Charlie Hellman, the SVP and Global Head Of Music at Spotify, has shared a lengthy note over on the Spotify For Artists blog, outlining just how much the ubiquitous streaming platform paid artists in the past year.
Following a year which has seen Spotify address issues such as AI artists on the platform, and musicians removing their music from the service, Hellman’s note sees Spotify outlining that the past year has resulted in more than USD $11 billion paid out to the music industry – “the largest annual payment to music from any retailer in history.”
“Big, industry-wide numbers can feel abstract, but that growth is showing up in tangible ways,” Hellman explained. “For example, there are now more artists generating over $100k/year from Spotify alone than were getting stocked on record store shelves at the height of the CD era.
“That’s the real shift and extraordinary progress that these numbers represent. Despite rampant misinformation about how streaming is working today, the reality is that this is an era full of more success stories and promise than at any point in history.
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“Today, Spotify accounts for roughly 30% of recorded music revenue,” he added. “Last year, our payouts grew by more than 10%, while other industry income sources grew by closer to 4%, making Spotify the primary driver of industry revenue growth in 2025.”
Noting that independent artists and labels accounted for half of all royalties paid out over the past year, Hellman also addressed the price rises for service subscriptions that Spotify has rolled out to its more than 750 million-strong userbase.
“Since Spotify pays out two-thirds of all music revenue to the industry – almost 70% of what we take in – as Spotify revenues grow, music payouts have grown as well,” he explained.
“What about the other third — the money Spotify keeps? That’s been our fuel to reinvest directly into the platform in ways that drive more people to pay for music streaming and continue to grow revenues for music.
“By doing all we can to innovate on behalf of the music industry, we’ve been able to deliver an unrivaled listening experience, helping connect artists with listeners who are most likely to care about their music,” he continued.
As Hellman's post continued, he looked towards the platform's intentions for 2026, pointing out the introduction of further video features and methods to allow artists to share the stories of their music, increased artist verification and song crediting measures, more live shows, and new human editorial opportunities.
Our focus is ensuring that growth creates clear, reliable paths for artists to reach fans, and sustain careers,” he concluded. “That’s the standard we’re holding ourselves in 2026.
“There’s a lot of work ahead and I’m excited about what we can build together this year.”
Hellman’s full post can be read on the Spotify For Artists blog.
