South Africa leads African markets for YouTube music monetization, delivering Tier 2 Art Track performance that exceeds many larger developing markets.

Note This data is for music content only. RPM varies significantly by content category. Gaming, finance, and lifestyle channels have different benchmarks. These figures reflect performance for distributed music and music-focused YouTube channels.

South African YouTube RPM summary

Revenue Stream	RPM	What It Measures
Art Tracks	$3.15	Auto-generated videos from distributed music
Content ID	$1.18	Claims on user-generated content

Art Track and Content ID figures reflect what rights holders receive from distribution.

Source: Dynamoi first-party distribution data, aggregated and anonymized.

Art Track revenue (distributed music)

South African Art Track benchmarks

Metric	Value
RPM	$3.15 per 1,000 streams
Tier	2 (Moderate market)

How South Africa compares

Country	Art Track RPM	vs. South Africa
United States	$7.83	+149%
Brazil	$3.42	+9%
South Africa	$3.15	baseline
Mexico	$3.17	+1%
Indonesia	$1.92	-39%
Nigeria	$0.32	-90%

South Africa performs competitively with Latin American markets and leads Africa by a significant margin.

Content ID revenue (UGC claims)

South African Content ID benchmarks

Metric	Value
RPM	$1.18 per 1,000 streams
Tier	2 (Moderate market)

South Africa shows a typical 2.7:1 ratio between Art Tracks and Content ID, consistent with global patterns.

Strategic implications for musicians

For distributed artists

South Africa is Africa's premium market:

Art Track RPM ($3.15) leads the continent significantly
Strong English-speaking market with global music tastes
Vibrant local music scene (Amapiano, Afropop, House)
Growing middle class driving YouTube Music adoption

South Africa in African context

Country	Art Track RPM	vs. South Africa
South Africa	$3.15	baseline
Nigeria	$0.32	-90%
Kenya	N/A	Limited data

South Africa's RPM is nearly 10x Nigeria's, making it Africa's clear leader.

Targeting recommendations

Strategy	Recommendation
Paid promotion	✅ Justified (leads African market)
Content ID registration	✅ Important (solid returns)
African expansion	✅ Use South Africa as anchor market
English content	✅ Strong English-speaking audience

About this data

All RPM figures are based on Dynamoi first-party distribution data, aggregated and anonymized across our catalog. Data reflects performance through late 2025.

Two distinct revenue streams:

Art Tracks: From distributor royalty statements (what rights holders receive)
Content ID: From distributor royalty statements (what rights holders receive)

Your actual RPM will vary based on specific content, audience demographics, and seasonal factors. These benchmarks represent aggregate performance for music content specifically.