Tag: International

How Spotify Continues To Supercharge Brazil’s Music Industry

Brazil’s music industry is in the midst of a historic transformation—and Spotify continues to help illuminate the path. Our most recent Loud & Clear report, which offers a transparent and data-rich snapshot of the streaming economy’s powerful role in fueling the music industry’s record-breaking growth, shows that Spotify paid out over $10 billion to the music industry—more than any single company ever has in one year—while contributing to a global subscriber base that now exceeds 500 million. 

But how does that translate to Brazil, where Spotify has been streaming since 2014?

In 2024 alone, Brazilian artists generated over BRL 1.6 billion in royalties from Spotify—an incredible 31% jump from the previous year, and more than double their 2021 earnings. This growth outpaces the entire Brazilian music market, the ninth largest in the world, showing how Spotify is fueling real momentum for local creators. Even more impressive: Over 60% of the royalties generated in Brazil stayed local, and Brazilian rights-holders also made up 84% of the country’s Daily Top 50 tracks.

“Royalties generated on Spotify for Brazilian artists are rising faster than Brazil’s music market as a whole. Our Loud & Clear report lays those gains out in black and white, while Spotify for Artists lets every creator see their own performance in real time. Together, that transparency gives musicians the confidence to turn momentum into the next single, a bigger tour, or an ambitious new project,” says Carolina Alzuguir, Head of Music at Spotify Brazil.

Impact that reaches far beyond hits and charts

The success of Brazilian music and artists comes, in part, from strong, consistent engagement with fans—proving that long-term growth beats fleeting virality. Spotify’s freemium model, with its ad-supported and Premium tiers, has helped convert casual listeners into lifelong fans in a country where piracy once dominated. 

The results speak for themselves: More than 25 million hours of Brazilian music are streamed within the country and across the globe every day, and over 815 million user playlists feature Brazilian artists. Music in Portuguese is booming too, with royalties from these tracks growing 20% year over year, and more than doubling since 2021.

Partners in progress 

Tools like Spotify for Artists and Loud & Clear equip creators with the insights they need to succeed. Brazilian music is now more global, diverse, and influential than ever. For example, female Brazilian artists—like MC STER, Anitta, and Bibi Babydoll—are making historic gains, with their international streams rising 51% in 2024 alone. Meanwhile, nearly 11.8 billion first-time discoveries of Brazilian artists took place this year, a year-over-year increase of 19%, connecting these artists with fans around the world—from Mexico and the U.S. to Germany and Spain.

By closing historical gaps and amplifying underrepresented voices, Spotify is building a more inclusive and equitable global music economy—where any artist, anywhere, can thrive on their own terms.

“Before the paycheck, there’s discovery. Last year, Brazilian songs sparked billions of first-time listens and showed up in hundreds of millions of playlists on Spotify. Artists watch that rise live in Spotify for Artists, greet new listeners right away, and turn first plays into loyal fans. That feedback loop transforms curiosity into community, and community is what powers a career,” said Carolina.

Want to dive deeper into how Spotify is reshaping Brazil’s music industry? Explore more stories, stats, and artist milestones on our Brasil 10Anos feature, which celebrates our tenth anniversary in the country.

Como o Spotify continua impulsionando a indústria musical brasileira

A indústria musical do Brasil está passando por uma transformação histórica — e o Spotify segue iluminando esse caminho. A versão mais recente do relatório Loud & Clear, oferece um panorama transparente e rico em dados sobre o papel fundamental do streaming no crescimento recorde da indústria da música, e mostra que o Spotify pagou mais de $10 bilhões à indústria musical global — mais do que qualquer outra empresa em um único ano —, ao mesmo tempo em que contribuiu para uma base de usuários global que já ultrapassa os 500 milhões. 

Mas como isso se aplica ao Brasil, onde o Spotify está presente desde 2014?

Só em 2024, artistas brasileiros geraram mais de R$1.6 bilhão em royalties por meio do Spotify — um aumento impressionante de 31% em relação ao ano anterior, e mais que o dobro do que foi registrado em 2021. Esse avanço supera o crescimento do próprio mercado fonográfico brasileiro, hoje o nono maior do mundo em receita, e comprova que o Spotify está gerando um impacto real para os artistas locais. Mais impressionante ainda: mais de 60% dos royalties gerados no país permaneceram aqui, e artistas brasileiros ocuparam 84% do Top 50 diário do Spotify Brasil.

