Sweden's Spotify reaches landmark 30m subscribers
The leading streaming service said on Monday that it had reached 30 million paying subscribers and that it was planning to keep expanding to other nations.
The milestone was announced by Spotify's chief executive Daniel Ek as he commented positively about President Barack Obama's historic visit to longtime US adversary Cuba.
"We have 30 million Spotify subscribers, but none of them are in Cuba ... yet. So cool to see Cuba opening up!" the 33-year-old Swedish entrepreneur tweeted.
p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }a:link { }
Streaming – which allows unlimited, on-demand listening – has been rapidly growing in recent years and transforming the music industry, with a growing number of rivals seeking to challenge Spotify's early dominance.
Industry watchers had long believed that Spotify was approaching the 30 million mark but the company, which is privately held, does not release figures on a systematic basis.
We have 30 million @Spotify subscribers, but none of them are in Cuba ... yet. So cool to see Cuba opening up! https://t.co/nZa67f0l8U
— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) March 21, 2016
Spotify last gave a formal update in June when the company said it had 20 million paying subscribers out of more than 75 million regular users.
In a controversial point for some artists, Spotify allows free access to listeners who are willing to put up with advertisements.
Spotify, which is estimated to be worth $8 billion, is available in 58 countries – mostly advanced economies but also including several developing states in Latin America.
Apple Music, launched in June by the tech giant as it saw the future in streaming, has quickly become the second leading force, announcing last month that it had reached 11 million subscribers.
Paris-based Deezer, which is strong in Europe but has a small presence in the United States, says it has six million paying subscribers, while Rhapsody, established in 2001 as the pioneer of streaming, had 3.5 million as of December.
Tidal, a project led by rap mogul Jay-Z and other stars that emphasizes high-quality audio and exclusive releases, said in September that it had one million subscribers but has not given further updates.
Faced with the challenges, Spotify recently added video content and reached a settlement with a music publishers' group in hopes to averting costly lawsuits over royalties.
Comments
See Also
The milestone was announced by Spotify's chief executive Daniel Ek as he commented positively about President Barack Obama's historic visit to longtime US adversary Cuba.
"We have 30 million Spotify subscribers, but none of them are in Cuba ... yet. So cool to see Cuba opening up!" the 33-year-old Swedish entrepreneur tweeted.
p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } Streaming – which allows unlimited, on-demand listening – has been rapidly growing in recent years and transforming the music industry, with a growing number of rivals seeking to challenge Spotify's early dominance.
Industry watchers had long believed that Spotify was approaching the 30 million mark but the company, which is privately held, does not release figures on a systematic basis.
We have 30 million @Spotify subscribers, but none of them are in Cuba ... yet. So cool to see Cuba opening up! https://t.co/nZa67f0l8U
— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) March 21, 2016
Spotify last gave a formal update in June when the company said it had 20 million paying subscribers out of more than 75 million regular users.
In a controversial point for some artists, Spotify allows free access to listeners who are willing to put up with advertisements.
Spotify, which is estimated to be worth $8 billion, is available in 58 countries – mostly advanced economies but also including several developing states in Latin America.
Apple Music, launched in June by the tech giant as it saw the future in streaming, has quickly become the second leading force, announcing last month that it had reached 11 million subscribers.
Paris-based Deezer, which is strong in Europe but has a small presence in the United States, says it has six million paying subscribers, while Rhapsody, established in 2001 as the pioneer of streaming, had 3.5 million as of December.
Tidal, a project led by rap mogul Jay-Z and other stars that emphasizes high-quality audio and exclusive releases, said in September that it had one million subscribers but has not given further updates.
Faced with the challenges, Spotify recently added video content and reached a settlement with a music publishers' group in hopes to averting costly lawsuits over royalties.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.