Spotify pays 150 million to Italian discography

Spotify's contribution to Italian discography is worth 150 million euros. Domestic and international plays of artists produced by our labels are in it. A size comparable to half of the total turnover of music streaming in 2024 here in Italy (308 million), according to Ifpi. The figure, up 20 per cent on 2023, emerges from the Loud & Clear report that the market-leading listening platform compiles every year and which, in this latest edition, certifies a contribution to global discography of $10 billion. A far from trivial edition for the language of Dante: for the first time in 2024, Italian joins the club of languages generating more than $100 million in revenue on Spotify, thanks to a 23% increase in business over 2023.

Exports and internationalisation thus represent one of the most fascinating keys to understanding our country, which is too often considered a local market, if not an ethnic market, by global discographers: around 50% of all royalties generated by Italian artists on Spotify in 2024 - a year in which Geolier was the platform's undisputed leader - will come from listeners outside of Italy. More and more user-generated playlists contain Italian music and this is all the more true for the United States, which is the country in the world with the most user-generated playlists containing Italian artists: over 130 million, more than Italy itself. This is thanks to Måneskin, Meduza, Gabry Ponte and Ludovico Einaudi, the tricolour artists most listened to abroad.

In general, the number of Italian artists generating royalties above the thresholds of EUR 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 more than doubled from 2019 to 2024. Here in Italy, around 40 per cent of all royalties generated on Spotify in 2024 are the work of independent artists or labels. "Independents," points out Federica Tremolada, Spotify's general manager for Europe, "have for years steadily represented a very significant share of listening on the platform, both globally and in our country. It is interesting to note that, globally, Spotify accounts for around a third of total streaming revenues, but represents over 50 per cent of streaming revenues for independents. So you can see how crucial our platform is in helping to discover, grow and support this category of artists'.

As for the weight of Italy, within Spotify's Southern & Easter Europe region, for Tremolada we are talking about 'the most important market, together with Spain, in a very large and complex region, comprising 28 countries, and consequently many different languages and cultures. It is no coincidence that "Casa Spotify", our Milan office, is also the hub for this region, hosting over 100 employees of more than ten different nationalities'. A record market that, according to Ifpi, has been growing for seven years in a row to reach 461.2 million in total turnover in 2024. Thanks to streaming and premium streaming in particular. That is the ground under Spotify's feet.