As an avid Spotify user, I’m always looking out for new updates and tweaks that can enhance my experience. Last week Spotify announced the launch of Afrobeats: Journey of a Billion Streams Website and I knew it was the sign I was looking for. It is a dedicated site that will track all things related to the genre. From its origins in Ghana, its popularisation in Nigeria, its fusion with other genres as well as how it has become one of the continent’s biggest cultural exports.

Spotify Afrobeats Website

The site will act as a repository for this cultural phenomenon housing text, infographics and visual elements, including Spotify streaming data and results from the Spotify commissioned April 2023 Afrobeats survey. The survey, conducted by research firm Kuvora, tracks the rise of Afrobeats and its cultural impact over decades. Website to track the growth of the genre from its origins to global stages

Why Afrobeats?

Afrobeats is one of Africa’s biggest musical exports and is currently taking the world by storm. On Spotify. The genre has grown by 550% since 2017, and it was streamed more than 13 billion times in 2022. As a result, its leading artists continue to tick off giant milestones on the global music stage, across live events, awards and streaming. 

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Why You Should Visit The Website

I’m currently listening to the “I love my 2000s Afrobeats” playlist and I would not have found it if not for this website. If finding a new favourite playlist is not reason enough, here are a couple more.

The site will be updated on a biweekly basis for the next 8 weeks. It will then remain active beyond this as an always-on resource, with frequent updates on new Afrobeats moments. It will also include an interactive experience for fans to discover and connect with new knowledge on Afrobeats. 

“There is no doubt that Afrobeats as a genre is here to stay. This year alone, the genre has been played for more than 223 million hours with streams exceeding 7.1 billion on Spotify. We created this site for both old and new fans of the genre, who would like to have a better understanding of how and where this explosive sound came to be,” says Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Five key pillars;

• Origins, which explores the genres that acted as precursors of Afrobeats as we know it. This is including Afrobeat, Highlife and Juju among others.
• Evolution, and which industry players are contributing to the current Afrobeats sound that the whole world cannot seem to get enough of.
• The fusion of Afrobeats with genres. Such as Reggaeton, Amapiano and others and their impact on Afrobeats’ success story.
• Cultural exportation, especially to countries outside Africa and Afrobeats’ role in this. Specifically through music, food, language and fashion lenses.
• The fifth pillar will focus on the Women of Afrobeats. It will be shedding light on some of the key female figures whose contributions to the industry propelled the genre to its current status.

The site will also include key Afrobeats timelines over the years, interesting Spotify data, excerpts from interviews with industry experts and man on the street videos from key markets in Sub Saharan Africa. 

Visit the website here and let us know what you think afrobeats.byspotify.com.