Evaluating the Nigerian Music Industry’s Response to Streaming Economy Disruptions: A Policy and Practice Review

This study evaluates how the Nigerian music industry has responded to the disruptions introduced by the global streaming economy, assessing the adaptations made by artists, labels, and policy institutions between 2020 and 2025. The transition from physical to digital music consumption has fundamentally restructured revenue flows, marketing strategies, and artist-label power dynamics worldwide. In Nigeria, streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Audiomack, and Boomplay have rapidly gained users, creating both opportunities and challenges for industry stakeholders. This research employs a qualitative policy and practice evaluation design, drawing data from semi-structured interviews with 20 music industry stakeholders including record label executives, independent artists, streaming platform representatives, and officials from the Copyright Society of Nigeria and the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria. Document analysis of industry association policy statements, government cultural economy reports, and international streaming data supplements primary data. The study applies digital disruption theory and platform economics frameworks to the Nigerian context. Findings will chart the industry's adaptive responses and identify policy gaps requiring intervention to ensure equitable value distribution in Nigeria's streaming music market. Keywords: Streaming economy, Nigerian music industry, digital disruption, music policy, platform economics.