Stephen GbolagadeHave you ever want to upload your song to Spotify in Nigeria, you’ve been looking for a sure plug to help distribute your music to digital music platforms like Spotify in Nigeria?
If that’s why you’re here, worry no more!
As an upcoming artist, one of your greatest goal is to make money from your music, right? But like I used to say, selecting the 20-in-1 DJ mix at the rate of N150 is not where the today’s superstars like Wizkid are making money.
They have streams of income which includes the royalty from streaming platforms like Spotify, iTunes etc.
But to be honest with you, it’s quite tedious (but not impossible) to get your songs on these platforms not to talk of earning any royalty.
So in this blog post, I will talk about the ways you can get your song on Spotify in Nigeria.
Quick intro to Spotify;
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming platform and media services provider, founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentz in the year 2006.
Spotify in Nigeria
Spotify was not available in Nigeria until 23rd of February, 2021.
Earlier before Spotify is made available in Nigeria, Nigerians stream their favorite’s songs on the likes of Apple Music, YouTube Music etc.
But why was Spotify not available in Nigeria until 2021?
The reason is not known, but a typical and smart Nigerian can simply discern the reason behind that.
It’s not because of economic, Nigeria has the biggest economy in Africa but Spotify is available in other African countries except Nigeria until 2021.
Remember that Stripe (the present owner of the Nigeria’s paystack) is not available for Nigerians, and also PayPal, Facebook monetization etc., are not totally available in Nigeria.
But thanks to our amiable content creators and artists who are projecting our image to the World, Spotify is now available legally in Nigeria.
The question we have been asking is “How can you get your song on Spotify in Nigeria?”, that’s where I’m going to now.
But before then, I want you to believe whatever you read here and don’t fall for cheap scammers who are claiming to be “a good plug” for Spotify music distribution in Nigeria.
How to Upload Your Song to Spotify in Nigeria
There are two ways to get your songs on Spotify, as a signed artist or an Independent artist.
Let talk about these two;
An Independent or Unsigned Artist
If you’re an independent or “unsigned” artist and you’ve been trying real hard to get your songs on Spotify in Nigeria, let me tell you this;
You cannot upload your own song to Spotify just like you are doing on AudioMack and other free music streaming platforms.
The only way to get your song on Spotify as an Independent or Unsigned artist is to get hire the service of a “licensed music distributor”.
Who is a music distributor?
A music distributor in this context is a company or an agency that has been licensed or authorized to publish contents on these Streaming platform including Spotify.
This will require you to pay a certain amount of money, because they’re working on your behalf with Spotify and the best part is that Spotify recognizes them.
So, if a cheap scammer has been sending you ridiculous offer to get your songs on Spotify, ask for his or her proof of being licensed first before you do giveaway for him (well, they’re usually “Him”).
The question you may want to ask is;
How can I get honest and Licensed Music Distributor in Nigeria?
The best way is to do your own research or ask people to refer a good music distributor for you.
Note that I asked you to request for proof that the person, company or the agency is licensed.
You can ask your friends who have gotten their songs on Spotify already. Never ask someone doesn’t have song on these streaming platforms.
To help you a little bit, below are few of them;
Uploading Song to Spotify: Top 5 Digital Music Distributor in Nigeria
Kindly note that I’m not standing for them or using my platform to promote them, I got them from my research on search engine, you can confirm them and also find more by doing your own research.
Friendly Reminder: I’m (or my agency) is not a licensed music distributor. So I can’t help you publish or upload your song to Spotify in Nigeria or anywhere. I have been receiving a lot of offer like this, but please I can’t do it.
What I can only do is Music promotion, you can contact me for this.
So, that is the only way you can get your song on Spotify in Nigeria as an independent or unsigned artist.
But hehehehe…..
There’s another way.
Oh, you’re curious to know right?
Well, that way is to get signed to a record label which I’m going to explain right now!
