According to a report from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the use of paid music streaming services surged in South Africa in 2023.
IFPI’s annual Global Music Report found that the broader Sub-Saharan African (SSA) area recorded the biggest growth in music revenues in 2023 for the second year running.
Revenues in the region surged by 24.7%, compared to global growth of 10.2%. A substantial streaming revenue increase of 24.5% was the main driving force in SSA.
South Africa remained the largest market in the region, contributing 77% of the SSA’s revenues, with music revenue growth of 19.9% in 2023.
In addition to impressive region-bound performances, African music has enjoyed greater worldwide appeal and recognition in recent years.
In 2022, South African DJ Black Coffee won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
Last year, the South African trio of Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini, and Nomcebo Zikode won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Performance for their song Bayethe.
In 2024, the Grammys introduced a new category for Best African Music Performance, which 22-year-old South African singer Tyla won for her hit song Water. Reports say that Water has been streamed 500 million times on Spotify and added to 10 million playlists.
The song’s music video has also racked up over 151 million views on YouTube since October 2023. This excludes the number of times it was streamed on the YouTube Music service.
Warner Music International president Simon Robson believes that Africa’s music transcends national or global barriers.
“The market itself is still coming from a low base but is showing strong growth,” Robson said. “There’s an element of helping those internal markets continue to strengthen and become more material, and the export potential of African music is huge.”
Sony Music Africa’s director of repertoire strategy, Christel Kayibi, said the growth across various African genres was a personal highlight.
“I always wanted there to be more to African music worldwide than Afrobeats,” Kayibi said. “Amapiano is becoming well-established globally, but other artists and genres are ready to enter the spotlight.”