“Os royalties gerados no Spotify por artistas brasileiros estão crescendo mais rápido do que o mercado musical brasileiro. Nosso relatório Loud & Clear apresenta esses ganhos de forma clara e direta, enquanto o Spotify for Artists permite que cada criador acompanhe seu próprio desempenho em tempo real. Essa transparência dá aos músicos a confiança para transformar esse impulso no próximo single, em uma turnê maior ou em um novo projeto ambicioso”, afirma Carolina Alzuguir, Head de Música do Spotify Brasil.

Impacto que vai além dos charts

O sucesso da música e dos artistas brasileiros vem, em grande parte, do engajamento contínuo com os fãs — mostrando que sustentar uma conexão é mais valioso do que viralizações passageiras. O modelo freemium do Spotify, com planos com e sem anúncios, ajudou a converter ouvintes casuais em fãs fiéis em um país que já foi dominado pela pirataria.

Os resultados falam por si: são mais de 25 milhões de horas de música brasileira ouvidas por dia, dentro e fora do país, e mais de 815 milhões de playlists de usuários com faixas de artistas do Brasil. A música em português também está em alta, com royalties dessas faixas crescendo 20% ano a ano — e mais do que dobrando desde 2021.

Parceria para o progresso

Ferramentas como o Spotify for Artists e o próprio Loud & Clear ajudam os criadores com os insights de que precisam para avançar. Hoje, a música brasileira está mais global, diversa e influente do que nunca. Artistas brasileiras como MC STER, Anitta e Bibi Babydoll, por exemplo, estão batendo recordes, com aumento de 51% nos streams internacionais só em 2024. E mais: quase 11,8 bilhões de descobertas de artistas brasileiros aconteceram este ano — um crescimento de 19% em relação a 2023 — conectando esses talentos a ouvintes em lugares como México, EUA, Alemanha e Espanha.

Ao reduzir lacunas históricas e amplificar vozes sub-representadas, o Spotify está ajudando a construir uma economia musical mais inclusiva e justa — onde qualquer artista, em qualquer lugar, pode crescer com autonomia.

“Antes do pagamento, vem a descoberta. No ano passado, músicas brasileiras geraram bilhões de primeiras reproduções e apareceram em centenas de milhões de playlists no Spotify. Os artistas acompanham esse crescimento em tempo real pelo Spotify for Artists, dão boas-vindas aos novos ouvintes imediatamente e transformam a primeira escuta em fãs fieis. Esse ciclo de retorno transforma curiosidade em comunidade — e é a comunidade que impulsiona uma carreira”, conclui Carolina.

Quer explorar mais sobre como o Spotify está transformando a música no Brasil? Acesse nosso especial Brasil 10 Anos, que celebra uma década de Spotify no país, e confira histórias, dados e marcos de artistas

Spotify Expands Its Audiobooks Offering To Listeners In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein

As the world’s most popular audio-streaming subscription service, Spotify is committed to expanding the audiobook industry, enabling more listeners than ever to discover and engage, and paving the way for future innovation.

We saw early adoption of podcasts and audiobooks in Germany, with labels and fans embracing both formats. Recognizing this potential, we spoke to our users and began innovating and building podcasts globally. 

There’s already a strong appetite for audiobooks across German-speaking markets. With millions of people enjoying audiobooks on Spotify in Germany, we’re excited to enhance this experience by providing a Premium experience for our users of Spotify Individual and Duo or Family Plan Managers.

Today we’re launching an enhanced audiobooks offering in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Eligible Premium listeners in these markets will have access to 350,000 audiobooks, including titles in German, French, and Italian.

Eligible Premium subscribers will receive 12 hours of audiobook listening each month, and additional 10-hour allocations can be purchased as needed from €9.99. Listeners without an eligible Premium subscription will be able to pay to unlock access to individual audiobook titles a la carte. 

Delivering a better listening experience 

In Germany, there’s a rich tradition of storytelling and “Hörspiele” (audio plays), which has paved the way for the popularity of audiobooks. Today, audiobooks are a significant part of the cultural landscape, preserving and promoting literature in a modern format. 

