Nigeria’s music and podcast scene is booming, with Spotify reporting over 1.4 million hours of music streamed by Nigerians in 2025 and a cumulative 59 billion podcast hours consumed since the platform’s launch.
The figures, made available to journalists in Lagos, highlight a market growing at an average of 163.5% annually over the past five years.
According to Spotify, the average Nigerian listener is 26 years old, reflecting a young, adventurous audience eager to explore diverse audio content. Afrobeats remains the driving force in local music consumption, recording a staggering 5,022% increase in streams between 2021 and 2025.
Other genres also soared: Amapiano by 10,330%, Gospel & Praise by 5,499%, Hip-hop & Rap by 3,020%, and R&B by 2,602%. Indigenous language tracks also saw rapid growth, up 554% in 2024 and 87% in 2025, while global indigenous streams increased 141% in 2024 and 41% in 2025.
Spotify noted, as ENigeria Newspaper learnt, that Nigerian users are eclectic in their taste, engaging with an average of 150 different artistes in recent months. The first track streamed in Nigeria at Spotify’s launch was “到此為止” by Shiga Lin.
Over the past five years, the most-streamed Nigerian artistes include Burna Boy, Davido, Asake, Wizkid, and Seyi Vibez, with top songs such as Asake’s “Remember” and “Lonely At The Top,” Wizkid’s “Kese (Dance),” Seyi Vibez’s “Doha,” and Davido’s “With You” featuring Omah Lay.
Podcast consumption has surged alongside music, reflecting Nigerians’ appetite for diverse audio content.
Observers highlight that while this growth cements Nigeria’s cultural influence, challenges remain regarding royalty transparency, equitable revenue distribution, and support for emerging or regional artists.
Financially, Nigerian artists earned over N58 billion in Spotify royalties in 2024, more than double the 2023 earnings and five times higher than 2022.
Over 1,900 artistes were added to Spotify editorial playlists in 2024, a 33% increase from 2023, while first-time listeners discovered Nigerian music over one billion times. International exposure for Nigerian artists grew 49% over three years, with domestic consumption up 782%, and users created roughly 250 million playlists featuring local talent.
