spotify statista-dossier.pdf

Table of Contents
01 Company
02
Spotify revenue 2013-2020
03
Spotify's segment revenue 2012-2020
04
Spotify's operating income 2013-2020
05
Spotify's gross profit 2015-2020, by segment
06
Spotify's R&D costs 2013-2020
07
Spotify: cost of revenue 2012-2020
08
Spotify: cost of revenue share 2011-2020
09
Spotify's quarterly revenue 2016-2021, by segment
10
Spotify's employees 2018-2020, by region
11
Highest valued unicorn companies worldwide 2021
02 Benchmark
13
Spotify's ad-supported monthly active users 2015-2021
14
Music streaming giants: number of users U.S. 2016-2023

Table of Contents
15
Number of Apple Music subscribers worldwide 2015-2020
16
Share of WMG revenue generated by Apple and Spotify 2017-2020
17
Leading online radio companies in the U.S. 2021, by active sessions
18
Apps used to listen to podcasts in the U.S. 2019-2020
03 Users
20
Spotify's monthly active users 2015-2021
21
Spotify's premium subscribers 2015-2021
22
Spotify's premium ARPU 2015-2020
23
Unique global visitors to Spotify.com 2020
24
Spotify's global share of premium subscribers Q3 2020, by region
04 Consumption
26
Share of Spotify users in the U.S. 2013-2020
27
Internet users listening to Spotify in the U.S. 2017-2019

Table of Contents
28
Time spent on selected streaming services in the U.S. 2019
29
Popular online music brands among young people in the U.S. 2018-2020
30
05 Music and artists
32
Spotify: artists with the most monthly listeners worldwide 2020
33
Most streamed artists in the U.S. in 2019
34
Music streaming services and artist payments U.S. 2019
35
Spotify: most streamed weekly tracks worldwide 2021
36
Spotify: most streamed weekly tracks in the U.S. 2021

Company
Revenue
in
million
euros
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
746
1,085
1,940
2,952
4,090
5,259
6,764
7,880
Note(s): Worldwide; 2013 to 2020
Further information regarding this statistic can be found on page 38.
Source(s): Spotify; ID 813713
2
Spotify's revenue worldwide from 2013 to 2020 (in million euros)

Company
Revenue
in
million
euros
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
9,000
Premium Ad-Supported
3
Spotify's revenues from 2012 to 2020, by segment (in million euros)

Company
Operating
income
in
million
euros
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
-250
-300
-350
-400
-98
-191
-235
-349
-378
-43
-73
-293
4
Operating income of Spotify worldwide from 2013 to 2020 (in million euros)

Company
Gross
profit
in
million
euros
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
-500
257
436
806
1,256
1,621
2,009
-31 -35
43 97 101
6
5
Gross profit of Spotify worldwide from 2015 to 2020, by segment (in million euros)

Company
R&D
costs
in
million
euros
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
73
114
136
207
396
493
615
855
6
Research and development costs of Spotify worldwide from 2013 to 2020 (in million euros)

Company
Cost
of
goods
sold
in
million
euros
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
386.5
618
911
1,714
2,551
3,241
3,906
5,042
5,865
7
Spotify's cost of goods sold from 2012 to 2020 (in million euros)

Company
Share
of
costs
in
revenue
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
97.7%
89.82%
82.84% 83.96%
88.35% 86.41%
79.24%
74.27% 74.54% 74.44%
Source(s): Spotify; Statista; ID 370618
8
Share of Spotify's cost of revenue from 2011 to 2020

Company
Revenue
in
million
euros
Q1
2016
Q2
2016
Q3
2016
Q4
2016
Q1
2017
Q2
2017
Q3
2017
Q4
2017
Q1
2018
Q2
2018
Q3
2018
Q4
2018
Q1
2019
Q2
2019
Q3
2019
Q4
2019
Q1
2020
Q2
2020
Q3
2020
Q4
2020
Q1
2021
Q2
2021
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
566
566 643
643 673
673 775
775 828
828 904
904 923
923 1,018
1,018
1,150
1,150
1,037
1,037
1,210
1,210
1,320
1,320 1,385
1,385
1,502
1,502 1,561
1,561 1,638
1,638 1,700
1,700 1,758
1,758 1,790
1,790 1,887
1,887 1,931
1,931
2,056
2,056
53
53
71
71 74
74
97
97 74
74
103
103 109
109
130
130
123
123
102
102
142
142
175
175 126
126
165
165
170
170
217
217 148
148 131
131
185
185
281
281 216
216
275
275
Note(s): Worldwide; Q1 2016 to Q2 2021
9
Revenue of Spotify worldwide from 1st quarter 2016 to 2nd quarter 2021, by segment (in million
euros)

Company
Number
of
employees
United States Sweden United Kingdom
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
1,708
1,280
273
2,121
1,437
353
2,746
1,688
463
2018 2019 2020
Note(s): Worldwide; 2018-2020
10
Number of Spotify employees worldwide in 2018 and 2020, by region

Company
0 50 100 150 200 250
ANT Group (China)
ByteDance (China)
SpaceX (U.S.)
Didi Chuxing (China)
Stripe (U.S.)
UiPath (U.S.)
Global Switch (UK)
Roblox (U.S.)
Databricks (U.S.)
Rivian (U.S.)
Nubank (Brazil)
Instacart (U.S.)
Epic Games (U.S.)
One97 Communications (India)
Yuanfidao (China)
200
140
74
62
36
35
31
29.5
28
27.6
25
17.7
17.3
16
15.5
Valuation in billion U.S. dollars
Company
(HQ
country)
Note(s): Worldwide; April 2021
Source(s): CB Insights; Statista estimates; CrunchBase; Hurun Research Institute; Tracxn Technologies; HolonIQ; ID 407888
11
Leading unicorns worldwide as of April 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Benchmark
Monthly
active
users
in
millions
Q1
2015
Q2
2015
Q3
2015
Q4
2015
Q1
2016
Q2
2016
Q3
2016
Q4
2016
Q1
2017
Q2
2017
Q3
2017
Q4
2017
Q1
2018
Q2
2018
Q3
2018
Q4
2018
Q1
2019
Q2
2019
Q3
2019
Q4
2019
Q1
2020
Q2
2020
Q3
2020
Q4
2020
Q1
2021
Q2
2021
0
50
100
150
200
250
51
56 60 64 67 70
75 77
83 82
91 93
99 101
109
116
123
129
141
153
163
170
185
199
208 210
13
Number of Spotify ad-supported monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to
2nd quarter 2021 (in millions)

