Spotify has confirmed that European artists earned a record-breaking €1.7 billion in royalties from the platform in 2024; a 15% increase from the previous year, and almost double the total paid out in 2020. The announcement comes alongside another major milestone: Spotify has now surpassed 100 million paying subscribers in Europe.
The figures, shared as part of the company’s Loud & Clear transparency initiative, show a sharp rise in both artist earnings and streaming impact across the continent. Since 2017, when Spotify began publishing royalty data, this is the highest level of EU-based payouts to date.
Key stats from Spotify’s 2024 Loud & Clear report:
- €1.7 billion paid to EU artists in 2024, up 15% year-on-year
- 351.66 billion streams of EU artists by European listeners
- 28 billion global discoveries of European artists
- 830 million+ U.S. playlists included European acts
- 52,000+ EU artists featured on Spotify editorial playlists, up 4% from 2023
- 44% of EU-generated royalties went to EU artists—the highest share on record
- 57% of those royalties came from non-English language music
Spotify’s General Manager for Europe, Federica Tremolada, said the results show how streaming is helping European artists thrive:
“This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about visibility, careers, and cultural influence. European creators are not only making a living—they’re shaping global listening habits.”
More Artists Earning Real Money
The number of professional and emerging artists making a meaningful income from Spotify continues to grow:
- 17,000+ EU artists earned more than €10,000
- 27,000+ EU artists earned more than €5,000
In some cases, these earnings are life-changing. And with independent artists taking a growing share of streams and payouts, the power balance in the industry continues to shift.
The Rise of Non-English and Female Artists
A significant share of EU artist royalties came from non-English language songs—more than half in 2024. That marks a big cultural shift and reflects global demand for local voices.
Female artists also saw major growth. Since 2020, streams of female EU artists rose:
- 83% globally
- 81% across Europe
- In the past year alone, growth hit 11% globally and 4% in Europe
Spotify’s EQUAL programme, designed to support women in music, helped more than 200 female European artists in 2024 across 19 different markets.
“Through EQUAL, we’re not just amplifying voices—we’re helping to change who gets heard,” said Tremolada.
Europe’s Global Impact Keeps Growing
Seven of the top ten most-streamed languages on Spotify are European, including Spanish, German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Dutch, and Swedish. In 2024, Italy became a €100 million+ market for the first time, and European music exports grew at an average of 32% annually over the last decade.
Regionally, the numbers are just as impressive:
- France: Artists earning over €100K quadrupled since 2017. Local acts made up 70% of Spotify France’s Daily Top 50.
- Germany: 6.9 billion discoveries, with more than half of all royalties going to independent acts.
- Belgium: Over 80% of royalties came from international listeners.
- Denmark: 192 artists earned more than 500,000 DKK (€67,000), with total royalties nearly doubling since 2017.
- UK: Artists earning over £10K, £50K, and £100K have all more than doubled since 2017. Those earning £1M+ rose 20% year-on-year.
Spotify’s Subscriber Surge
At Spotify’s Open House event in Stockholm, co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek confirmed that Europe now accounts for nearly 40% of Spotify’s global Premium subscriber base, translating to over 100 million paying users across the continent.
“When we launched in 2008, even reaching one million subscribers felt huge. Now we’re at 100 million in Europe alone,” Ek said in a LinkedIn post. “What’s more important is the connection we’ve built—between artists and fans, creators and communities.”
Europe’s role in Spotify’s growth story is clear. While other markets are expanding, the company’s latest price increases in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg haven’t slowed subscriber momentum. In fact, Spotify is expecting to reach 273 million global Premium subscribers by the end of Q2 2025.
