Spotify has released the first Saudi Arabia edition of its Loud & Clear report, offering new insight into how the Kingdom’s fast-growing music ecosystem is growing – and what that means for brands seeking to understand local audiences.
The findings point to a market that is not only consuming more Saudi music but exporting it at scale. In 2024, Saudi artists were discovered by first-time listeners over 220 million times, a 75 per cent increase year on year.
More than 90 per cent of royalties earned by these artists came from international listeners, with top streaming markets including the United States, Brazil, India, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Regionally, Egypt, the UAE, Morocco, Iraq, and Jordan also contributed strongly.
For advertisers and marketers, the data highlights an audience increasingly open to locally rooted yet globally resonant content – a sign of how cultural exports from Saudi Arabia are shaping modern Middle Eastern identity online.
The Spotify report also shared that Saudi artists generated over 13m SAR in royalties in 2024, up 76 per cent from the previous year. The number of Saudi artists earning more than 100,000 SAR annually on the platform has doubled since 2023, reflecting how digital streaming is maturing into a sustainable revenue channel rather than a discovery-only space.
Consumption of Saudi music within the Kingdom has also increased by 195 per cent since 2020, nearly tripling in four years. This growth, driven by national pride and rising investment in creative industries, underscores streaming’s role as both an entertainment mainstay and a cultural amplifier.
Spotify’s local initiatives, including Fresh Finds Saudi, RADAR Arabia and EQUAL Arabia, continue to nurture emerging artists and build visibility for Saudi talent across genres. These programmes, coupled with tools such as Spotify for Artists and creative features like Canvas, are helping musicians translate fan engagement into long-term career growth.
Paul Pacifico, CEO of the Music Commission, said streaming is now “vital to Saudi Arabia’s music economy”, noting that transparency and data from reports like this “strengthen the industry” and support its role in the Kingdom’s broader cultural and economic transformation.
Akshat Harbola, Managing Director for Spotify MENAP, added that the findings reaffirm how artists active on the platform are “building lasting audiences and careers”, signalling continued growth for Saudi music both at home and abroad.
