2 days ago
Indian Spotify Royalties Rise as Telugu Music Surges in 2025
Spotify said Indian artists earned 29% more money from its streams in 2025.
Telugu music grew the fastest, with royalties rising by more than 120%.
Music in Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil also grew.
People around the world streamed Indian artists nearly 335 billion times.
Many listeners discovered Indian artists for the first time.
Independent songs competed more closely with music from Bollywood films.
Indian music appeared in 112 million playlists made by users worldwide.
More than 40% of the royalties came from listeners outside India.
This shows that Indian music is reaching more languages, countries and listeners.
Royalties earned by Indian artists on Spotify increased 29% year-on-year in 2025.
Telugu music recorded the largest royalty increase, rising more than 120%, while other major languages also grew.
Indian artists generated nearly 335 billion global streams, totaling more than 20 billion listening hours.
Independent Indian music expanded its presence, with half of Spotify India’s year-end top 10 featuring non-film releases.
More than 40% of royalties earned by Indian artists came from listeners outside India.
- Who
- Indian artists, Spotify, listeners worldwide and regional-language music communities were involved; Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary attended the Loud & Clear India event.
- What
- Spotify reported a 29% increase in royalties for Indian artists in 2025, with Telugu royalties rising more than 120%.
- Where
- The report concerns Spotify listening in India and around the world, with the release event held in New Delhi.
- When
- The figures cover 2025; Spotify released the report in New Delhi on September 1, 2026, and the article was published September 3, 2026.
- Why
- Royalties and listening increased as regional-language, independent and Indian artist-first music reached more listeners through streaming and discovery tools.
Key facts
- Overall royalty growth
- Royalties generated by Indian artists increased 29% year-on-year in 2025.
- Top language growth
- Telugu royalties rose more than 120%.
- Global streams
- Indian artists recorded nearly 335 billion Spotify streams in 2025.
- Listening time
- The streams represented more than 20 billion listening hours.
- New artist discovery
- Listeners played previously unheard Indian artists 12.8 billion times, up 14% year-on-year.
- International royalties
- More than 40% of Indian artists’ Spotify royalties came from outside India.
- User playlists
- Indian artists appeared in 112 million user-created Spotify playlists worldwide.
Quotes
Dhruvank Vaidya
Head of Music & Podcast at Spotify India
“In 2025, 14% more listeners globally discovered an Indian artist on Spotify for the first time, and the listening went deep. Indian artists accumulated nearly 335 billion streams on the platform last year, over 20 billion hours of music, with royalties up 29% and growing in every major Indian language. Telugu alone is up over 120% year on year.”
news18.com
“Streaming changed the scale of what was possible for me as an independent artist. Songs that started from a very personal place were able to travel to listeners across the country, sometimes long after they were released.”
news18.com
Simran Choudhary
Punjabi artist featured in independent releases and film songs
“Streaming has completely changed what it means to be a Punjabi artist today. You no longer have to wait for a big label or a traditional industry gatekeeper to take your music to the world.”
news18.com
Sources
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