Nigerian music fans created 1.3 million user-generated playlists and the number of songs added to Spotify grew to 20,935, placing the country in the second position on the list of countries in the world with the most streams. Pakistan is ahead of Nigeria while Kenya is ranked third.
Data released by Spotify during its first-anniversary celebration in Nigeria on Thursday showed that the average number of artists streamed per user locally has grown by 60 percent. The data ranks artists such as CKay, Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tems, and Mr Eazi among the top 5 exported local artists from Nigeria on Spotify.
Also, of the top ten exported songs from Nigeria, nine are collaborations between local and international hitmakers. Spotify says this is proof that Nigerian music is attracting worldwide attention and popularity. Afrobeats continue to drive the popularity of music from the continent.
“The most exciting thing is the fact that afrobeat despite its success is learning new innovations from other genres,” said Phiona Okumu, Head of Music, Spotify. “Afrobeats in 2016 and today are literally different. It is a kind of commercial driver for Africa. It is a container for what we discuss as African music but we are seeing new genres like Amanpiano.”
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Apart from Afrobeats, Spotify says there is also significant growth in streaming of the Alte genre. Alte comprises a diverse range of styles, sometimes drawing on dancehall, indie, R&B, and more. Uniting the artists is a mutual desire to experiment with genres and strong visual storytelling.
The data showed that 30 percent of the Nigerian Alte genre is being streamed in the US, with a growth of more than 200 percent over the past year. Additionally, over 40 percent of the Afropop from Nigeria is streamed in the US, UK, and France.
Behind Afrobeats’ popularity is the streaming services enabling the music industry. Spotify and other players are leveraging the growing adoption of digital technology to push the music industry in Africa to the globe.
Spotify launched on 23 February 2021 helping music fans in Nigeria to easily discover new music and podcasts through a personalised experience. The company said it uncovered, managed, and shared over 82 million tracks for listeners for free or to premium subscribers since it was founded in 2008.
Okumu says this is possible because the internet is helping in enabling culture and music distribution around the world. Spotify has also created programmes to enable it to discover new talents in the industry in Nigeria and Africa. The programmes include the Spotify for Artists, Equal Music Programme, Radar, African Heat Playlists, and Fresh Finds Africa.
