The World’s Biggest Music Market You’re Not Talking About

If you want to see where music is headed, take a look at Taylor Swift’s top cities on Spotify, where Jakarta is number two. For Bruno Mars, it’s number one. While Indonesia isn’t often discussed in the industry, it’s the fourth most populous country in the world, with 275 million people spread across 17,000 islands and a huge appetite for music. 

About half of that population lives on a single island, Java, where the capital Jakarta sits at the center of some of the worst traffic on Earth. Commuters routinely spend two to three hours each way getting to and from work. That adds up to an enormous amount of time streaming on a smartphone. Music festivals also draw enormous crowds across the country, and events headlined entirely by local artists routinely sell out.

The global industry is beginning to take notice. International labels are investing in the market. DSPs have built out localized content strategies, with Spotify maintaining more than 25 Indonesian playlists. And FUGA made a deliberate bet on Indonesia when it established its first dedicated presence here in 2023.

Ten years ago, big international names such as Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, BTS, and Dua Lipa, etc dominated the charts. But over the last five years, that’s started to shift. Many of the most-streamed artists in Indonesia are now local, with acts such as Hindia, Nadhif Basalamah, Sal Priadi, Raim Laode, Juicy Luicy, Bernadya and FUGA clients, Pamungkas and Batas Senja all reaching the top of Spotify Indonesia’s Top 50 chart. A big part of what’s driving that shift is a new wave of genre creativity that feels distinctly Indonesian, blending local influences with contemporary pop, indie, folk and alternative sounds that resonate strongly with domestic audiences.

Recently, Hipdut has also become one example, where this fusion of hip-hop and dangdut, a beloved Indonesian folk and pop genre. Artists from Eastern Indonesia have also been gaining attention, singing in local dialects that spread far beyond the regions where those languages are spoken. Universal themes like love and heartbreak translate across every island and every language, and Indonesian artists are increasingly carrying those themes beyond our own borders. 

Our client, Pamungkas, is a strong example, having built a following across Southeast Asia as part of a broader wave of Indonesian artists entering new markets. During his recent visit to the Philippines, we secured the cover of Spotify’s On Tour: Philippines playlist, while his latest single was also featured on the cover of Spotify Malaysia’s Jiran Hits playlist. These placements helped amplify his visibility across the region and demonstrated a growing appetite for Indonesian artists beyond their home market.

At the same time, a growing number of Indonesian artists are finding audiences in Western markets. Bands such as Grrrl Gang, Reality Club, and Ali have earned international recognition through tastemaker platforms such as KEXP and Audiotree, helping introduce Indonesian music to new global audiences. FUGA client, Grrrl Gang has also been featured across major global Spotify editorial playlists, including All New Rock, The New Alt and more. Indonesian artists are no longer just regional exports; they are becoming part of the global music conversation.

This, however, also runs both ways. As Indonesia continues to grow as one of the world’s most important music markets, international artists are increasingly seeking meaningful ways to connect with Indonesian audiences. Collaboration with local artists is one of the most effective approaches – we’ve seen this work across genres and markets: UK duo HONNE found significant success in Indonesia with a version of ‘Location Unknown’ featuring Indonesian singer, NIKI. More recently, Yellow Claw collaborated with Indonesian electro trio, Weird Genius and vocalist Sara Fajira on ‘Hush’. International artists are also tailoring promotional activity specifically for Indonesian audiences – for example, ahead of the release of his latest album Sable, Fable, Bon Iver hosted a listening party in Jakarta’s GBK City Park, honing in on Indonesia’s passionate music community.

Indonesia’s population is still quite young and undeniably active. Gen Z makes up 34 percent and Gen Alpha is right behind them. These audiences are already shaping the country’s music ecosystem. Their cross-platform behaviour, i.e. discovering tracks on TikTok and then bringing them to streaming platforms, is setting Indonesia’s music trends in real time. They are also creating entirely new listening occasions; streaming now accompanies work, study sessions, gaming and countless other daily activities.

Internet adoption currently sits at around 80 percent and is growing by roughly four percent every year, meaning the next wave of listeners is still coming online. These generations are growing up in a country where music consumption is already embedded in daily life, and the ceiling for this market is genuinely unknown. 

This is why engaging with local culture and digital trends has proven to be so powerful. Indonesian audiences are among the most active social media users in the world, and artists who engage authentically in local conversations can see their engagement inflate. Last year, members of the South Korean group NCT embraced the viral Indonesian trend centred on the sound ‘Stecu Stecu’, generating significant attention from local fans. 

To build a global audience today, you need to engage with markets like Indonesia. Now’s the time to pay attention.