Artist Spotlight
Who’s Making the Most Money on Spotify in 2025?
In 2025, Spotify conquers the music streaming world, with 500+ million monthly paying subscribers globally. Considering the platform paid out $10 billion in royalties, a record high, during 2024, it’s evident that streaming is now a revenue stream for artists. Yet only a few musicians are making good money from it.
At the top of the list is Drake, whose 21.5 billion streams yield around $52.5 million. Next up is J Balvin, with $37.9 million this year, a clean-up job from his massive streaming numbers. Other artists who earned significant amounts included Post Malone, Ariana Grande, and Bad Bunny, each featured among the platform’s top earners.
In electronic music, the Chainsmokers had 7.2 billion streams and made $17.7 million, and Calvin Harris made $14 million. The first-place finisher among the grossers is Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” which earned $6.6 million from 2.7 billion streams.
Although these numbers are impressive, most artists on Spotify receive a much lower payday. In its 2024 Loud & Clear report, Spotify found that only 4.4% of artists make at least $131,000 annually. On average, an artist in the bottom 98.6% of earners makes just $12 monthly. This difference underscores the difficulties many musicians face in the streaming age.
Dead artists are still having a real impact on Spotify. Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, and Aim for the Moon have 8.51 billion streams, £29.29m, 6.79 billion streams, and £23.37 million in earnings with Juice WRLD’s “Legends Never Die.” Lil Peep and The Notorious B.I.G. are also proving influential, with their music still raking in significant amounts of money.
Spotify’s global platform has allowed artists to perform in front of audiences beyond their home countries. In 2024, most artists who earned at least $1,000 in royalties made most of their revenue through international listeners, at over 50%. Since 2017, the number of female artists grossing over $1 million per year has quadrupled, signaling greater diversity and representation in the music industry.
The few artists who do make millions from Spotify streams get 1 %, while the 1% of artists get funds. Only a handful of artists are financially rewarded through it, even as the platform’s continued global reach and growing diversity create opportunities for emergent practitioners.
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Artist Spotlight
C’batch turns an old guitar performance into a new story with “Our Little Pooh Pea (The Last Light) 4 – Cinematic”
“Our Little Pooh Pea (The Last Light) 4 – Cinematic” by C’batch is a guitar performance in a new musical world that can totally change its identity. Drawing on electronic and rock influences, the piece features a guitar solo originally recorded for another song, “Round & Round,” twisting a familiar performance into something distinctly cinematic.
The guitar is the star of the production, providing the song’s emotional character without a traditional vocal performance. C’batch creates an electronic atmosphere around it, changing the context of the original recording. The instrumental performance remains the core feature, but the blend of guitar-led expression, electronic textures, and cinematic treatment gives the record a spacious feel.
C’batch returns to the original guitar solo as in performance to find a different possibility. The process feels like reinvention, showing how a musical idea can mean something new through a change of context. The electronic and rock elements give way to the guitar to tell another story, and the cinematic production takes the performance in a new artistic direction. C’batch’s latest release speaks volumes about the value of putting fresh ears on old records again, and finding a whole other musical future within them.
Artist Spotlight
Johnny Hates Jazz and Jaki Graham put musical connection at the heart of “Soul Believer”
“Soul Believer” is a meeting of two different British musical voices, Johnny Hates Jazz and celebrated soul vocalist Jaki Graham, and it has a sense of occasion to it. It’s sophisticated pop, funk, and soul, blending Johnny Hates Jazz’s artistry with Graham’s deep roots in soul music.
It’s a feel-good collaboration that celebrates connection, musical feeling, and timeless appeal. “Soul Believer” was penned by Johnny Hates Jazz singer/songwriter Clark Datchler and Average White Band founder Hamish Stuart. Released on Revolver Records, the track draws on a deep British musical tradition, and the collaboration with Jaki Graham adds another layer of vocal character.
They create a slick sound that blends pop accessibility, funk energy, and soul warmth. This release is a shout-out to longtime music lovers who know the emotional power of great recordings and an invitation for younger listeners to discover the feeling, artistry, and humanity behind them.
The release pairs two lasting voices with a modern-day feel-good spirit, more than nostalgia. Johnny Hates Jazz & Jaki Graham turn the song into a statement that soulful, human-centered music still has a place, giving you a release that celebrates connection and brings music lovers together across generations.
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