In recent times, a quiet but growing anxiety has emerged within the Nigerian music industry—one centered around the perceived decline in the global relevance of Afrobeats. This fear may be instigated by major artists struggling to sell out tour venues, cancelled dates across key international cities, and the absence of a truly global Afrobeats hit in nearly three years, a phenomenon which industry players have ascribed majorly to the presence of a "creative fatigue" amongst our stars. Also, the now emerging truth that is becoming known to everyone about the lack of ROI in the industry is a cause as well. However, it’s worth asking: is this decline real, or just noise? The data could offer the clarity we need.
The Data
2024 Loud & Clear report shows that global listeners spent over 1.1 million hours streaming Nigerian artists, reflecting the growing consumption of Nigerian sounds worldwide. Also, users created approximately 250 million playlists that feature Nigerian artists, showing the extensive integration of the country’s music into everyday listening habits. In terms of Mechanical Royalties, Nigerian artists earned over N58 billion in royalties from Spotify in 2024, more than doubling the figures from 2023 and marking a fivefold increase compared to 2022. According to Nairametrics, a substantial portion of the N58 billion in royalties came from international listeners, reinforcing the global appeal of Nigerian music. Spotify’s report also reveals that Nigerian artists were discovered by first-time listeners over one billion times in 2024, demonstrating the increasing reach of the country’s music.
To crown it all, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, managing director for Spotify Africa, stated on Thursday that data showed that Afrobeats was the fastest-growing genre in the world in 2024, pointing to markets like France and the Netherlands, where Nigerian music is gaining traction. She forecast that the UK and US markets would become major hubs for Nigerian music in the coming years.
The available data suggests that claims of a decline in global demand for Afrobeats are largely unfounded. The idea of the genre’s “death” appears premature—if not entirely inaccurate. What we might be witnessing isn’t a genre-wide collapse, but rather a reflection of inconsistent quality among individual artists.
For instance, the reluctance of international audiences to purchase tickets to a Kizz Daniel concert may have less to do with Afrobeats' relevance, and more to do with perceived value—especially when compared to the consistently high production and performance standards of artists like Burna Boy. Supporting this point, Burna Boy recently announced the introduction of 360° stage setups for some of his tour stops, underscoring the continued demand for his shows and the innovation driving that demand.
Ultimately, the panic within the industry seems to stem from a failure to reflect critically on the real issues. Many are diagnosing a genre-wide problem based on isolated incidents, and drawing conclusions from symptoms rather than root causes. It's logically flawed to equate a few cancelled tour dates with a global decline in Afrobeats’ relevance. A more accurate interpretation might be that Afrobeats artists need to refine their individual offerings to meet the rising expectations of a global audience.
Plot Twist
Now, here’s the plot twist: despite recent data showing Afrobeats as the world’s fastest-growing genre, there remains a valid reason for panic within the Nigerian music industry. However, this panic shouldn't be directed at the genre’s global acceptance—that part, at least for now, is still intact. Instead, the real concern lies within the foundational structure of the local industry itself.
Yes, the industry does need to worry—but not because of a few underwhelming tour sales abroad. The real problem is deeper and demands philosophical reflection and data-driven analysis, not superficial conclusions tied to poor international performances.
Take this, for example: despite Nigerian music’s booming global presence, it contributes significantly less to local revenue compared to South Africa, which accounts for 77% of recorded music revenue in Africa. This points to a major issue—the weak purchasing power of Nigerians. While consumption is high, monetization remains abysmal. Subscription-based revenue in Nigeria is minimal, even though local streaming has seen an astonishing 782% increase over the past three years.
And yet, most Nigerian artists earn very little from streaming royalties. As previously noted, a substantial part of the over ₦58 billion in royalties was generated from international listeners—highlighting just how reliant the industry is on foreign markets. Worse still, this revenue is heavily concentrated in the hands of a few superstar acts, rather than being equitably distributed across the industry.
This takes us to another pressing issue: there isn’t enough local revenue being generated by artists who operate solely within the domestic market. The bulk of the money flows to artists signed to international labels or backed by major global partnerships. This reality reveals two alarming truths:
Investors struggle with return on investment (ROI).
