Spain has emerged as the ninth country in the world with the highest number of music artists, according to data from Chartmetric. The announcement was made by the company”s CEO, Andreas Katsambas, during the inaugural session of the International Congress on Research in Creative Industries, held at the BIME event in Bilbao.
Katsambas presented findings on October 29, 2025, highlighting that Spain boasts approximately 89,500 music artists, based on data collected until October 17. Notably, 66.41% of these artists identify with the pronoun “he,” while 14.96% use “she.” Additionally, 2.76% are categorized as groups or bands, with the remainder being unspecified.
The genre dominating the Spanish music scene is classified as “Spanish Hip-Hop,” which includes reggaeton, with around 6,700 artists. Other significant genres include Spanish Punk, Flamenco, and Latin Indie. Interestingly, music performed in Catalan ranks as the ninth most listened to genre in Spain.
When it comes to international artists, Colombian singer Beéle is the most streamed in Spain across the analyzed platforms, followed closely by Bad Bunny and Karol G. Among the Top 10 most listened to artists, only one from the United States, Taylor Swift, appears, occupying the fourth position following her recent album release, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Yung Beef, a rising star from Granada, is currently experiencing significant growth, with his monthly listeners increasing from 5.9 million to 9.1 million over the past month. Another notable artist, Canarian reggaeton singer Lucho RK, has also doubled his audience in the same timeframe, going from 2.2 million to 4.4 million.
Data from Chartmetric further reveals that Spain exports more music than it imports. For every Spanish listener of international music, 1.1 foreign listeners enjoy Spanish music. The three most internationally recognized Spanish artists are Enrique Iglesias, Rosalía, and Rels B.
The International Congress on Research in Creative Industries, organized by UIC Barcelona in collaboration with BIME, aims to explore alternative pathways in the music industry that enhance artistic and professional exchanges between Latin America and Europe. The event officially opened with remarks from Andoni Iturbe, the Vice Minister of Culture for the Basque Government, who emphasized the cultural transformation of Bilbao from an industrial area to a vibrant cultural hub. He stated, “The estuary of Bilbao has become a generator of culture; it has transformed from an industrial zone into a cultural accelerator.”
Dr. Pedro Sigaud Sellos, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences at UIC Barcelona, highlighted the university”s commitment to the creative industries, asserting that the congress represents a significant step in recognizing the importance of academia and research within the cultural sector.
BIME, an international music industry event, has been taking place in Bilbao since 2013 and expanded to Bogotá in 2022. The congress features live music, industry insights, trends, innovation, and networking opportunities.
