Per Luminate's Q1 2025 report and 2026 midyear report.
Bars represent relative momentum, not exact market share. Source: Luminate Q1 2025 and 2026 midyear reports, via Billboard.
Major labels and Merlin (the indie-rights licensing agency) together hold roughly two-thirds of Spotify streams, meaning independents and DIY artists command close to a third on their own.
Streaming platforms collectively now host more than a quarter of a billion tracks, with Spotify's own library alone estimated around 250 million.
That's roughly how many new tracks are uploaded to streaming services every single day, which is exactly why standing out takes more than just showing up.
Deezer reported that AI-generated tracks made up about 44% of its daily uploads by April 2026, roughly 75,000 AI tracks a day, and that share reportedly passed 50% by July 2026. In response, Spotify has removed more than 75 million spammy or low-quality tracks and introduced new AI-labeling and artist-impersonation policies.
For independent artists, this means the bar for a release to be taken seriously by playlist editors, algorithms, and fans is rising fast. Clean metadata, real authorship, and a reviewed upload process matter more than ever, which is exactly the gap StreamWays is built to close.