Benchmark
Number
of
users
in
millions
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021* 2022* 2023*
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
76.8
74.5
68.6
63.1
58.2
55.1 53.3 51.8
35.7
45.8
52
65.4
78.5
87.3
94.2
98.8
16.9
21.5
30.4
38.7
45.8
48.3
50.7 52.5
13.3
19.9
28.4
33.1 35.1 36.9 38.1 39.1
Pandora Spotify Amazon Music Apple Music
Note(s): United States; 2016 to 2020; among internet users of any age who listen to each service on any device at least once per month
Source(s): eMarketer; ID 293749
14
Number of active users of major music streaming services in the United States from 2016 to 2023
(in millions)

Benchmark
Subscribers
in
millions
Oct '15* Jan '16 Feb '16 Mar '16 Apr '16 May '16 Jun '16 Aug '16 Sep '16 Dec '16 Jun '17 Sep '17 Mar '18 Apr' 18 May '18 Nov '18 Jun '19 Dec '19 Jun '20
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
6.5
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
20
27
30
38
40
50
56
60
68
72
Note(s): Worldwide; October 2015 to June 2020; includes free and paid subscribers
Source(s): Apple; Music Business Worldwide; Music Ally; Counterpoint Research; ID 604959
15
Number of Apple Music subscribers worldwide from October 2015 to June 2020 (in millions)

Benchmark
Share
of
revenue
2017 2018 2019 2020
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
14%
15%
13%
14%
14% 14%
17%
Apple Spotify
Note(s): Worldwide; September 2017 to September 2020; fiscal years end on 30 September of each year
Source(s): Warner Music Group; ID 1096717
16
Share of Warner Music Group's total revenue represented by Apple and Spotify in fiscal years 2017
to 2020

Benchmark
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 450,000
iHeartRadio
NPR Member Stations*
Audacy
Cumulus Streaming Network
EMF Corporate
Univision
Beasley Broadcasting Corporate
Hubbard Broadcasting
AccuRadio
Salem Communications
New York Public Radio
Urban One
Bonneville International
ESPN Radio Corporate
Prisa Radio
397,804
109,470
89,857
61,071
36,909
31,158
27,653
21,424
15,718
14,371
13,698
11,368
10,317
7,457
7,081
Number of average active sessions
Note(s): United States; March 2021; from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Friday
Source(s): Triton Digital; ID 253260
17
Leading online radio companies in the United States in March 2021, by average active sessions

Benchmark
Share
of
respondents
S
p
o
t
i
f
y
A
p
p
l
e
P
o
d
c
a
s
t
s
G
o
o
g
l
e
P
o
d
c
a
s
t
s
P
a
n
d
o
r
a
W
e
b
s
i
t
e
(
s
t
r
e
a
m
)
A
u
d
i
b
l
e
N
P
R
O
n
e
T
u
n
e
I
n
D
e
e
z
e
r
P
o
d
c
a
s
t
A
d
d
i
c
t
R
a
d
i
o
P
u
b
l
i
c
S
t
i
t
c
h
e
r
O
v
e
r
c
a
s
t
P
o
c
k
e
t
C
a
s
t
s
C
a
s
t
B
o
x
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
19%
21%
9%
4%
3% 3% 3% 3%
5%
25%
20%
16%
15%
11%
10%
9%
8%
7% 7%
6% 6% 6% 6%
5%
2019 2020
Note(s): United States; February 2020; 18 years and older; 2,012 respondents; survey participants were internet users
Source(s): Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; eMarketer; ID 943537
18
Most commonly used apps for listening to podcasts among podcast listeners in the United States in
2019 and 2020

Users
Monthly
active
users
in
millions
Q1
2015
Q2
2015
Q3
2015
Q4
2015
Q1
2016
Q2
2016
Q3
2016
Q4
2016
Q1
2017
Q2
2017
Q3
2017
Q4
2017
Q1
2018
Q2
2018
Q3
2018
Q4
2018
Q1
2019
Q2
2019
Q3
2019
Q4
2019
Q1
2020
Q2
2020
Q3
2020
Q4
2020
Q1
2021
Q2
2021
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
68
77 82
91 96
104
113
123
132 138
149
160 157
180
191
207
217
232
248
271
286
299
320
345
356
365
20
Number of Spotify monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 2nd quarter
2021 (in millions)

Users
Paying
subscribers
in
millions
Q1
2015
Q2
2015
Q3
2015
Q4
2015
Q1
2016
Q2
2016
Q3
2016
Q4
2016
Q1
2017
Q2
2017
Q3
2017
Q4
2017
Q1
2018
Q2
2018
Q3
2018
Q4
2018
Q1
2019
Q2
2019
Q3
2019
Q4
2019
Q1
2020
Q2
2020
Q3
2020
Q4
2020
Q1
2021
Q2
2021
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
18
22 24
28 30
36
40
48
52
59 62
71
75
83
87
96
100
108
113
124
130
138
144
155 158
165
21
Number of Spotify premium subscribers worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 2nd quarter 2021 (in
millions)

Users
ARPU
in
euros
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
6.84
6.2
5.32
4.81 4.72
4.31
22
Spotify`s premium average revenue per user (ARPU) worldwide from 2015 to 2020 (in euros)

Users
Number
of
unique
visitors
in
millions
M
a
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'
1
6
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1
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J
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1
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1
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1
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1
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1
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M
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1
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1
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1
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9
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0
F
e
b
'
2
0
M
a
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'
2
0
A
p
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'
2
0
M
a
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'
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J
u
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2
0
J
u
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2
0
A
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2
0
150
200
250
300
350
Note(s): Worldwide; May 2016 to August 2020; desktop and mobile web
Source(s): SimilarWeb; ID 244989
23
Number of unique visitors to Spotify.com from May 2016 to August 2020

