Audio streaming large Spotify has launched its first-ever Francophone content material report, revealing a major surge within the consumption of French-language content material on its platform globally over the previous yr.
From August 2023 to July 2024, greater than 100 million customers worldwide engaged with French-language audio content material, together with music, podcasts, and audiobooks, Spotify stated in a weblog publish on Monday (September 30).
Spotify attributed the rise to the range and high quality of French-language choices, in addition to Spotify’s efforts to advertise francophone artists and content material creators by means of initiatives just like the RADAR program.
Since 2019, streams of French-language tracks have elevated by 94%, with 39 million customers including no less than one French-language music to their private playlists. Previously yr alone, over 83 million hours of French-language music had been streamed in additional than 180 international locations, the info confirmed.
Patrick Watson’s Je te laisserai des mots is probably the most streamed French-language music globally, whereas the most-streamed French-speaking artists based on area embody Les Cowboys Fringants for North America; Tayc for South Africa, Center East, and Asia; Indila for Asia Pacific; Jul for Europe; and Stromae for Latin America.
The recognition of French-language content material extends past music. Podcasts reminiscent of L’After Foot and L’Heure du Monde have discovered world audiences, as have French variations of common reveals like Peppa Pig. Moreover, French language studying podcasts have seen elevated curiosity, suggesting a correlation between music discovery and language studying, Spotify stated.
Jeremy Erlich, Vice President, Head of Music Content material at Spotify, attributed this progress to numerous elements. He stated Spotify has performed a key position in serving to French-speaking artists attain world audiences by facilitating cross-border playlist inclusion and selling collaborations with worldwide artists.
“Our editorial groups on totally different continents usually change info on rising and extra established expertise which may enchantment to our customers, enabling these artists to be built-in into native playlists outdoors French-speaking markets. This offers them visibility and permits them to be heard and found by different audiences,” Erlich stated.
Erlich additionally identified that the language barrier “is not a difficulty,” with listeners embracing French-language content material. He highlighted the success of artists like Yseult, who not too long ago turned the primary French feminine artist to enter the Billboard 200 in over three a long time.
The chief additionally famous that whereas French music is appreciated globally, the precise genres and artists that resonate differ by area. Latin American listeners favor electro-pop and indie acts like Stromae, Patrick Watson, and Adèle Castillon, whereas Asian Pacific audiences choose R&B, pop, and French selection artists reminiscent of Aya Nakamura and GIMS.
“There’s been a pointy rise within the variety of French-language music listeners on Spotify, which works hand in hand with our improvement in lots of markets, and the language barrier is not a difficulty.”
Jeremy Erlich, Spotify
“However there actually are folks embracing the French language all over the place, and that’s one thing we’ve been noticing for a number of years now. There’s been a pointy rise within the variety of French-language music listeners on Spotify, which works hand in hand with our improvement in lots of markets, and the language barrier is not a difficulty,” Erlich stated.
Spotify’s standalone Francophone content material report got here almost 4 months after the streaming large printed its first European Union-focused Loud & Clear report, which detailed Spotify listener and royalty information particularly for the European Union. The information revealed that over 65% of income from French artists on Spotify got here from impartial artists or labels.
The report additionally confirmed that 71% of artists featured in France’s day by day prime 50 in 2023 had been French. Greater than half of the earnings for French artists got here from outdoors France, and so they had been found by new listeners 4.8 billion instances globally all year long, the report added.
Over per week in the past, trade group SNEP (the Nationwide Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) reported that France’s recorded music market grew 5.9% yr over yr within the first half of 2024. The surge was pushed by double-digit progress in paid subscription revenues, with French artists dominating the charts through the interval.
Earlier this yr, Spotify raised the worth of its subscription service in France in response to the current implementation of a authorities tax on music streaming providers. That transfer got here after Spotify threatened to “disinvest” in France and pulled its assist for 2 music festivals in an indication of protest in opposition to the streaming tax.
France was the world’s sixth-biggest music market in 2023, based on information from the IFPI.
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