbrugnera adds: “Artists deserve clarity and transparency on the economics of music streaming. There’s more money in the music industry than ever before and the data we shared today from our latest Loud & Clear report shows that more and more artists are sharing in that revenue and building careers.”