Spotify has introduced ‘SongDNA’, a new beta feature designed to deepen music discovery by revealing the creative connections behind songs, offering listeners an interactive window into the collaborators, influences, and production stories that shape tracks. Integrated into the ‘Now Playing View’ on the Spotify mobile app, the feature allows premium users globally to tap into a SongDNA card to uncover details about writers, producers, and other contributors, as well as discover samples, interpolations, and covers linked to a track. For Nigeria’s burgeoning music industry, where Afrobeats and other genres have gained global prominence, the feature carries significant implications for creator visibility, revenue attribution, and the monetisation of intellectual property.
Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify’s Head of Songwriter and Publisher Partnerships, explained that the feature was developed to spotlight often unseen contributors behind songs, enhancing fans’ understanding of how music is created. The data powering SongDNA comes from a combination of information provided by artistes and their teams, alongside community-sourced contributions. Eligible artistes and label teams will be able to review and manage their SongDNA information through ‘Spotify for Artistes’, ensuring accurate representation of their work.
For Nigerian music professionals, accurate attribution is directly tied to revenue flows. Songwriters, producers, and session musicians—whose contributions are sometimes buried in streaming metadata—stand to gain greater visibility and, consequently, more effective royalty collection when their work is properly credited. SongDNA’s emphasis on samples, interpolations, and covers is particularly relevant for Afrobeats, a genre built on a rich tradition of reinterpretation and collaborative production. Clear attribution chains help ensure that original creators receive recognition and compensation when their work is sampled or adapted by others.
From a sector impact perspective, the feature aligns with broader efforts to formalise Nigeria’s creative economy. The music industry has become one of the country’s most visible export successes, with Nigerian artistes commanding global streaming audiences and international collaborations. However, the infrastructure for crediting and compensating behind-the-scenes contributors has lagged behind the industry’s growth. SongDNA’s transparency tools could accelerate the professionalisation of music production by making it easier for rights holders to track how their work is used and monetised across the platform.
The investment climate for Nigeria’s creative sector may also benefit. Investors and labels evaluating music assets increasingly rely on data about streaming performance, but also on the integrity of intellectual property chains. A platform that systematically credits songwriters and producers reduces legal ambiguity and makes music catalogues more attractive for acquisition, licensing, or financing. For emerging Nigerian producers and songwriters, being visibly credited on a global platform like Spotify adds professional credibility that can translate into more opportunities and better contractual terms.
SongDNA also complements existing Spotify features that have already benefited Nigerian artistes, including algorithmic playlists and global marketing campaigns that have boosted Afrobeats’ international reach. By transforming tracks into immersive, exploratory experiences, the feature encourages deeper listener engagement, potentially increasing streaming volumes for catalogues with rich collaborator networks. For Nigerian artistes who frequently work across borders with international producers and songwriters, SongDNA offers a way to showcase those creative connections, potentially introducing listeners to complementary artists and expanding audience cross-pollination.
The feature’s rollout to premium users on iOS and Android devices, with full global availability expected in April, means Nigerian listeners and creators alike will soon have access to a more transparent music discovery ecosystem. For a country where music has become a significant cultural export and a growing source of foreign exchange earnings through streaming royalties and performance rights, tools that enhance attribution and discovery are not merely convenient; they are foundational to sustaining the industry’s growth trajectory.
