Loud & Clear

The Latest Stats Are In: Brazilian Artists Generated More Revenue and Reached More Fans on Spotify—Just Ask Anitta

May 15, 2024

Over the last 10-15 years, the move toward streaming audio has completely transformed the music industry, and Spotify has led that charge. Before streaming, artist paths to success were far more limited and dominated by a select few. But as our Loud & Clear 2024 report shows, streaming continues to create new opportunities for artists.

Loud & Clear—our annual music-streaming economics report—provides a valuable, fact-driven resource for artists, fans, and the industry. Who is generating money? How much are they making? And how has that changed over time? 

Our global Loud & Clear 2024 insights, released earlier this year, showed that Spotify recorded the largest annual payment from a single retailer to the music industry at more than $9 billion in 2023—nearly triple what we paid out six years ago, and a significant portion of the $48 billion we’ve paid out in total. 

Loud & Clear is also looking at the economic impact of music streaming in local and regional markets. And that includes Brazil, where Spotify is helping artists grow their revenues and audiences in big ways. In fact, in 2023, Brazilian artists were discovered by first-time listeners nearly 10 billion times on Spotify. 

But that’s just the start. Here are our top Loud & Clear findings from Brazil.

Spotify is outpacing Brazil’s music industry 

  • Compared to 2022, revenue generated by Brazilian artists on Spotify alone grew 27% last year. 
  • That figure is more than double the 13% revenue growth Brazil’s music industry saw in the same time frame (according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, IFPI).

Spotify royalties keep growing for Brazilian artists

  • Royalties generated by Brazilian artists from Spotify alone have grown 600% since 2017.
  • In 2023, revenues generated by Brazilian artists from Spotify alone reached more than 1.2B BRL, which is more than quadruple 2018’s numbers.

Spotify royalties are boosting artists’ careers at all levels 

  • The number of Brazilian artists who generated more than 100,000 BRL in revenue on Spotify alone has increased more than 500% since 2017. 
  • The number of Brazilian artists who generated more than 50,000 BRL in revenue on Spotify alone has also increased more than 300% since 2018.

Independent Brazilian artists thrive on Spotify

  • More than 70% of all revenue generated by Brazilian artists on Spotify in 2023 was from independent artists or record labels. 

For the Record spoke to Brazilian funk icon Anitta, who has worked closely with Spotify at every major juncture of her career to reach the next level of stardom. Reflecting not just on her career, Anitta also looks back at Brazil’s music industry at large and reveals how Spotify’s arrival in Brazil has helped transform the country’s music industry.

What has helped to grow your audience locally and globally, and how has Spotify helped?

It’s a curious thing, because Brazilian funk suffered from a lot of prejudiced attitudes in our country, similar to hip-hop in the ’90s. You wouldn’t see or hear funk on the radio, in TV shows, or at awards shows. But with Spotify, funk artists no longer needed the support of the larger industry players. They could just upload their own music, and the community could support funk music through their streams and show the country that people love funk. 

How did Spotify help you in the early stages of your career?

Spotify was launching in Brazil at the same time my career was taking off, so we kind of grew together. I was introducing my fans to this new platform at the time, and we did so many things together to figure out how to get the most out of features like artist playlists. It was a big partnership and I think we still have that connection because it was so good for everyone involved.

Overall, how does Spotify positively impact artists’ careers? 

In Brazil, Spotify has become the destination to discover who’s hot, who’s on the rise, and what genres are trending. Spotify is an important part of music culture in Brazil, and artists really celebrate their successes and accomplishments on Spotify. They really understand that it’s a big deal. It’s also great to see how Spotify supports new artists. They have a purpose. It’s not just about trying to be the biggest platform. They want to help the culture as well.

For the latest insights on the economics of music streaming, be sure to check out our full Loud & Clear report.