Nigerian artists are facing a massive revenue gap in the music streaming world. Muyiwa Awoniyi, who manages Grammy-winning star Tems, recently made a shocking revelation.
According to Tems manager, Muyiwa, Artists in Nigeria earn only about $300 from one million streams. This number is extremely low when compared to other countries. In Sweden, for example, the same number of streams can bring in between $8,000 and $10,000.
He shared this during an appearance on the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast. Awoniyi explained that this wide gap is due to how streaming services like Spotify price their subscriptions in Nigeria.
“It costs N900 to subscribe to Spotify,” he said, highlighting just how cheap it is in the local market.
But that’s not the only problem. Streaming platforms calculate royalties based on territories. So, if your IP address is linked to Nigeria, your earnings are tied to Nigeria’s rates—even if your music is doing well globally.
“A lot of people do not know this. Spotify treats things territorially. So if my IP is anchored to a region where one million streams is $300, I am cooked,” he added.
This means that even successful Nigerian artists are not making what they truly deserve from digital platforms.
The issue has raised concerns about sustainability for rising artists. While Afrobeats continues to grow globally, the structure behind the scenes is not yet benefiting those creating the music.
Many fans and industry insiders believe it’s time for a change. Fairer royalty models, better local support, and global IP recognition could help Nigerian artists earn more.
Until then, musicians will continue to struggle with unfair returns, no matter how many times their songs are streamed.
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