Music streaming giant Spotify have launched a global project titled “Afrobeats: Culture in Motion” to spotlight the evolution of Afrobeats since 2020 and the artists, producers, and fans driving its worldwide expansion.
The announcement was made by Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa, during a statement in Lagos, Nigeria.
The project includes a documentary and an immersive microsite on Spotify’s newsroom, For the Record, which breaks down the genre’s growth using fresh listening data.
Data in the microsite reveal some noteworthy trends.
Afrobeats listenership in Latin America grew by more than 180% year over year, and in Brazil, streams have increased by 500% since 2020.
The documentary follows the next generation of Afrobeats artists as they push the sound into new territories. Spotify reports that in the past 12 months, Afrobeats generated over 240 million discoveries worldwide.
Indonesia has seen the highest numbers in new listeners since 2020 at 4,530%, followed by Egypt at 2,213% and India at 1,650%.
At the time of writing more than 152k Afrobeats tracks are streamed every hour on Spotify globally
Afrobeats: Culture in Motion is reflects on the success of the genre and the culture it brings.