Users
Europe 40%
North America 29%
Latin America 21%
Rest of World 10%
Note(s): Worldwide; Q3 2020
24
Share of Spotify`s premium subscribers worldwide in the 3rd quarter of 2020, by region

Consumption
Share
of
respondents
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
3%
4%
7%
10%
15%
16%
20%
22%
4%
6%
10%
13%
18%
20%
24%
25%
Weekly usage Monthly usage
Note(s): United States; 2013 to 2020; 12 years and older; 1,500 respondents; surveys held from January to February of each year
Source(s): Edison Research; Triton Digital; Statista; ID 294640
26
Share of Spotify users in the United States from 2013 to 2020, by frequency

Consumption
Number
of
users
2017 2018 2019
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
46.8
58.4
65.6
Note(s): Worldwide; October 2018; among internet users of any age who listen to Spotify on any deviec at least once per month
Source(s): eMarketer; ID 969154
27
Estimated number of internet users who use Spotify at least once per month in the United States
from 2017 to 2019 (in millions)

Consumption
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Pandora Radio
Spotify
SoundCloud
iHeartRadio
80.81
127.7
38.68
76.79
82.26
146.19
58.51
86.77
Free Paid
Average time spent in minutes
Note(s): United States; June 2019
Source(s): comScore; ID 822902
28
Time spent on selected music streaming services in the United States as of June 2019 (in minutes)

Consumption
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55%
Pandora
Spotify
Amazon Music
Apple Music
iHeartRadio
Google Play
SoundCloud
26%
48%
15%
21%
10%
10%
17%
36%
46%
10%
20%
14%
8%
23%
41%
39%
8%
19%
12%
9%
18%
2020 2019 2018
Share of respondents
Note(s): United States; January 2018 to January 2020; 12-34 years; 1,502 respondents; among U.S. population who listened to music on that platform in the last month
Source(s): Edison Research; Triton Digital; Rain News; ID 475978
29
Online music services young people used most frequently in the United States from 2018 to 2020

Consumption
Share
of
respondents
S
p
o
t
i
f
y
A
p
p
l
e
P
o
d
c
a
s
t
s
G
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g
l
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P
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d
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a
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t
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P
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d
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a
W
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b
s
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e
(
s
t
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e
a
m
)
A
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d
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N
P
R
O
n
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T
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I
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D
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z
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r
P
o
d
c
a
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t
A
d
d
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t
R
a
d
i
o
P
u
b
l
i
c
S
t
i
t
c
h
e
r
O
v
e
r
c
a
s
t
P
o
c
k
e
t
C
a
s
t
s
C
a
s
t
B
o
x
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
19%
21%
9%
4%
3% 3% 3% 3%
5%
25%
20%
16%
15%
11%
10%
9%
8%
7% 7%
6% 6% 6% 6%
5%
2019 2020
Note(s): United States; February 2020; 18 years and older; 2,012 respondents; survey participants were internet users
Source(s): Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; eMarketer; ID 943537
30
2019 and 2020

Music and artists
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Justin Bieber
Billie Eilish
Ed Sheeran
J Balvin
Camila Cabello
Khalid
The Weeknd
Post Malone
Dua Lipa
Drake
66.06
60.67
60.51
55.43
55.13
55.05
54.81
53.35
52.36
51.62
Number of monthly listeners
Note(s): Worldwide; March 3, 2020; monthly listeners are individual global users who played an artist's music within a rolling 28 day period
Source(s): Spotify; 24/7 Wall St.; ID 1032826
32
Artists with the most monthly listeners of all time on Spotify worldwide as of July 2019 (in millions)

Music and artists
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Post Malone
Drake
Billie Eilish
Ariana Grande
Youngboy Never Broke Again
Juice Wrld
XXXTentacion
Taylor Swift
Eminem
Khalid
6.7
6.35
4.99
4.98
4.88
3.91
3.64
3.54
3.48
3.26
Number of streams in billions
Note(s): United States; 2019
Source(s): Alpha Data; ID 189384
33
Most popular musicians in the United States in 2019, based on number of streams (in billions)

Music and artists
Number
of
streams
YouTube Pandora Premium Amazon Spotify Deezer Google Play Music TIDAL Napster
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
2,133,333
1,160,767
366,169 336,842
230,000 217,752 177,604
77,474
Note(s): United States; 2019
Source(s): Digital Music News; ID 1100554
34
Number of music streams needed for artists to earn the U.S. monthly minimum wage in the United
States in 2019

Music and artists
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon) - Justin Bieber
drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo
Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf
telepatía - Kali Uchis
Hold On - Justin Bieber
Save Your Tears - The Weeknd
Leave The Door Open - Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
As I Am (feat. Khalid) - Justin Bieber
DÁKITI - Bad Bunny, Jhay Cortez
42.4
29.33
28.31
28.21
27.82
26.88
24.08
21.73
21.82
21.05
Number of streams in millions
Note(s): Worldwide; week ending March 25, 2021
35
Most-streamed weekly tracks on Spotify worldwide as of March 25, 2021, (in million streams)

Music and artists
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon) - Justin Bieber
As I Am (feat. Khalid) - Justin Bieber
Hold On - Justin Bieber
Up - Cardi B
telepatía - Kali Uchis
What`s Next - Drake
Leave The Door Open - Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic
Calling My Phone - Lil Tjay, 6LACK
drivers license - Olivia Rodrigo
Astronaut In The Ocean - Masked Wolf
13.17
7.64
7.08
6.99
6.78
6.66
6.6
6.32
6.23
6.03
Number of streams in millions
Note(s): United States; week ending March 25, 2021
36
Most-streamed weekly tracks on Spotify in the United States as of March 25, 2021 (in million
streams)

References
38
Source and methodology information
Source(s) Spotify
Conducted by Spotify
Survey period 2013 to 2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Number of respondents n.a.
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics n.a.
Published by Spotify
Publication date February 2021
Original source Spotify Shareholder Letter Q4 2020, page 11
Website URL visit the website
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, music streaming service Spotify generated a revenue of over 7.88 billion euros, up from 6.76 billion in
the previous year. The majority of Spotify's revenues came from its premium subscribers rather than ad
placements. Founded in Stockholm in 2005, the former start-up is now a market leader in the digital music
streaming sector, competing alongside established companies such as Apple and their streaming service Apple
Music .

