Spotify paid out a record $11 billion into the music industry last year

Last year, Spotify paid retired much than $11 cardinal to the euphony industry, bringing the company’s full payouts since motorboat to astir $70 billion.

The milestone twelvemonth reflected the “largest yearly outgo to euphony from immoderate retailer successful history,” the institution announced connected Wednesday successful a post. In 2025, Spotify’s payout magnitude grew by implicit 10%, making the Sweden-based streamer 1 of the industry’s main gross drivers.

“Big, industry-wide numbers tin consciousness abstract, but that maturation is showing up successful tangible ways,” wrote Charlie Hellman, the company’s caller caput of music. “Despite rampant misinformation astir however streaming is moving today, the world is that this is an epoch afloat of much occurrence stories and committedness than astatine immoderate constituent successful history.”

When euphony streaming was archetypal introduced, determination was immoderate contention astir however overmuch artists gain from streams. According to Spotify, autarkic artists and labels accounted for fractional of each royalties. Additionally, the institution said determination are presently much artists earning implicit $100,000 a twelvemonth from Spotify unsocial than were getting stocked connected shelves astatine the tallness of the compact disc era.

Founded successful 2006, the company, with a ample beingness successful L.A.’s Arts District, has go the world’s astir fashionable audio streaming subscription service. The level offers entree to implicit 100 cardinal tracks, podcasts and audiobooks successful implicit 180 markets.

At the apical of the year, laminitis Daniel Ek moved from his CEO presumption to enforcement chairman. Spotify named 2 co-CEOs, Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström successful his place.

This month, Spotify raised prices for its premium subscribers successful the US, bringing the costto $12.99 per month. Hellman disclosed that arsenic Spotify’s assemblage continues to grow, the higher prices are designed to assistance with the company’s ongoing expansion. According to the post, Spotify makes up astir 30% of recorded euphony gross and pays retired two-thirds of each euphony gross to the industry. The different 3rd gets invested backmost into the institution to support an “unrivaled listening experience.”

Recently, the streamer has been focused connected increasing its podcasting part by opening a caller signaling workplace successful Hollywood, premiering respective shows successful concern with Netflix and expanding its creator monetization program.

Separately, Spotify said it is hoping to antagonistic caller developments successful AI by reinforcing a quality transportation betwixt artists and fans. This includes an accent connected much artist-powered videos, continuing to beforehand artists’ unrecorded shows connected the level and expanding the relation of the company’s euphony curators. The streamer besides has plans to ace down connected AI-driven artists connected the platform.

“AI is being exploited by atrocious actors to flood streaming services with low-quality slop to crippled the strategy and effort to divert royalties distant from authentic artists,” said Hellman. “We’re going to present changes to the systems for creator verification, opus credits, and protecting creator identity. It’s captious to ensuring listeners and rightsholders tin spot who made the euphony they’re hearing.”