Spotify says Canadian artists are earning more, thanks to international listeners

Ahead of the 2026 Juno Awards, Spotify says Canadian artists are making more royalties from the streaming service than last year.

Spotify released its annual ‘Loud & Clear’ report for 2026, which gives both artists and fans insights into the music streaming industry. This year, the report notes that Canadian artists are building global careers at a scale defined by both international audiences and fan engagement, with Canada consistently ranking among the top 10 export markets in the world.

According to the report, Canadian artists generated more than $544 million in royalties from Spotify alone in 2025, up 19 per cent year over year and nearly 60 per cent in just four years. Interestingly, Spotify notes that 92 per cent of those royalties come from international listeners.

Spotify also shared a breakdown of earnings, noting that over 370 Canadian artists generated more than $100,000 (nearly double 2018 levels), more than 100 generated over $500,000, and nearly 70 generated $1 million on Spotify alone.

Also, French-performed music is gaining global momentum, with royalties from French-language music increasing by 38 per cent globally in just two years.

Canadian artists were also discovered by first-time listeners on Spotify more than 3.56 billion times in 2025.

Tying into this report, Spotify is also adding a new feature called SongDNA, which will allow fans to “explore the full network behind a track,” which includes producers, songwriters, collaborators, samples, and influences. Spotify notes that this feature could help the growth of Canadian artists and behind-the-scenes collaborators.