Spotify is operating on a loss

While Spotify has become a market leader thus generating a high revenue, it has also experienced a significant
jump in operating loss , from 73 million euro in 2019 to 293 million euros loss in 2020. According to Spotify this is
due to high costs in areas such as content creation, marketing, and sales as well as securing rights of audio and
video content. This operating loss is likely to have a significant impact on the profitability of the global streaming
service. The net income of Spotify seems to confirm this, since the company has been operating on a loss since
its inception, claiming its highest net loss at 581 million euros in 2020.

The music streaming market is expanding

While Spotify has struggled with generating an operating income, the music streaming market is actually
expanding. The number of subscribers to music streaming services has steadily been rising, highlighting the
increased popularity of digital music consumption. While this development goes hand in hand with a decrease in
physical music sales, the more recent upsurge in audio content streaming can partly also be attributed to the
heightened demand in entertainment caused by the coronavirus pandemic .
Spotify's revenue worldwide from 2013 to 2020 (in million euros)

References
39
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Original source Spotify Form 20-F, page 49
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In the most recently reported fiscal year, Spotify generated about 7.1 billion euros in premium revenue and 745
million in ad-supported revenue. Both figures were the highest reported to date, with premium revenue having
grown by more than two billion euros since 2017. Contributing to Spotify’s success was its strong global
subscriber base – as of the first quarter of 2019, the music streaming platform had 100 million subscribers
worldwide . Spotify has proved popular in multiple markets across the world, namely the United States, where
more than 25 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds reported using the service .

Spotify’s competition

Spotify’s closest competitor is Apple Music. That said, Apple’s worldwide subscribers are almost half that of
Spotify’s, despite both services being popular for different reasons. Theoretically, Pandora Radio could have
presented Spotify with a fair amount of competition, but this was not to be. Pandora’s radio station format failed
to match Spotify’s playlist set-up in terms of popularity, and Pandora struggled to convert its users into paid
subscribers, something which Spotify has always been good at.

Pandora Radio received heavy investment from Sirius XM in 2017 and was officially acquired by the company in
early 2019, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the future as Sirius gets to work on Pandora’s
audience and attempts to generate cash from its arguably wide (but unpaid) user base. For now though, it
seems that Spotify’s position remains safe.
Spotify's revenues from 2012 to 2020, by segment (in million euros)

References
40
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Original source Spotify Form 20-F 2020, page F-5
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, global music streaming service Spotify reported an operating loss of 293 million euros, up from a loss of
73 million in the previous year. Spotify also noted in its report that it expects its costs to increase in future
periods and as such anticipates a negative effect on its profitability. Some costs include content creation, sales
and marketing, general administration, and securing publishing rights for audio and video content.
Operating income of Spotify worldwide from 2013 to 2020 (in million euros)

References
41
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Original source Spotify Form 20-F 2020, page 50
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
Spotify's gross profit worldwide amounted to 2.01 billion euros in 2020, of which the vast majority was generated
by its premium segment. The ad-supported segment generated 6 million euros, a significant drop from the
figures generated since 2017.
Gross profit of Spotify worldwide from 2015 to 2020, by segment (in million euros)

References
42
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, global music streaming service Spotify had research and development costs of 855 million euros, up
from 615 million in the previous year. Costs have been rising for years, and the 2020 figure was more than 11
times higher than the 73 million recorded in 2013.
Research and development costs of Spotify worldwide from 2013 to 2020 (in million euros)

References
43
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: Figures prior to 2015 come from previous reporting.
Back to statistic
Description
Data on Spotify's cost of goods sold from 2012 to 2020, which is mostly comprised of the music streaming
company's licensing expenses , revealed that the company's cost of sales amounted to 5.87 billion U.S. dollars
in 2020, more than five times the figure recorded five years earlier.
Spotify's cost of goods sold from 2012 to 2020 (in million euros)

References
44
Source(s) Spotify; Statista
Conducted by Spotify; Statista
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: 2012 to 2020 data recalculated by Statista on basis of restated Spotify
figures, 2011 data published via The Guardian in November 2014. Cost of
revenue does not solely refer to royalty fees paid out to artists.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, 74.42 percent of Spotify's revenues went mainly towards royalty payments towards music rightsholders
and other fees.
Share of Spotify's cost of revenue from 2011 to 2020

References
45
Source(s) Spotify
Survey period Q1 2016 to Q2 2021
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Publication date July 2021
Original source Spotify Q2 Press Release 2021, page 1
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
Spotify's global revenue in the second quarter of 2021 was mostly derived from premium revenue, which
amounted to 2.06 billion euros in that period. The drop in ad-supported revenue at the start of 2020 was
attributed by the company to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, ad-supported revenue
started to increase again in Q4 2020, but presented a slightly decreased in Q1 2021.
Revenue of Spotify worldwide from 1st quarter 2016 to 2nd quarter 2021, by segment (in million
euros)

References
46
Source(s) Spotify
Survey period 2018-2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: The source adds the following information: "Additionally, at the end of
2018... we had approximately 390 employees, in the aggregate in
Australia, Belgium,Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Russia, Singapore, Spain, [...] For more information visit our Website
Back to statistic
Description
Spotify employs thousands of people around the world, with the majority based in the United States – 2,746 as
of 2020. Second was Sweden with 1,688 employees, and 463 people working for the company at that time were
based in the United Kingdom. The company is legally domiciled in Luxembourg and has its administrative
headquarters in Stockholm where the streaming platform was founded back in 2006.

Working at Spotify: equality and diversity data

The streaming behemoth fascinated interested parties for years before finally going public, and with all eyes on
Spotify after its first profit in early 2019, it doesn’t look like the media hype around one of the world’s most major
streaming services will die down any time soon. Whilst many argue that all publicity is good publicity,
internationally dominant forces like Spotify are hearing loud pleas for transparency, particularly when it comes to
its workforce.

As minority groups fight for representation, it has become increasingly important for market leaders to not only
demonstrate support for diversity in the workplace, but to admit to how their own businesses perform in that
regard as well.

