Three global music distribution giants—Empire, Sony, and Universal Music Group—accounted for 68% of Nigeria’s total streaming volume in 2025, underscoring how deeply foreign distributors have embedded themselves at the centre of Africa’s most valuable music market.
Empire, an independent American distribution and publishing company, led the pack with 1.2 billion streams, representing 32.88% of all Nigerian Spotify consumption, according to a new report by Creator Economy IQ, a data intelligence organisation. Empire’s partnerships with Nigerian music labels, such as Dangbana Republik, placed it in a unique position as the leading company in streaming numbers.
California-headquartered Universal came second with 786.4 million streams, or about 21% market share, boosted by Mavin-affiliated releases from Rema and Ayra Starr, who were among the most streamed Nigerian artists in 2025.
Sony trailed third at 541.8 million streams, translating to 14%, carried largely by Tems and Shallipopi through subsidiary label Since ’93.
The dominance of foreign entities reflects a long-standing infrastructure gap in the Nigerian music industry. According to a KPMG report, the Nigerian music industry has struggled with a vaguely defined business structure, noting that a lack of formal auditing and corporate governance has often made local labels appear difficult and confusing for traditional investors.
Global counterparts like Empire, Sony, and Universal Music Group have filled this vacuum by bringing a business structure that is easy to understand.
The impact of this global integration is undeniably visible in the numbers. Nigerian artists earned ₦58 billion ($41.48 million) on Spotify in 2025. And while international partnerships have propelled stars like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems onto the world’s biggest stages, the industry still battles significant bottlenecks.
Piracy and informal distribution continue to erode legitimate revenues, and the path to stardom remains prohibitively expensive for those without major-label backing. The challenge for the next decade lies in whether the industry can formalise its internal structures to match its outward fame.
While global giants provide the corporate framework, local leaders are building the industry’s human pipeline. In 2025, Grammy-winning Afrobeats singer Tems launched the Leading Vibe Initiative to provide workshops, resources, and mentorship for women who want to pursue a career in the music industry.
As the Nigerian music industry marches toward a projected valuation of $1.03 billion (₦1.5 trillion) by 2033, its future will be defined by whether these dominant global distributors can move beyond being mere beneficiaries of African talent to becoming true enablers of local infrastructure, including investing in the studios, royalty collection systems, and professional education needed to sustain the ecosystem.
