Home / Business and Economy / Merlin and Spotify Renew Landmark Licensing Deal for Independent Music
Merlin and Spotify Renew Landmark Licensing Deal for Independent Music
30 Sep, 2025
Summary
- Merlin and Spotify extend 17-year partnership
- Deal ensures independent labels' music remains available to Spotify's 700M users
- Collaboration fuels growth of genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano
As of September 30th, 2025, Merlin, the digital licensing partner representing the independent music sector, has renewed its licensing agreement with Spotify. This ensures that music from Merlin's member labels, including Domino, Ninja Tune, Secretly Group, Merge, Warp, Epitaph, !K7, Hopeless Records, and others, remains available to Spotify's nearly 700 million global users.
Merlin and Spotify have collaborated for the past 17 years, with a previous multi-year agreement signed in 2017. Their renewed deal highlights their shared role in fueling the global rise of genres like Afrobeats and Amapiano, driving a rock revival, and supporting the ongoing growth of alternative, electronic, Latin, rap, and other genres nurtured by independent labels.
The announcement comes at a time when streaming dominates the music industry, accounting for 84% of total U.S. recorded music revenue, up from 51% in 2017. Paid subscriptions continue to lead, with 105 million accounts contributing $3.2 billion in revenue. As Spotify evolves, the agreement ensures that Merlin's members, who represent 15% of the global market, remain central to shaping the future of streaming.