In July 2018, Spotify published data showing the gender distribution within multiple categories of its business,
including how many women work for Spotify as a percentage of total employees, and in which roles. The
company revealed that women made up 38.4 percent of managers and 38.7 percent of all persons employed,
and almost 32 percent of leadership roles (director level and above) were also filled by women.

Spotify also disclosed the ethnicity breakdown of its corporate structure , announcing that just under 15 percent
of its employees were Asian, 5.5 percent were Hispanic and 6.1 percent Black.

Many will argue that there is still work to be done – and certainly in terms of achieving a more even balance
across the board within Spotify, there is. However, transparency among large companies is generally fa [...] For
more information visit our Website
Number of Spotify employees worldwide in 2018 and 2020, by region

References
47
Source(s) CB Insights; Statista estimates; CrunchBase; Hurun Research Institute;
Tracxn Technologies; HolonIQ
Conducted by Statista estimates
Survey period April 2021
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Published by Statista
Publication date April 2021
Original source n.a.
Notes: A unicorn company is a privately owned startup that has a current
valuation of one billion U.S. dollars or over. Once a company has gone
public (IPO) or has been acquired it is no longer termed as a unicorn. All
published figures are best estimations based on latest publications of
sources. Figures [...] For more information visit our Website
Back to statistic
Description
As of April 2021, ANT Group, a Chinese fintech company which spun off from Alibaba's Alipay, was valued at
about 200 billion U.S. dollars, which made it the highest valued unicorn globally. A unicorn is a privately held
company with a market valuation of one billion U.S. dollars or more. As of April 2021, there were over 590
unicorns globally , with the majority based in the United States and China.

The ANT Group
Headquartered in Hangzhou, China, Ant Group a subsidiary of the Chinese Alibaba Group, is the nation’s largest
payments provider and a leading technology company globally. As of April 2021, the industry with the highest
valued unicorns in China was the finance and insurance industry, to which the market value of Ant Group
contributed significantly.

Unicorns in the U.S. and China

China and the United States remain the locations with highest volume of unicorns worldwide, as well as the
highest valued unicorns. While the Chinese market dominated the global unicorn scene in terms of the market
values of its unicorns, the United States surpasses them in terms of the number of unicorns within the country.
Leading unicorns worldwide as of April 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

References
48
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: The source provides the following information: "We define Ad-Supported
MAUs as the total count of Ad-Supported monthly active users that have
consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds in the last thirty days
from the period-end indicated."
Back to statistic
Description
Spotify's number of ad-supported monthly active users worldwide hit 210 million in the last presented quarter, up
from 170 million a year earlier. The music streaming service has been presenting an increase in its premium
subscriber base since Q3 2017.
Number of Spotify ad-supported monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to
2nd quarter 2021 (in millions)

References
49
Source(s) eMarketer
Conducted by eMarketer
Region(s) United States
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics among internet users of any age who listen to each service on any device
at least once per month
Published by eMarketer
Publication date September 2020
Original source emarketer.com
Notes: *Forecast.
Back to statistic
Description
By 2023, Spotify will have 98.8 million users, over twenty million more than the 78.5 million recorded in 2020.
However, a gradual decline in Pandora's user base is anticipated to continue over the coming years, with the
company losing two to three million active listeners per year.

Spotify and Pandora – more information
Pandora

In 2018, Pandora was most popular among users aged 25 to 34 and users aged 55 or above, whereas adults in
the 18 to 24-year-old age bracket was by far the company's weakest market segment. Pandora's user base may
be flatlining compared to Spotify's, but Pandora’s revenue jumped from four million U.S. dollars to almost 1.5
billion in a decade , showing incredible and consistent growth during that time. Pandora generates most of its
revenue from advertising , although has grown increasingly reliant on revenue from subscription services.
Pandora was acquired by Sirius XM in February 2019 for 3.5 billion U.S. dollars.

Spotify
In 2018, Spotify reported 5.2 billion euros in revenue , following a history of significant growth. Spotify was
operating at a loss for years, but reported its first quarterly operating profit at the beginning of 2019. the
company has placed a stronger focus on podcasts and will continue to do so according to industry experts and
company reports, and is one of the most popular podcast providers in the United States .
Number of active users of major music streaming services in the United States from 2016 to 2023
(in millions)

References
50
Source(s) Apple; Music Business Worldwide; Music Ally; Counterpoint Research
Conducted by Apple; Counterpoint Research
Survey period October 2015 to June 2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics includes free and paid subscribers
Published by Music Ally
Publication date June 2020
Original source musically.com
Notes: *October 2015 figures are based on CEO Tim Cook's statement that
Apple Music has 6.5 million paid subscribers plus another 8.5 million users
who are still in their three-month free trial period. Apple Music offers a 3
month free trial up front, but only supports paid subscriptions after that.
Figure [...] For more information visit our Website
Back to statistic
Description
Estimates suggest that Apple Music had 72 million subscribers worldwide in June 2020, up by four million from
December of the previous year. Launched in 2015 by U.S. tech giant Apple, Apple Music is the second largest
music streaming service worldwide, competing with market leader Spotify.

Spotify remains market leader
While Apple Music is a popular music streaming platform, accounting for 19 percent of subscribers worldwide ,
the 2008 founded streaming service Spotify remains the market leader with a subscriber share of 35 percent.
Financially this meant that the Swedish company generated a global revenue of 1.7 billion euros only through its
Premium accounts in the third quarter of 2020 .

