Streaming Boom Turns Music Rights Into a Major Business
Nigerian music has become a major digital business, with artists generating more than ₦60 billion from Spotify in 2025 after their songs were streamed 30.3 billion times.
The growth of streaming, licensing deals and music catalogue valuations has increased the financial value of Nigerian music. At the same time, it has brought greater attention to disputes over who owns recordings, controls royalties and is entitled to recover investments made in music projects.
Recent disagreements involving artists such as Runtown, Shallipopi, Seyi Vibez and T.I Blaze have highlighted the financial importance of contracts and ownership rights in the Nigerian music industry.
At the heart of many of these disputes is a simple question: who owns the music?
A successful song is an asset, but its financial value depends on who controls its rights, who receives the revenue and whether the financial records clearly show what each party is owed.
“Artists can now build audiences around the world without depending entirely on traditional labels, and streaming has made it easier to track things like streams and revenue,” said Chukwudi Chimezie, an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer.
“That gives artists more information about their business and, in some cases, more leverage when dealing with labels.”
Where the money goes
Streaming has changed how music generates revenue. Instead of relying mainly on album sales, physical copies and performances, artists and rights holders can earn money from millions or even billions of streams across digital platforms.
The increase in streaming has also made music catalogues more attractive to investors because successful songs can continue generating royalties years after their release.
However, determining who receives those earnings can become complicated when ownership is divided among artists, record labels, publishers, producers, investors and other rights holders.
This has made contracts increasingly important as the value of Nigerian music continues to grow.
Runtown dispute highlights the cost of music contracts
The dispute involving Nigerian singer Runtown and his former label, Eric Many Entertainment, illustrates some of the challenges surrounding music rights.
The disagreement has involved questions about contractual obligations, ownership and the financial arrangements surrounding the artist’s music.
As the value of successful catalogues increases, disagreements that might previously have involved relatively modest sums can now become major commercial disputes.
For artists, understanding what rights they are transferring and what revenue they are entitled to receive has therefore become increasingly important.
Dapper Music dispute raises accounting questions
Another dispute involving Dapper Music has drawn attention to the financial side of artist-label relationships.
Disagreements involving artists and music companies can extend beyond ownership of songs to questions about expenses, investments, royalties and how revenue generated from music is accounted for.
This makes accurate financial records essential.
An artist may have millions of streams, but the amount they ultimately receive depends on the agreements governing the music and the different parties with claims to the revenue.
Music catalogues are becoming valuable assets
The rise of streaming has transformed music catalogues into increasingly valuable financial assets.
A song that continues to attract listeners can generate income through streaming, licensing, publishing, performances and other commercial uses.
This has encouraged investors and music companies to acquire catalogues with the expectation that established songs will continue producing revenue.
But the value of a catalogue depends heavily on the rights attached to it.
If ownership is unclear or divided among several parties, determining its true financial value becomes more difficult.
Rights ownership remains crucial
Music generally involves several layers of rights, including the sound recording and the underlying composition.
The master recording refers to the specific recorded version of a song, while publishing rights cover the underlying musical composition, including the lyrics and melody.
Different individuals or companies may control these rights, creating additional complexity when a song generates revenue.
For Nigerian artists operating in an increasingly global music market, understanding these rights can therefore be just as important as producing successful songs.
The rapid growth of streaming has created new opportunities for artists to reach audiences worldwide. But as more money enters the sector, ownership agreements, royalty structures and financial transparency are becoming increasingly important.
Nigeria’s growing streaming numbers show the commercial potential of its music. The disputes emerging alongside that growth show why controlling and properly documenting music rights has become a central part of the industry’s business.
