Non-English Music Gains Momentum in Streaming Era – Spotify Report

Ikenna ChurchillMarch 20, 20241 Mins read522

Speaking English is no longer a prerequisite for global musical success in the streaming era, as highlighted by Luminate’s 2023 Year-End Music Report and Spotify’s recent Loud & Clear report. Luminate’s findings revealed a growing trend among young US listeners towards “world music” in languages other than English, while Spotify’s report confirmed increasingly diverse music tastes globally.

According to the report, over half of the artists generating at least $10,000 on the platform hail from countries where English is not the primary language. Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, and Korean emerged as the most popular languages outside English, with languages like Hindi, Indonesian, Punjabi, Tamil, and Greek also experiencing significant growth in 2023.

Moreover, Spotify’s report highlighted the rising prominence of independent label artists in streaming. For the first time, indie and DIY artists accounted for approximately half of all revenues generated on Spotify in 2023, totalling $4.5 billion. Streaming platforms have democratised access to audiences, providing opportunities for various artists to thrive financially.

Spotify has faced criticism regarding artist compensation, prompting the company to implement new royalty payment policies at the beginning of 2024. These policies include demonetising tracks with fewer than 1,000 plays, with Spotify leadership asserting that this approach will benefit emerging and professional artists. Managing director of Spotify UK, Tom Connaughton, emphasised that these changes aim to allocate an additional $1 billion to artists over the next five years, combating exploitation by “bad actors” in the industry.

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