Music streaming overall increases
Overall, music streaming has experienced significant growth over the last decade. From 2018 to 2019 alone
music streaming revenue grew by 22.9 percent becoming the music industry’s main revenue driver, reaching a
revenue of 11.4 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2019 . With the coronavirus pandemic, the growing digital music
consumption was estimated to increase even further in 2020 and 2021.
Number of Apple Music subscribers worldwide from October 2015 to June 2020 (in millions)

References
51
Source(s) Warner Music Group
Conducted by Warner Music Group
Survey period September 2017 to September 2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics fiscal years end on 30 September of each year
Published by Warner Music Group
Publication date November 2020
Original source Warner Music Group - Annual Report 2020, page 119
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, Warner Music Group reported that 17 percent of its total revenues were attributed to its licensing
agreements with Spotify, an increase from the previous year. Warner Music's share of revenue represented by
Apple also increased, although Spotify still accounts for a greater proportion.
Share of Warner Music Group's total revenue represented by Apple and Spotify in fiscal years 2017
to 2020

References
52
Source(s) Triton Digital
Conducted by Triton Digital
Survey period March 2021
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Friday
Published by Triton Digital
Original source Top 20 Ranker March 2021, page 7
Notes: *The source notes that NPR Member Stations experienced minor and
varied data issues throughout the period. **Entercom Communications
Corp.`s streams are now listed as RADIO.COM as of July 2018. The
source included Spotify Corporate in the ranking until December 2019
when it no longer featured Spotif [...] For more information visit our
Website
Back to statistic
Description
In March 2021, the leading online radio company in the United States based on the average number of active
sessions was iHeartRadio, with around 308 thousand average active sessions throughout that month. In second
place was NPR member Stations, which had over 100 thousand average active sessions.

Radio market - additional information

Online radio companies have increased in popularity over the past several years, corresponding with the
increase in radio streaming devices, such as smartphones. As of early 2014, the global radio market was strong,
especially in the United States. Revenue earned in the U.S. in 2013 from the radio market amounted to roughly
20 billion U.S. dollars, a value significantly higher than any other market in the world.
In fact, U.S. radio industry revenues made up slightly less than half of the total revenue earned worldwide from
the radio industry. In 2018, global radio revenue totaled 50.7 billion U.S. dollars and a steady yearly growth has
been forecasted until 2018. The increased revenues could be attributed to the ways in which consumers have
listened to the radio and utilized the range of platforms available to them. Radio stations can now be accessed
through smartphone apps, on PCs, laptops and tablets, in the car and not forgetting, of course, the traditional
radio set at home.
The longevity of radio has been undeniable as it has remained a fundamental part of people’s lives in modern
society. In 2018, radio reached 92.8 percent of all women and 93 percent of all men between the ages of 35 and
64 in the United States.
Leading online radio companies in the United States in March 2021, by average active sessions

References
53
Source(s) Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; eMarketer
Conducted by eMarketer; Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Survey period February 2020
Number of respondents 2,012
Age group 18 years and older
Special characteristics survey participants were internet users
Publication date August 2020
Notes: Missing figures were not provided by the source.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, the most commonly used app for listening to podcasts in the United States was Spotify, with 25 percent
of podcast listeners aged 18 or above saying that they used Spotify to listen to podcasts. Meanwhile, Apple
Podcasts was used by 20 percent of adults, down from 21 percent in the previous year.

Growing market for podcasts

The term podcast, the name being a merge of the words “play on demand” and “broadcast”, refers to audio or
video content in episodic formats that can be streamed or downloaded digitally. Topics cover a huge range of
interests such as politics, health, or true crime; however, a study found that the most popular podcast genre in
the United States was comedy . With 75.9 million podcast listeners in the United States alone , podcasting has
become a large market within the audio sector.

Podcast consumption

Despite the growing podcast audience, the consumption among listeners is relatively low with 11 percent of
consumers stating that they listen to podcasts less often than once a month. The relatively new audio format is
preferred by younger generations , with 20 percent of the age group of 18 to 34 years having paid to access
podcasts.
2019 and 2020

References
54
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In the second quarter of 2021, music streaming service Spotify reported 365 million active users worldwide. This
marked an increase of over 70 million in just one year.

What is Spotify?

Spotify is a music streaming service that offers digital audio content. Basic audio content can be accessed for
free whereas premium user subscriptions enable users to access offline mobile content as well as listen to music
without advertising. At the end of 2019, the company announced 124 million paying subscribers .

Launched in 2008, Spotify originated in Sweden before expanding to European markets and the United States in
2011. Spotify’s U.S. launch was strongly marketed through Facebook, with the music streaming app profiting
from the social listening integration via social media. Part of Spotify’s appeal can be attributed to the user- and
brand-curated playlists, which can be shared publicly or between friends. Fans may choose what to listen to
based on their current mood or preference, and the ability to share such content provides an element of social
connectivity ordinarily reserved for networking sites.
Number of Spotify monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 2nd quarter
2021 (in millions)

References
55
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
How many paid subscribers does Spotify have?
As of the second quarter of 2021, Spotify had 165 million premium subscribers worldwide, up from 138 million in
the corresponding quarter of 2020. Spotify’s subscriber base has increased dramatically in the last few years
and has more than doubled since early 2017.

Spotify and competitors

Spotify is a music streaming service originally founded in 2006 in Sweden. The platform can be used from
various devices and allows users to browse through a catalogue of music licensed through multiple record
labels, as well as creating and sharing playlists with other users. Additionally, listeners are able to enjoy music
for free with advertisements or are also given the option to purchase a subscription to allow for unlimited ad-free
music streaming. Spotify’s largest competitors are Pandora, a company that offers a similar service, and Apple
Music which was launched in 2015. Pandora is the highest-grossing music app title in the Apple App Store and
often generates over 15 million U.S. dollars in revenue each month.

Users are also able to register Spotify accounts using Facebook directly through the website using an app. This
enables them to connect with other Facebook friends and explore their music tastes and playlists. Spotify is a
popular source for keeping up-to-date with music , and the ability to enjoy Spotify anywhere at any time allows
consumers to shape their music consumption around their lifestyles and preferences.
Number of Spotify premium subscribers worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 2nd quarter 2021 (in
millions)

References
56
Source(s) Spotify
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Original source Spotify Form 20-F, page 48
Notes: The source provides the following information: "Premium ARPU is a
monthly measure defined as Premium revenue recognized in the quarter
indicated divided by the average daily Premium Subscribers in such
quarter, which is then divided by three months. Annual figures are
calculated by averaging Premium [...] For more information visit our
Website
Back to statistic
Description
Spotify's premium average revenue per user (ARPU) amounted to 4.31 euros in 2020, once again marking a
decrease from the previous year. Premium ARPU has been falling since 2017, with the most significant drop
occurring between 2016 and 2017.
Spotify`s premium average revenue per user (ARPU) worldwide from 2015 to 2020 (in euros)