A significant portion of the revenue leaves the country.
From this perspective, one might even argue that the popular “Afrobeats to the World” mantra has been more symbolic than structural. It’s only truly “Afrobeats to the World” if we’re exporting culture while retaining economic value at home. In today’s reality, what we’re seeing is more of “Afrobeats from the World”—with external markets and systems reaping most of the benefits.
So yes, while the fear of a decline in Afrobeats’ global relevance may be premature, the industry’s underdevelopment at its source is a much more urgent and valid concern.
It's also worth noting that a global dip may eventually come—because no genre dominates the world stage forever. History shows us this clearly. Even genre powerhouses like country music, reggae, and hip-hop experience global lulls. Take country music for example. For years, it maintained a primarily domestic presence in the U.S. before artists like Bebe Rexha, Morgan Wallen, Lil Nas X, and Shaboozey broke into the global mainstream in the past decade. Similarly, reggae hasn’t consistently produced global hits in recent years, and hip-hop tends to enjoy sporadic, not yearly, chart dominance.
What sustains these genres through their quiet phases isn’t constant global relevance—it’s robust local ecosystems, strong infrastructure, domestic fan engagement, and economic structures that support artists through creative cycles. In essence, the true danger for Afrobeats isn’t whether it can maintain its global visibility—it’s whether it can build a sustainable industry at home to thrive long after the spotlight moves elsewhere.
The Need For More Work
This brings us to the crucial conversation around industry structure. I must acknowledge that significant progress has been made over the years. I still vividly remember hearing Obinna Agwu and Olawale Olofooro speak candidly about the absence of structure in the Nigerian music industry on The Listening Sessions Podcast back in 2020. Fast forward five years, and we’ve indeed come a long way.
From the enactment of the Copyright Act of 2022 to the ongoing construction of Africa’s first purpose-built entertainment arena in Lagos, set for completion in December 2025—milestones like these reflect meaningful steps in the right direction. We must celebrate everyone who has contributed to this growth and institutional development.
That said, the work is far from over. While we’ve laid important foundations, much more remains to be done to build a truly sustainable and equitable music ecosystem.
We are Leaving Money on the Table
In 2019, the Director General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) revealed that Nigeria loses a staggering ₦918 trillion annually to digital piracy across the film, music, art, and broader content creation sectors. This is an alarming reality for an industry already grappling with major revenue challenges. If purchasing power within the Nigerian market remains weak, then we must start finding creative and strategic ways to tap into markets where the money actually is.
One such approach that I’ve consistently advocated for is the replication of the U.S. Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA) of 1992. This legislation amended U.S. copyright law to address the rise of digital audio recording devices and introduced a system of royalty payments to compensate copyright holders for potential losses resulting from home copying of music.
I advocate for this approach because Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million people, has one of the most active music-consuming populations in the world—cutting across age, class, and geography. Yet, a significant portion of this consumption happens without any direct contribution to the creators. One of the most common ways music is accessed without payment is through portable music players and SD cards. To address this, a levy system should be introduced at the point of purchase of these devices—or at another relevant stage in the supply chain—to ensure that creators are fairly compensated for the widespread, unlicensed use of their work.
Interestingly, Nigeria has had a similar policy since 2012—the Copyright (Levy on Materials) Order of 2012, which outlines levies on blank media and recording devices. However, the disbursement of these funds has historically favored the Nigerian Copyright Commission itself, with minimal benefit reaching actual creatives. Policies like this must not only be revived and expanded, but they also need to be transparent, fair, and tailored to support the artists, producers, and stakeholders who drive the industry. Nigeria cannot afford to lose trillions annually while creatives still struggle to earn from their work.
Beyond policy, another pressing issue is the need to diversify the Nigerian music industry, both in terms of genre representation and market structure. For far too long, the industry has been overly reliant on a narrow "Afrobeats to the World" model—a powerful movement, but one that risks becoming too centralized, both creatively and economically. As Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, recently highlighted, there’s been explosive growth in overlooked Nigerian genres: