“It Didn’t Happen Overnight”: Amarjit Singh Batra As Spotify Pays Out Record $11 Billion To Music Rightsholders

Spotify has crossed a historic milestone in its relationship with the global music industry, paying out more than $11 billion to rightsholders in 2025,the largest single-year payout to music from any company to date.

The figure, which marks over 10% growth compared to 2024, significantly outpaces the overall growth rate of the recorded music industry, underlining streaming’s expanding role as the primary revenue engine for music worldwide.

Sharing the update on linekdin, Amarjit Singh Batra, General Manager – South Asia, Middle East and Africa at Spotify, described the achievement as the result of years of steady, often unseen groundwork. “It didn’t happen overnight,” he noted, pointing to Spotify’s long-term focus on building an ecosystem that can genuinely sustain the people who create music.

While the headline number reflects scale and momentum, Spotify has been careful to frame the announcement with nuance. The company acknowledged that payouts alone do not tell the full story of what it takes for artists and songwriters to build viable careers in an era defined by abundance.

Today’s creators release music into a landscape where listeners have instant access to the entire history of recorded sound, even as more new music is uploaded daily than ever before. That abundance, Spotify admits, is both empowering and challenging,lowering barriers to entry while making discovery and breakthrough increasingly complex, especially for emerging voices.

Despite these challenges, Spotify says more artists than ever are now earning enough from streaming to build real, long-term careers, a trend the platform views as encouraging but far from mission accomplished.

Looking ahead to 2026, the company has reiterated its commitment to investing in tools, systems and opportunities that go beyond distribution,focusing instead on discovery, audience growth and sustained career development. The goal, according to Spotify, is not just to help artists release music, but to help them grow, be discovered, and maintain a life in music over time.

As the global music economy continues to evolve, Spotify’s $11 billion payout underscores both the scale streaming has achieved—and the ongoing work required to ensure that growth translates into meaningful, sustainable livelihoods for creators worldwide.

“This is ongoing work,” the company said. “And we’re committed to it.”