References
57
Source(s) SimilarWeb
Conducted by SimilarWeb
Survey period May 2016 to August 2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics desktop and mobile web
Published by SimilarWeb
Original source similarweb.com
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In August 2020, there were 281.5 million unique monthly visitors to music streaming service Spotify worldwide,
up from 215.5 million in August 2019. Whilst the number remained relatively stable for some time, 2019 was not
as good as year for Spotify when it came to unique web visitors as 2018, with the number dropping below 220
million for several consecutive months. However, by 2020, music lovers all over the world found themselves in
lockdown due to the coronavirus, which will likely have contributed to the increased web visits year on year.
Number of unique visitors to Spotify.com from May 2016 to August 2020

References
58
Source(s) Spotify
Survey period Q3 2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Publication date October 2020
Original source Spotify Shareholder Letter Q3 2020, page 3 & 4
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
With a combined total of 70 percent, Europe and North America accounted for more paying Spotify subscribers
than any other region in the world in the third quarter of 2020. Specifically, Europe accounted for about 40
percent of the total premium subscriber count, making this region the Swedish company's strongest market.
Overall, there were over 140 million paying Spotify users that quarter.
Share of Spotify`s premium subscribers worldwide in the 3rd quarter of 2020, by region

References
59
Source(s) Edison Research; Triton Digital; Statista
Conducted by Triton Digital; Edison Research
Special characteristics surveys held from January to February of each year
Published by Statista
Publication date March 2020
Original source n.a.
Notes: Data prior to 2019 comes from earlier publications. Data gathered from
multiple sources.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, 25 percent of Americans reported using Spotify monthly, up by one percent from the previous year.
Similar growth was seen in weekly usage, which grew from 20 to 22 percent in the same time period.
Share of Spotify users in the United States from 2013 to 2020, by frequency

References
60
Source(s) eMarketer
Conducted by eMarketer
Survey period October 2018
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics among internet users of any age who listen to Spotify on any deviec at
least once per month
Publication date November 2018
Notes: Based on estimates made by the source.
Back to statistic
Description
The statistic shows the estimated number of internet users who use Spotify at least once per month in the United
States from 2017 to 2019. The source estimated that in 2019, 65.6 million internet users of any age in the United
States would be listening to Spotify at least once per month, up from 58.4 million in 2018.
Estimated number of internet users who use Spotify at least once per month in the United States
from 2017 to 2019 (in millions)

References
61
Source(s) comScore
Conducted by comScore
Survey period June 2019
Age group n.a.
Published by comScore
Publication date December 2019
Original source comscore.com
Notes: Figures have been rounded.
Back to statistic
Description
In June 2019, consumers using spent over 80 minutes using the free and paid Pandora Radio music app
respectively, suggesting that users of the service are more receptive to ad-supported free versions than users of
other music platforms. Users of Spotify, SoundCloud, and iHeartRadio were more inclined to spend longer using
the paid subscription service, and Spotify users spent almost 2.5 hours per visit using the paid mobile app.
Time spent on selected music streaming services in the United States as of June 2019 (in minutes)

References
62
Source(s) Edison Research; Triton Digital; Rain News
Conducted by Triton Digital; Edison Research
Survey period January 2018 to January 2020
Age group 12-34 years
Special characteristics among U.S. population who listened to music on that platform in the last
month
Published by Rain News
Original source The Infinite Dial 2020, page 43
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
Spotify was the most popular online music service among young people aged 12 to 34 in 2020, with the platform
being the most used among all respondents in that age group. Meanwhile, Pandora was less popular in 2020
than in previous years, as only 26 percent of young people listened to the platform during the time of the survey,
compared to 41 percent in 2018.
Online music services young people used most frequently in the United States from 2018 to 2020

References
63
Source(s) Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism; eMarketer
Conducted by eMarketer; Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Survey period February 2020
Special characteristics survey participants were internet users
Notes: Missing figures were not provided by the source.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2020, the most commonly used app for listening to podcasts in the United States was Spotify, with 25 percent
of podcast listeners aged 18 or above saying that they used Spotify to listen to podcasts. Meanwhile, Apple
Podcasts was used by 20 percent of adults, down from 21 percent in the previous year.

Growing market for podcasts

The term podcast, the name being a merge of the words “play on demand” and “broadcast”, refers to audio or
video content in episodic formats that can be streamed or downloaded digitally. Topics cover a huge range of
interests such as politics, health, or true crime; however, a study found that the most popular podcast genre in
the United States was comedy . With 75.9 million podcast listeners in the United States alone , podcasting has
become a large market within the audio sector.

Podcast consumption

Despite the growing podcast audience, the consumption among listeners is relatively low with 11 percent of
consumers stating that they listen to podcasts less often than once a month. The relatively new audio format is
preferred by younger generations , with 20 percent of the age group of 18 to 34 years having paid to access
podcasts.
2019 and 2020

References
64
Source(s) Spotify; 24/7 Wall St.
Conducted by Spotify; 24/7 Wall St.
Survey period March 3, 2020
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Special characteristics monthly listeners are individual global users who played an artist's music
within a rolling 28 day period
Published by 24/7 Wall St.
Original source 247wallst.com
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
As of March 3, 2020, the artist with the most monthly listeners on Spotify worldwide was Justin Bieber, closely
followed by Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran. At that time, Justin Bieber had a total of 66.06 million monthly listeners
on the streaming service. The 27-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter is one of the world’s best-selling music
artists. In 2020, he released his new studio album “Changes” following a five-year break during which he toured
with his 2015 album “Purpose” before taking some time off from music making. In the previous year, 2019, the
artist with the most monthly listeners on Spotify was Ed Sheeran with a total of 69.15 million monthly listeners on
the streaming service, the largest number ever recorded on Spotify. It was Sheeran's fourth studio album 'No. 6
Collaborations Project' which propelled Sheeran to the top of the list, a project which saw the British artist work
with the likes of Eminem, Bruno Mars and 50 Cent. Other popular musicians on the ranking that year were Justin
Bieber and Khalid, both of whom also worked with Sheeran on his latest album.

