The 23rd Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF), held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 27 to 29 March 2026, has coincided with a surge in jazz streaming across South Africa.
New data from music streaming giant Spotify shows jazz listenership has grown by 20% year-on-year, with over 175 million streams recorded in the past 12 months.
The festival weekend drove sharp spikes for performing artists, including Fatoumata Diawara (+36%), Nduduzo Makhathini (+33%) and Yussef Dayes (+22%). The music platform marked the occasion with an exclusive playlist takeover of the official festival selection and a partnership with the Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek, offering masterclasses to help local artists expand their global reach.
“Over the past 12 months, South African listeners have clocked nearly 175 million total jazz streams on Spotify, a figure that reflects a deep and growing cultural connection to the genre. While monthly streams have climbed 15% since 2024, the most compelling story lies in the ‘save’ intent. Unique savers of jazz content have grown from over 167 000 in 2021 to over 1 million in 2025, with total saves exceeding 5 million. South Africans are not merely passive listeners; they are actively curating and collecting the sounds they love,” the streaming platform revealed.
The data revealed that topping the charts is Sipho Gumede, with Jimmy Dludlu, Selaelo Selota, Zim Ngqawana, and Moses Khumalo close behind. At the same time, timeless figures like Abdullah Ibrahim and Sibongile Khumalo remain central to listeners’ playlists, bridging South Africa’s rich jazz heritage with its vibrant contemporary sound.
“The synergy between live performance and digital discovery was on full display during the festival weekend of 27–29 March 2026. Several performing artists saw notable spikes in daily streams compared to their March averages,” Spotify noted.
Recent figures also highlight a multi-generational audience. It is detailed that listeners aged 18 to 29 now make up 26% of streams, while those 35 to 44 account for 23% and listeners 55 and older represent 19%. Classic jazz remains foundational, but subgenres like smooth jazz, jazz pop, and nu jazz are rapidly gaining traction.
“South African jazz listeners are adventurous in their tastes. While traditional jazz remains the foundation, the top 10 most-streamed subgenres include smooth jazz, jazz pop, nu jazz, and soul jazz, alongside niche categories like Christian jazz and jazz funk. This diversity reflects a genre ecosystem that is dynamic and evolving, with room for both purists and new audiences,” the platform added.
With both contemporary stars and legendary voices shaping the nation’s playlists, South Africa’s jazz scene is thriving online and on stage, proving that jazz is not just a sound of the past, but a living, evolving cultural movement shaping the country’s musical future.
Saturday Star