SA artists rise as AI tunes listener habits

South African artists were discovered by first-time listeners over 1.1-billion times on Spotify in 2024 – a 55% increase since 2023.

This is revealed in the 2025 Spotify transparency report, titled Loud and Clear, which shows significant growth in the local music industry.

“When you listen to a SA artist, the machine will lead you into a rabbit hole to discover more of them – whether they’re established or up-and-coming,” said Phiona Okumu, head of music for Spotify Africa, during a media briefing last week.

^{News24 deputy lifestyle editor Kaunda Selisho (left) and head of music for Spotify Africa Phiona Okumu (right).
Photo courtesy Spotify.}

Okumu told Gadget: “It’s the human element which drives discovery on the app. AI is a very powerful force for good in this industry, but it cannot replace what human beings do.”

She said that tier one regions have dedicated editorial teams made up of individuals who are connected to their local cultures. These teams monitor trends and combine real-world observations with data to inform their decisions in playlist creation, using the same platforms and content with which audiences engage.

Shazam will suddenly highlight a particular artist, or one will find that a song has sparked 50,000 TikTok creations. Okumu told Gadget that this is where the human instinct, technology, and data intersect – the team may lead with instinct, but they use data to validate their choices.

“What we do as a team is feed the machine. Whatever happens in terms of AI, happens because there is a human element of curation that goes on. It’s not just a machine that guesses in binary – because that will then make whatever you discover a little bit flat and one dimensional.”

With the rise of South African artists, more listeners in countries like Germany and France are tuning in to their music.

“We live in a digital world. Younger generations are less prone to think about artists in terms of genre or language, and more about how the music makes them feel.”

Okumu said this bypasses the gatekeepers of the past and removes the barriers that earlier generations of artists had to overcome.

Global play, local pay

SA artists generated nearly R400-million in royalties in 2024 on Spotify – more than doubling their earnings since 2022.

_{Image courtesy Spotify.}

Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, MD of Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “We’re not just supporting SA artists – we’re revolutionising how they build sustainable careers. Our ecosystem empowers artists to earn equitably from their talent while driving a powerful wave of cultural innovation that resonates globally.”

Key highlights from the report include:

• The number of SA artists earning over R100,000 or R500,000 in Spotify royalties has doubled since 2022.
• Royalties for music performed in indigenous languages have skyrocketed: Zulu (112%), Sotho (345%), and Afrikaans (114%) all more than doubled since 2021.
• A substantial portion of royalties generated by SA artists came from international listeners.
• Global consumption of SA music averages over 600,000 hours daily.
• Users have created approximately 220-million playlists featuring SA artists globally.
• Export growth for SA artists has reached 104% over the last three years.
• Local consumption of SA content has surged by an astounding 281% in three years, with 96% year-over-year growth.

The Loud and Clear initiative sheds light on how streaming revenue and royalties are distributed, helping SA artists and their teams better understand the digital music economy. More than 3,000 local artists have been featured on editorial playlists, giving them greater visibility and reach across the world.

* Read the Spotify Annual Music Economic Report here.