YouTube paid out $8 billion to the global music industry in 2025, the best since 2022

YouTube has announced that it has paid out $8 billion to the global music industry in 12 months: between July 2024 and June 2025. The milestone marks a new record for the platform, as YouTube’s annual music industry payout has increased by $2 billion since 2022.

In a blog post on Thursday, YouTube’s Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen, explained that the report isn’t just about numbers but represents their sustained growth and commitment to the global music industry. He said the $8 billion payout is a testament to the fact that the combined tool of ads and subscriptions is firing on all cylinders.

“This number is not an endpoint; it represents meaningful, sustained progress in our journey to build a long-term home for every artist, songwriter, and publisher on the global stage,” he added.

Additionally, YouTube now has more than 125 million Music and Premium subscribers worldwide (including trials), and over 2 billion logged-in viewers who watch music videos each month. This was attributed to its ads and subscription combo channelled by users’ engagement and artists’ contributions. 

YouTube noted that the potential for artists and songwriters to build long-lasting music careers and dedicated fans on YouTube has continued to expand. This is also credited to the platform’s yearly expansion across the world.

For YouTube, the latest milestone is a new record. 

In 2021, YouTube announced that it had paid out $4 billion to the industry in 12 months. A year later, the company reported contributing $6 billion in revenue to the music industry between July 2021 and June 2022. 2025’s payout has now grown by $2 billion to $8 billion. 

YouTube is currently available in more than 100 countries and supports 80 languages. The company announced last month, at its Made on YouTube event, that it has paid more than $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies between 2021 and 2025. 

Also Read: How YouTube content creators can stop others from using their likeness to create deepfakes.

Global music payout: YouTube vs Spotify 

In the global music streaming competition, YouTube is still struggling to keep up with major players like Spotify. 

YouTube’s announcement comes as Spotify announced earlier this year that it paid out $10 billion to the music industry in 2024, fueled by a global listener base and streaming as the primary mode of music consumption. The company delivered $9 billion in 2023. 

Notably, artists on Spotify don’t receive all the money, as it also goes to labels, publishers, songwriters, and others. For instance, the company said it paid over $100 million to podcasters globally in Q1 2025. 

And Spotify has been working hard to make the platform a first stop for Music artists and users. 

In August, Spotify launched a dedicated playlist to support and celebrate the pivotal rise of Afrobeats streams. The company noted that Afrobeat has remained a powerhouse genre, attracting significant streams from users globally. 

For users, Spotify rolled out a new in-app messaging service that allows users to send songs, playlists, and podcasts directly to friends within the app. The Messages feature enables listeners to share content and start conversations with people they have interacted with previously through the app.

Meanwhile, YouTube is also growing its Music and Premium global users. While it has now onboarded over 125 million subscribers, the number surpassed that of last year by 25%. In February 2024, the Google-owned company surpassed 100 million global users in Music and Premium users. 

“As I look forward, I’m foreseeing a renaissance of the music video. It’s not about having the biggest production budget; it’s about sharing authentic hero content that music fans can’t unsee,” Lyor Cohen said in March. 

The report shows the company’s enduring appeal and the comprehensive entertainment experience it offers to a global audience, including the vibrant and diverse user base in Nigeria. 

Launched in 2015, YouTube Music has since grown to become one of the most popular music streaming services in the world.