Spotify just dropped a record $11B on the music industry
In 2025, Spotify paid out over $11 billion to artists and labels—a new record for any retailer and up more than 10% from 2024.
Half of these royalties went straight to independent artists and labels, pushing Spotify's lifetime payouts close to $70 billion.
The platform now pulls in about 30% of all recorded music revenue, showing just how much streaming has changed the game.
Why does this matter?
More artists are making over $100K a year from Spotify than were getting stocked on record store shelves at the height of the CD era, proving streaming is now where real money is made.
With 100,000 songs uploaded daily, Spotify's rolling out SongDNA to let fans see who worked on a song.
Plus, they're adding human editors to playlists—not just algorithms—making it easier for both listeners and artists to stand out in the crowd.