Image credit: Jack Ward

Spotify’s latest Loud & Clear reports show that independent artists are seeing earnings soar in Italy, Spain, and Germany.

Spotify‘s latest Loud & Clear report is shedding light booming music economies around Europe. The insights reveal significant growth in artist payouts, a surge in international listeners, and particularly strong growth for independent artists and labels.

Understanding these trends will help artists to maximise their reach and revenue. RouteNote is here to help with market-leading music distribution services for artists, including free uploads to Spotify.

Read on to find out how artists are growing on Spotify in major markets across Europe.

Italy’s music market sees explosive growth

Italy’s growth is the star of the European markets we’re covering here. Royalties generated by Italian artists on Spotify surged by an impressive 20% year-on-year in 2024, reaching nearly €150 million (approx. $170 million USD).

For independent artists, the news is fantastic as approximately 40% of the royalties generated by Italian artists on Spotify in 2024 came from indie artists or labels. This is slightly below the global average which is roughly 50%, but still a significant portion.

The remarkable growth of Italian music shows the growing popularity of the country’s artists around the world. Roughly 50% of Italy’s Spotify royalties were generated from listeners outside of Italy.

Spotify users in the U.S. have created 130 million playlists featuring Italian artists, a higher number than Italy itself. The Italian music market is on the rise, with 8.5% year-on-year growth in 2024. Streaming subscriptions made up 44.1% of that figure.

The country’s success sees Italy join Spotify’s “Language $100 Million-Plus Club”. The club is perhaps self-explanatory, containing the languages which generate $100 million in royalties on their music per year.

Spanish artists see strong growth and global reach

Spain also saw impressive growth in Spotify payouts. Royalties for Spanish artists rose 11% to €137 million (approx. $155.3 million USD).

Similarly to Italy, over 50% of the royalties generated for Spanish artists were produced from listeners outside of Spain. The figures outpace Spain’s overall recorded music market, which grew a still-impressive 9.4% year-on-year in 2024.

Independent artists reign supreme in Spain, generating an astonishing 60% of the royalties from Spotify. This surpasses Spotify’s already significant global independent artist payout share.

Head of Music for Southern and Eastern Europe, Melanie Parejo says: “Artists in Spain – both emerging and established – are building sustainable careers through streaming, and more are achieving success each year… confirming that streaming remains a driving force in the music industry.”

Germany continues upward trend for artists

Germany saw a positive result in Spotify’s Loud & Clear report as well. Artist payouts to Germany grew a remarkable 17% to €480 million (approx. $544 million USD).

Over half of the royalties paid out to German artists by Spotify were made to independent artists and labels.

A bright future for independent artists

The Loud & Clear report makes something clear: streaming platforms like Spotify are not only driving significant financial growth for artists but are also breaking down borders in the music industry.

Smaller and independent artists have easy access to a global audience thanks to platforms like RouteNote, enabling delivery to Spotify and other digital platforms. That international reach is clearly enabling success for artists, as the results above show how significant international listeners are for these markets.

As General Manager of Europe at Spotify Federica Tremolada says: “We are living in a music industry without borders like never before.” With the right partners, independent artists are perfectly positioned to thrive in this new era.

With RouteNote’s commitment to helping independent artists distribute their music worldwide, retain full control of their rights, and earn 85-100% of their royalties, the opportunities for global success are more avavilable than ever before.

Sign up for a free account to upload your music to Spotify and beyond today at www.routenote.com.