The website, Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams, will explore the genre’s origin, evolution, cultural impact, and the role of women in its popularity.
By Helena Olori
Leading music streaming platform, Spotify, has announced the launch of “Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams,” a dedicated website that will amplify the global influence of Afrobeats in the music industry.
The move follows the remarkable number of streams Afrobeats has recorded, which exceeded 13 billion on the platform in 2022 alone.
“Afrobeats remains one of the globe’s hottest sounds. While countries like the U.S., U.K., and Nigeria remain the biggest consumers of Afrobeats, the genre’s popularity has grown rapidly in countries like France, the Netherlands, and Mexico as fans can’t get enough of artists like Rema, Ayra Starr, and Burna Boy,” explained Spotify in its Press release.
(Read also: Nigerian Artistes Burna Boy, Tems, Three Others, Recognised at BET Awards 2023)
Similarly, Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, the Managing Director for Spotify in sub-Saharan Africa, expressed her confidence in Afrobeats’ enduring impact, stating, “There is no doubt that Afrobeats as a genre is here to stay and will only continue to shatter more ceilings. In 2023 alone, the genre has been played for more than 223 million hours, with streams exceeding 7.1 billion on Spotify. We created this site for both new and longtime fans of the genre who want to better understand how and where this explosive sound came to be.”
Comprising five pillars, namely Origins, Evolution, Fusion, Cultural Export, and Women of Afrobeats, the “Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams” website will explore Afrobeats origin, its rise and evolution as Africa’s biggest cultural export, and spotlight underreported narratives, with special focus on the role women have played in propelling the genre to its current status as a global sensation.
This dedicated website is set to become the ultimate destination for Afrobeats enthusiasts, providing detailed updates and latest trends within the genre. It will feature regular interviews with leading artistes and industry players, videos, quizzes, and the latest Spotify data and trends around Afrobeats listening.
(Read also: Afrobeats Festival Makes its Homecoming as Afro Nation Nigeria Gears Up)
Debut articles on the first pillar, Origins, and the last, Women of Afrobeats, have already been published. They detail the origins of Afrobeats and the sounds that influenced it along the way, and some of the key female figures whose contributions helped propel the genre to its current status as a global sensation.
Subsequently, as part of Spotify’s commitment to the growth of the genre, the Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams website will be regularly updated over the next eight weeks, ensuring a continuous flow of the latest news within the global Afrobeats community. Insights from Afrobeats listeners on Spotify user base will also be provided on a bi-weekly basis.