The streaming app is finally available in Nigeria, but what does this mean for our industry?
Finally, after what seemed like a hundred years of pleading and begging, Spotify is in Nigeria. (A round of applause, everyone!) The Swedish music giants announced the news at their virtual event, “Stream On” on 22 February 2021, and the app was available the next day.
As expected, social media is rife with think pieces and opinions on what this could mean for the Nigerian music industry; musicians, labels, and fans alike. Fans of Davido and Wizkid are excited to start binge streaming their favourite artiste’s work to break new streaming records on a new app, while others are just happy to delete their VPN apps. But apart from its beautiful design (come on, guys, you know that black and green is gorgeous), what does Spotify in Nigeria really mean for our music market?
For musicians and music producers, the benefits are endless. For industry heavyweights, Spotify presents a way to consolidate their popularity (refer to the first paragraph about Wizkid FC and 30BG), and reach new markets. For emerging acts, Spotify is a way to take off and increase their visibility in the music space.
In the #StreamOn video, American musician Khalid emphasizes how important Spotify is in discovering new artistes, and this discovery is made possible through its highly celebrated playlists and recommendations algorithm. Playlists like Rap Caviar have helped launch careers as fans are treated to new exciting hip-hop talent. With the industry saturated with a lot of music, playlists are a great navigating tool to find your taste in a sea of music.
At the end of the day, reach is the selling point for both new and old artistes. As the most popular streaming service in the world, Spotify grants Nigerian musicians a truly global audience, with the possibilities for collaboration and partnerships as they push their art to the rest of the world.
And speaking of reach, Spotify is also an exciting prospect for podcasters. With Spotify, fans can now listen to music and podcasts using one app, unlike before when the major podcasting apps – Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, etc. – were designed for podcasts alone. With Spotify, users can kill two birds with one stone.
Also, unlike other streaming companies, Spotify is heavily invested in all aspects of podcasting, from creation to consumption. This means that podcast fans will be introduced to a variety of podcasts, both popular ones and their lesser-known counterparts. For podcasters who use Anchor – Spotify’s newly-acquired podcast-creating app – it is even more of a bonus, as they are ensured of substantial promotion and can even further connect with new audiences. Asides from this, Spotify’s original podcasts are a great source of entertainment, wisdom, discoveries, and whatever new knowledge you could hope to get from consuming content. To further nail the point home, Spotify announced a new podcast deal with President Barack Obama and musician Bruce Springsteen.
Spotify coming to Nigeria is also a big win for support industries. The creative direction industry has a new outlet with the canvas feature, which allows artistes to include short visuals alongside tracks, adding a new dimension to the listening experience. For music curators, it is another way to promote playlists and music selections. For music journalists and data analysts, Spotify is a great way to accurately measure the quantity of music being consumed and the ways fans perceive and appreciate music through the number of streams, playlist placements, and similar variables.
For fans – wait, did you not read the entire article? I mean, what more do you want besides great design, convenience, fantastic recommendations for both new music and podcasts? What more could you possibly want?
You can start your listening experience on the app by checking out Bounce Radio's Spotify page. We've got 18 playlists perfectly curated for any mood. Happy listening.
