Kochi: Spotify has reported more than 30% year-on-year growth in royalties generated by Malayalam music, highlighting the growing global demand for Indian regional music. According to Spotify’s annual Loud & Clear report, Indian artists saw a 29% increase in royalties on the platform in 2025. Among South Indian languages, Telugu recorded the highest annual growth at over 120%, while Tamil grew by more than 20%.
More than 40% of the royalties generated by Indian artists came from listeners outside India. Of the 15 most-streamed tracks by Indian artists internationally, 11 were originally released independently. The number of artists earning more than Rs 1 crore annually on Spotify also grew by 21% year-on-year.
Indian artists accounted for 90% of Spotify India’s Daily Top 50 tracks in 2025, while non-film I-pop and popular Indian music featured in half of the country’s year-end Top 10 tracks. Independent singer-songwriter Haniya Nafisa, who gained recognition through the inaugural edition of RADAR Malayalam, crossed 11 million streams with her single ‘Mulchedi’.
Global rapper Hanumankind, who was born in Kerala, further highlighted the international appeal of Indian music with ‘Big Dawgs’, which crossed 360 million Spotify streams and reached No. 1 on Spotify’s global chart.
