African Music: Why Artists Still Earn Less on Platforms

African music circulates widely on digital platforms, fuels international trends and attracts audiences far beyond the continent. Yet popularity does not guarantee proportionate compensation for the artists, songwriters, performers and producers involved.

The debate was notably reignited by Tiakola after the initial release of his music video Caméléon on X rather than YouTube. The artist later clarified that this choice did not amount to a boycott of the platform. However, he reaffirmed a specific demand: better monetization of content produced and watched in Africa.

The issue goes far beyond one artist or one platform. Between unequal access to monetization programmes, the low value of local listens, incomplete data on works and the limits of collective management, part of the value created by African music may elude its creators.

YouTube monetization is limited in many African countries

The YouTube Partner Programme in principle allows eligible creators to receive a share of the advertising revenue generated by their content. However, this option is reportedly available in only 13 of the 55 African countries referred to in the available data. Among them, only four French-speaking countries are said to be included, with Senegal as the sole country in sub-Saharan Africa.

This arrangement notably excludes major countries for French-speaking African music, such as Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and Mali. Yet according to the figures cited, 48% of the most-listened-to certified artists in French-speaking Africa come from the DRC, and 28% from Côte d’Ivoire. The two main pools of artists in this area therefore find themselves at the heart of a monetization system that is not fully accessible to them.

Ivorian rapper Himra has publicly called for African videos to be monetized. Senegalese artist Didj Awadi was already denouncing different treatment between Africa and Europe in 2021. Even when a country is eligible, the income gap remains considerable.

Why a view or stream is not worth the same everywhere

The problem is not only the absence of monetization. It also concerns the economic value assigned to listens from different territories. Devy Atingana Lesuga, a specialist in the digital transformation of cultural industries in French-speaking Africa, estimated that 100 million Senegalese views for Coup du marteau had generated €971 on YouTube.

Average revenue per thousand views, or RPM, is reportedly between 10 and 15 cents in some African markets, compared with 80 cents to €1 in Western Europe. In other words, the same work and the same number of views do not generate the same income depending on where the audience is located.

Music streaming also largely operates according to a territorial logic. Subscriptions are adjusted to local purchasing power: in Nigeria, Spotify Premium was listed at around €1, compared with around €12.20 in Sweden and $11.50 in the United States as of February 2026. This price difference affects the value of listens.

Estimates reported by Music In Africa indicate that one million Spotify streams could generate around €3,070 in the United States, between €2,630 and €4,120 in Europe, around €1,375 in South Africa, and between €700 and €1,270 in other African countries. In Nigeria, one million local streams would represent around $300, compared with nearly $5,000 for the same volume in the United Kingdom.

The “digital exile” of African artists

This geography of revenue pushes many artists to seek an audience in Europe or North America. The diaspora then becomes essential not only for international visibility, but also for improving income from digital listens.

South Africa illustrates this paradox. Its artists reportedly generated 504 million rand on Spotify in 2025, or just over €26 million according to the data cited. But nearly 74% of this revenue is said to have come from listeners located abroad.

Nigeria, often portrayed as an afrobeats powerhouse, is not immune to this phenomenon. Nigerian artists reportedly generated more than 60 billion naira in 2025, or around €40 million, from more than 30 billion streams. The growth is significant, but increased local consumption does not necessarily generate income equivalent to that from audiences in more lucrative markets.

This dependence on external audiences also raises a question of economic control. In February 2024, Universal Music Group announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Mavin Global, the group founded by Don Jazzy and associated in particular with Rema and Ayra Starr. Don Jazzy retains operational management, but a majority share of this strategic structure now belongs to a multinational company.

Music rights: a complex and often incomplete chain

A song can generate several categories of income. Mechanical royalties compensate for the use of a work when it is downloaded or streamed. Public performance royalties concern radio, concerts, restaurants and other venues that play music. Revenue linked to the master goes to the owner of the recording, often a label. Related rights, synchronization in films, series, advertisements or games, and various licences are added to these.

These revenue streams do not automatically go to the same people. The songwriter, performer, publisher and master owner may all have separate rights. Yet many African artists mainly receive income related to streaming and mechanical royalties, while synchronization and related rights remain more difficult to collect.

This issue of recognition and cultural transmission is not limited to the digital economy. Musical practices are also part of collective histories and living heritage, as the history of Gwoka in Guadeloupe shows, an expression based on singing, dance and the ka drum.

Missing metadata: when money does not reach its recipients

For royalties to be allocated correctly, every work must be identifiable. The ISRC distinguishes a specific recording, while the ISWC identifies the work itself, meaning the composition and lyrics. A cover version can therefore have a different ISRC while retaining the same ISWC as the original song.

When this information is missing, inconsistent or not linked across platforms, the money generated can end up as unclaimed royalties. Globally, their amount is estimated at $2.5 billion. Under the rules of collecting societies, undistributed sums may be held for three to five years before being redistributed to members who are already registered, often according to their market share.

The imbalance is also visible in figures from the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers: the entire African continent reportedly collected €90 million in copyright royalties in 2024, out of a global total close to €14 billion, or around 0.6%.

Administrative and institutional difficulties worsen the situation. Artists do not always know which society to join or how to register their works. Others challenge the distribution methods used by certain bodies. Problems involving operations, transparency or collection have been raised in the DRC, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire. Congolese slam artist Mariusca notably explained that she had chosen to register with Sacem in France, believing that local payments did not adequately reflect artistic work.

Ways to better compensate creators

Market growth does not erase these weaknesses. According to the IFPI, the recorded music market in sub-Saharan Africa reportedly grew by 15.2% in 2025, reaching $120 million. Globally, however, the market was worth $31.7 billion: the region therefore accounts for less than 0.4% of the total.

Several initiatives are seeking to reduce this loss of value. Nigerian platform Afroundtrack claims to have more than 300 registered creators and over 5,000 registered works. Sycall is working on enriching metadata to facilitate the identification and placement of tracks. Other tools rely on artificial intelligence to compare revenue theoretically due with the amounts actually paid.

Developing the live music scene also remains a means of compensation, even if access to programming, tours and performance fees remains unequal. Beyond technology, the challenge is therefore to strengthen artists’ access to information, the registration of works, the reliability of databases and the transparency of collecting societies.

Like other cultural expressions shaped by histories of domination and devaluation, African music cannot be reduced to its aesthetic success or commercial potential. The historical devaluation of Vodun is a reminder that recognizing African cultures also means taking their frameworks, actors and rights seriously.

FAQ

Why do African streams often generate less income?

Platforms generally apply rates adapted to subscription prices and the advertising market in each country. When subscriptions and advertising generate less revenue there, the average value of a listen or view is lower.

What is an unclaimed royalty?

It is income generated by a work that cannot be attributed to its beneficiary, notably because of missing or incorrect metadata, an unregistered work, or failure to join a collecting society.

Can African artists make a living solely from platforms?

The data cited show that platforms can generate significant income for some artists, but the level of that income depends greatly on the territory where the listens occur, how rights are structured and the ability to reach international audiences.