With Audiobooks in Premium, users will find a host of new benefits that will make the listening experience even better. Along with an expanded catalog—which includes titles like Cornelia Funke’s Tintenherz, Caroline Wahl’s 22 Bahnen, and Rebecca YarrosFourth Wing—listeners can:

  • Search more easily via our dedicated Audiobooks tab.
  • Explore recommendations from our Home feed.
  • Access our hub to discover top titles curated by our editorial experts. 
  • Save their progress in an audiobook, ensuring they can easily pick up where they left off during their next listening session. 
  • Pre-save upcoming releases from their favorite authors with Countdown Pages.
  • Use our Spotify Sleep Timer so they don’t lose their place.

“We are turning up the volume on where people are already listening, and getting even more great stories to them with this new catalog and listening experience. In the markets where we have already launched, we’ve already accelerated growth for the audiobook business, and that’s what we’re committed to doing here in Germany and across Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein,” said David Kaefer, VP Audiobooks Business.

Find your next great read by browsing the Audiobooks hub on Spotify.

*Terms apply. 12 hours/month from our subscriber catalog available to Individual and Duo or Family Plan Managers only.

Swedish Pop Star Tove Lo Kicks Off New Nordic Spotify Studio Program With Veronica Maggio Cover

From ABBA to Robyn, pop music remains one of Sweden’s greatest exports. And among the artists who have risen to international acclaim is Tove Lo, who helped us kick off the new Nordic Spotify studio program Studio It’s Hits by covering Swedish pop star Veronica Maggios “I’m Coming.”

Studio It’s Hits is an extension of Sweden’s most popular playlist, It’s Hits Sweden. The program invites some of the region’s top artists and songwriters to showcase their talent and creativity—whether by recording a cover, remaking one of their own songs, or releasing something totally new. 

“Our ambition is always to support artist creativity and make a positive impact in their career,” says Johan Seidefors, Head of Content Nordics, Spotify. “Through combining this new studio program with the extension of our biggest and most popular playlists, we can give more artists the chance to come to our studio, record something new, and present themselves to existing and new fans.” 

Tove’s cover was recorded earlier this year in Spotify’s headquarters studio in Stockholm. You might be familiar with the original version, “Jag kommer,” which has remained popular since its release a decade ago.

“This song has been one of my absolute favorites since it came out,” Tove told For the Record. “I have so many memories of it, and I’ve always been so impressed with Veronica Maggio’s way with words. I could never write in Swedish the way she can. It’s the perfect mix of poetic, ‘everyday romance’ and making the Swedish summertime feel epic and melancholic all at once.”

While the original song—which has amassed over 65 million streams on Spotify—was written and recorded in Swedish, Tove recorded her version in English. The song was produced by up-and-coming producer Elvira Anderfjärd.

“It was such a cool challenge to translate something so close to my heart and to work with my band and Elvira in the Spotify Studio. Experimenting and playing around with the sound was the perfect studio experience I know and love.”

From BTS to BLACKPINK, the Power of K-Pop Has No Bounds

K-Pop is beloved by fans around the world, so we took to the data to see just how popular the music is globally. The genre, which originated in South Korea, has since taken on a life of its own. Thanks to East-meets-West collaborations from BTS and U.S. singer-songwriter Halsey, whose “Boy With Luv” track has over 380 million streams, the reach continues to grow as more and more fans in countries like Egypt and Colombia connect with the music.

Since Spotify released its first K-Pop flagship playlist, K-Pop Daebak, in 2014 (and then a massive hub dedicated to the genre in 2015), there have been more than 41 billion K-Pop streams on Spotify. From rising artists to international collaborations, there’s something for both new and old K-Pop lovers on the platform.

Top-streamed K-Pop artists on Spotify include BTS, BLACKPINK, EXO, TWICE, and Red Velvet. In 2019, BTS was the first group from Asia to surpass 5 billion streams on Spotify. And, as of February 2020, the boy band reached a new milestone: more than 8 billion streams (8 billion streams!) on the platform.

No “FAKE LOVE” here, folks. See how much Spotify listeners love the genre.

Download the infographic here.

Check out the K-Pop Daebak playlist and stream BTS’ MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 The Enhanced Album, which is exclusively available on Spotify.