Spotify says it paid out $213M to Australian music rightsholders in 2025, up 7% YoY

Spotify says it paid out AUD $213 million to Australian music rightsholders in 2025, a 7% year-over-year increase that underscores the platform’s growing impact on the local music economy. The company also reported that, worldwide, it paid more than $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, reflecting continued global scale alongside stronger engagement in Australia.

Key takeaways from Spotify’s 2025 Australia data

• Australian rightsholders received AUD $213 million in 2025, up 7% YoY.
• Globally, Spotify reports paying out more than $11 billion to the music industry in 2025.
• Over 370 Australia-based artists now earn more than AUD $100,000 (about $64,500) annually from Spotify alone—double the count from 2017.
• Local fans streamed Australian artists 223 million more times in 2025 than in 2024.
• Australian artists were discovered by first-time listeners 2.7 billion times globally in 2025.
• Nearly half of Australians use Spotify, with the company describing the market as among its most engaged globally.
• Australia’s population stood at 27.6 million as of June 2025, providing a sizable audience base for music discovery and streaming growth.

Deeper investment in Australian talent

Alongside the new figures, Spotify announced a multi-year partnership between its Turn Up Aus initiative and The Push valued at AUD $200,000 (about $128,900). The collaboration is designed to create pathways for emerging artists and industry leaders, supporting skills development, mentorship, and opportunities to build sustainable careers. Spotify frames the move as an investment in both current talent and the future of Australia’s creative economy.

Beyond royalties, Spotify highlighted additional revenue and growth drivers it supports for Australian artists—merchandise sales, marketing programs, ticketing, and tools that help fans discover live shows. The company also reiterated its ongoing efforts to reduce low-quality and abusive content on the platform and to prioritize features that strengthen the connection between fans and artists.

Why it matters

• For artists: The number of local artists earning six figures annually from Spotify has doubled since 2017, indicating broader access to meaningful streaming income. Added support for merch, marketing, and touring discovery can further diversify revenue.
• For the industry: A 7% YoY increase in payouts to Australian rightsholders aligns with steady growth in the broader recorded music market, helping labels, distributors, and publishers scale investment in new talent.
• For fans: More first-time discoveries—2.7 billion globally for Australian artists—suggest that recommendation and discovery tools are surfacing local music to broader audiences, both at home and overseas.

The bigger picture

Australia ranked as the world’s eleventh-largest recorded music market in 2024, having been overtaken by Mexico at tenth, according to industry data. The country’s recorded music revenues rose 6.1% year over year in 2024, signaling healthy demand across formats. Within that context, Spotify’s expanding payouts and engagement metrics point to a growing role for streaming in amplifying local artists and exporting Australian music to global listeners.

With nearly half the nation using the platform and hundreds of artists reaching six-figure streaming income, the Australian market is positioned as an engine for both domestic culture and international reach. The Turn Up Aus partnership with The Push, coupled with ongoing investments in discovery and artist services, suggests Spotify will continue to prioritize long-term growth for the Australian music ecosystem in 2026 and beyond.