Signed Artist
I don’t need to explain but let me just give an intro.’
If you’re signed to a recognized record label, then you don’t have to bother about having your songs on Spotify in Nigeria.
The record label will simply take care of it on your behalf.
Happy?
Ok. Also note that you don’t have direct connection with Spotify either your song is there through a distributor or your record label.
No no no… that doesn’t mean your craft, songs are not recognized by Spotify.
It’s just that your distributor or record label will be acting as bridge that cover the distance between you and the online streaming platform.
Your record label (according to your agreement) will pay you royalty but with distributor, you can have full control over your earnings.
See, don’t let this last part start beating in your mind.
I mean, don’t let the word “earning” burst your head. You’re an upcoming artist, work on getting your sound heard first.
Start promoting your songs now, who know maybe a record label owner might love your craft and sign you (I’m not assuring you of this), but the keywords I’m emphasizing on is “promote your songs”.
In case you need a plug for music promotion in Nigeria, you can contact me and I will get involved. But kindly note that my service fee starts from N50,000.
If you’re ready, click here to contact me.
The last part;
How to Make Money on Spotify in Nigeria
There are two clear way to make money on Spotify in Nigeria, or anywhere in the world. They are:
- Get your songs on Spotify
- Promote Your songs to gain more streams
The first part “getting your songs on Spotify in Nigeria” is what this page is all about. If you want to learn about the second way, check this blog post on how to promote your songs in Nigeria.
How Is Money Made on Spotify?
I know you have such an inquisitive nature (just like me *winks*), and I’m going to give you chill water to quench that thirst.
Before people can stream any song on Spotify, they would have register and subscribe to a plan.
Let’s say about N900 per month.
That money will be paid to Spotify.
And remember that Spotify is not the owner of the songs, so they will have compensate the singers who did a great job.
But Spotify will not just say,
“okay, we made $1b subscription this month and we have 50,000 singers, let share $800m between them and each singer will have $16,000 each…”
It’s not going to work like that… There’s nothing like equality in this world.
The world entirely live by “what you sow is what you’ll reap”.
So in essence, the more people stream your song on Spotify, the more you will be paid.
As an upcoming artist, if you hustled your way to get your song on Spotify, don’t think you’ve made it in life.
That’s why I said you should build your fan base first, let people know you – promote your songs!
Let assume that you have 500 loyal fans and 100 out of them pre-order your song on Spotify at the rate of N500 or $1 each. And you’re paid 70 cents ($0.70), that’s $0.70 x 100 = $70 for you.
That sounds like a good start.
What if you have 1 million people did the same, that’s $70,000.
Oh my God, superstars are really making money from their songs. That’s why they keep shouting “stream our new song” or “pre-order here”.
Well, you are just a step closer.
Kindly note that these figures are not real, I’m just using them as example to explain how money is made on Spotify.
But to be honest, money are made on these streaming platforms that offers premium plans.
Conclusion: How to Upload Your Song to Spotify in Nigeria
Remember that there are only two ways to get your music on Spotify, it’s either you:
- – Get signed to a record label and your label will sort it out for you or,
- – Hire the service of a digital music distribution agency.
Below are frequently asked questions regarding pushing music on Spotify.
How much will I pay to upload my song to Spotify in Nigeria?
Answer: Uploading music on Spotify is absolutely FREE regardless of how many songs you’re uploading. But note that If you’re using a distributor, they may ask you to pay for their service and I hope that’s understandable.
How does Spotify’s royalty work?
Answer: You will be paid per stream and that is $4 per 1,000 streams.
That’s it for now.
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Stephen Gbolagade
Stephen is a Frontend engineer, technical writer, owner and part-time blogger here at Gbolamedia, incoming data scientist, an enthusiastic cynophilist, and a curious introvert. Stephen is currently available for full-time, part-time or contract-base role. Contact him here: on WhatsApp or check him on Linkedin
Stephen Gbolagade
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