Loud & Clear: India’s Music Economy On Spotify Grew 29% In 2025, Regional Languages Drive Growth

Royalties generated by Indian artists on Spotify grew 29% year-on-year in 2025, with artists across major Indian languages contributing to the growth. Telugu royalties surged by more than 120% year-on-year, while Marathi rose nearly 50% and Bengali nearly 40%, highlighting the growing economic value of India’s linguistic diversity in the streaming ecosystem.

The data comes from Spotify’s annual Loud & Clear report, which tracks how more than $11 billion in global music royalties were distributed by Spotify in 2025, taking the platform’s all-time total to nearly $70 billion.

Indian music also recorded significant growth in global discovery during the year. In 2025, listeners globally pressed play on an Indian artist they had never heard before 12.8 billion times, marking a 14% increase from the previous year. Indian artists were streamed nearly 335 billion times on Spotify, amounting to more than 20 billion hours of music.

The growth is also being reflected in the number of artists generating significant income from streaming. The number of artists generating more than INR 10 million annually grew 21% year-on-year, while the number earning over INR 50 million has more than doubled since 2023. The growth, according to the report, is spreading across the artist base, languages and genres.

India’s artists are charting on their own terms

In 2025, 90% of the tracks on Spotify India’s Daily Top 50 were by Indian artists. I-Pop, or popular Indian music released outside of film soundtracks, accounted for half of Spotify’s 2025 year-end top ten in India, with artists including Aditya Rikhari, Kushagra, Anuv Jain, Faheem Abdullah and Jasleen Royal charting alongside major film soundtracks.

Aditya Rikhari’s independent track “Sahiba” also held the number one spot on Spotify India for more than 11 consecutive weeks in 2025.

Speaking about his journey, artist Aditya Rikhari said, “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. Spotify’s discovery tools, in particular, helped my music reach a much wider set of listeners, many of whom went on to genuinely connect with and love the songs. I believe the ecosystem will only keep evolving for the better for people who are trying to build careers as musicians in India, especially with partners like Spotify supporting that journey. So to every fan of mine who aspires to become a musician - just put your music out. You never know where it might travel."

Independent artists are also increasingly influencing film music. Dhurandhar, one of the biggest film albums of 2025, featured independent artists including Jasmine Sandlas and Simran Choudhary.

Reflecting on the shift, artist Simran Choudhary said,“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. I’ve experienced that first-hand with my own independent music and film songs like Lutt Le Gaya. What excites me most is that audiences are now discovering the artist behind the song, not just the song itself. For an independent female artist like me, that ability to build a direct relationship with listeners has been incredibly empowering.”

The trend is also visible in India’s international music footprint. On Spotify’s 2025 Global Impact List, 11 of the top 15 songs were artist-first releases spanning languages and genres, including music from AP Dhillon, Karan Aujla, Hanumankind, Anuv Jain and Kushagra.

Dhruvank Vaidya, Head of Music & Podcast, Spotify India, said, “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.”

Regional languages fuel streaming growth

The rise in streaming is generating growing economic value across regional languages, with several languages recording substantial increases in royalties generated globally.

• Telugu: up over 120% year-on-year
• Marathi: up nearly 50%
• Bengali: up nearly 40%
• Malayalam: up over 30%
• Hindi: up nearly 30%
• Tamil: up 20%

Haryanvi music has also grown nearly sevenfold in streams on Spotify between February 2023 and February 2026, making it one of the fastest-growing languages on the platform. Nearly 100 Haryanvi acts now rank among Spotify India’s top 5,000 artists.

Spotify has also expanded its RADAR programme to Malayalam, following Punjabi and Tamil, in response to the growth seen on the platform.

Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, who was a guest at the Loud & Clear India event in New Delhi, said, “India’s music economy reflects the extraordinary creativity, diversity and entrepreneurial spirit of our artists. The 29% growth in Spotify royalties, supported by strong gains across Indian languages, shows how digital platforms are enabling talent from every region to find audiences, build sustainable livelihoods and participate in the global creative economy. It is particularly encouraging to see independent artists succeeding on their own terms and taking music rooted in their languages and identities to listeners around the world. As technology reshapes the creative industries, we must continue to strengthen the skills, digital capabilities and enterprise opportunities that enable young creators to convert their talent into meaningful careers. India’s linguistic diversity is not merely our cultural strength; it is increasingly becoming an economic strength and a powerful part of our global identity.”

Indian music continues to expand globally

More than 40% of all royalties earned by Indian artists on Spotify in 2025 came from listeners outside India. The international revenue was spread across multiple languages rather than being concentrated in Hindi, with editorial playlists, algorithmic discovery and programmes such as RADAR helping Indian artists reach audiences beyond their home markets.

Punjabi music has emerged as one of the strongest examples of India’s global music reach, with artists headlining arenas across continents and charting internationally. Spotify recently featured Punjabi artists Tegi Pannu and Watan Sahi on RADAR Global, spotlighting emerging talent for international listeners.

The global reach also extends across other Indian languages. Anirudh Ravichander’s Tamil album Coolie crossed 100 million Spotify streams within 10 days and earned a spot on the Times Square billboard through Spotify. Sai Abhyankar and Sai Smriti’s Tamil single “Aasa Kooda” reached 238 million Spotify streams, while Hanumankind’s “Big Dawgs” crossed 360 million Spotify streams and reached number one on a Spotify global chart.

Women artists are also becoming an increasingly important part of this global growth. Local streams of Indian female artists on Spotify grew 27% year-on-year in 2025, while international streams increased 7%.

Jasmine Sandlas’ features on the Dhurandhar soundtrack helped take her to number three on the Spotify Global Top 200. In October 2025, she released “Legal Robbery”, her first full-length album in more than five years, through her own label, Jasmine Sandlas Records. Spotify continues to support women artists across languages, genres and career stages through programmes including EQUAL and RADAR.

What comes next

The growing role of audiences is also evident in the number of user-created playlists featuring Indian artists. In 2025, 112 million user-created playlists globally and nearly 59 million within India featured Indian artists.

With Indian music increasingly being discovered, streamed and monetised across languages and borders, the latest figures point to a streaming ecosystem where regional diversity, independent artists and global audiences are playing a growing role in shaping the country’s music economy.