Spotify streams as an indicator of the popularity of artists

The number of streams listened to on Spotify is an important indicator of the success of an artist and the
popularity of specific songs, since Spotify is one of the most popular streaming platforms worldwide . Over the
last years, the Swedish audio streaming and media giant has been steadily growing, reaching a revenue of 7.88
billion euros in 2020 . The majority of this revenue was generated through premium subscription rather than
advertisement on the platform . The number of global employees of Spotify has been rising alongside the
company’s growth, with most of them working in the United States. However, while Spotify is currently the most
popular global music steaming provider, there are other important market players in the business, most
importantly Apple Music .

The music streaming market is booming

The trendin [...] For more information visit our Website
Artists with the most monthly listeners of all time on Spotify worldwide as of July 2019 (in millions)

References
65
Source(s) Alpha Data
Conducted by Alpha Data
Survey period 2019
Age group n.a.
Published by Alpha Data
Publication date January 2020
Original source BuzzAngle Music 2019 U.S. Music Industry Report, page 35
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In 2019, hip-hop artist Post Malone amassed almost 6.7 billion streams in the United States, outranking Taylor
Swift, Billie Eilish, and Ariana Grande. Music streaming is a lucrative source of income for modern musicians and
can make up significant portions of their annual income. Second in the ranking was Drake with 6.35 million
streams, falling behind slightly after far outperforming all other artists in 2018 with more than ten millions that
year. In fact, more than 17 million U.S. dollars of Drake’s 2018 income came from streaming , and singers
Beyoncé and Bruno Mars also made between three and four million dollars each from fans streaming their
songs.

Equally, whilst newer artists tend to be more successful on streaming platforms than those whose heyday has
already passed, many older musicians have adapted to digital formats to increase their online presence and
attract new listeners. Elton John earns more from streaming than from sales or publishing , and Paul McCartney
also tends to earn over one million dollars per annum by making his music available to stream via digital
platforms.

The impact of music streaming

Music streaming platforms like Spotify have enabled a culture whereby music fans can enjoy their favorite tunes
on the go and in any location they choose. Streaming is the main source of revenue within the U.S. music
industry and grew ten percent between 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, physical revenue is decreasing, and the
retail value of physical CD shipments has dwindled from over 13 billion U.S. dollars to less than 700 million in 18
years.
Most popular musicians in the United States in 2019, based on number of streams (in billions)

References
66
Source(s) Digital Music News
Conducted by Digital Music News
Survey period 2019
Age group n.a.
Published by Digital Music News
Publication date December 2019
Original source digitalmusicnews.com
Notes: The monthly minimum wage in the United States was placed at 1,472 U.S.
dollars per month at the time of survey.
Back to statistic
Description
Data gathered at the end of 2019 showed that for music artists the least lucrative platform in terms of generating
an income of around 1,400 U.S. dollars (the minimum wage in the United States) was YouTube, with artists
needing over 2.13 million plays in order to earn that amount. The source noted that YouTube's payouts
amounted to 0.00069 U.S. dollars per play, whereas Napster paid around 0.01682 dollars per play, meaning that
its artists would need less than 80 thousand plays to earn the monthly minimum wage.
Number of music streams needed for artists to earn the U.S. monthly minimum wage in the United
States in 2019

References
67
Source(s) Spotify
Survey period week ending March 25, 2021
Region(s) Worldwide
Age group n.a.
Original source spotifycharts.com
Notes: Figures have been rounded.
Back to statistic
Description
As of the week ending March 2021, 2021, 'Peaches' (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon) by Justin Bieber was the
most-streamed track on Spotify with 42.4 million streams worldwide, followed by 'drivers license' by Olivia
Rodrigo with just over 29.33 million streams.

How do music artists get so many streams on Spotify?

Firstly, Spotify is one of the most successful and popular music streaming services in the United States , and as
of the first half of 2018 had the biggest share of music streaming subscribers in the world . With Spotify’s vast
audience, featuring on the platform is a good start for emerging and popular artists hoping to make an impact.

Secondly, there is no exact science to ‘going viral’. From the famous egg photo on Instagram posted in early
2019 to wildly successful music video ‘Gangnam Style’ released back in 2012, viral content comes in all shapes
and sizes. Purposeful viral marketing is one way in which something could go viral, and is one of the reasons
why some songs have so many streams in a short space of time. This type of marketing involves a tactical
approach and pre-planning in an attempt to push the content into the public eye and encourage it to spread as
quickly as possible.

However, many artists who go viral do not expect to. Accessible, catchy content created by an already popular
artist is already poised to do well, i.e. the latest song or album from U.S. singer Drake. This is an example of
incidental viral marketing, when content spreads by itself partially as a result of an established and engaged
audience. Indeed, Spotify’s most-streamed tracks generally originate from a well-known figure with a large
following. But for smaller or entirely unknown content creators, going viral or experiencing their 15 minutes of
fame can simply be a case of posting the right thing at the right time.
Most-streamed weekly tracks on Spotify worldwide as of March 25, 2021, (in million streams)

References
68
Source(s) Spotify
Survey period week ending March 25, 2021
Age group n.a.
Original source spotifycharts.com
Notes: n.a.
Back to statistic
Description
In the week ending March 25, 2021, the most streamed track on Spotify in the U.S. was Peaches by Justin
Bieber with 13.17 million streams by U.S. users. Other songs to perform well that week were 'As I am', also by
Bieber, and 'Hold on'.

Artists and streaming: a double-edged sword

Whilst the ranking of most streamed songs changes each week, artists to frequently make the top five include
chart-toppers Post Malone and Drake. In 2018, Drake’s album ‘Scorpion’ was streamed over six billion times in
the U.S. alone and Post Malone’s ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys’ followed closely behind.

Having their music on Spotify can be a lucrative opportunity for popular music artists, allowing them to earn
royalties per every song streamed. This is an opportunity which was not available to musicians who made a
name for themselves before music streaming became a possibility and is just one of the many ways in which the
music industry has changed over the last few decades.

On a less positive note, artists have to accumulate hundreds of thousands of streams before they make any real
money from Spotify. The majority of digital music revenue in the U.S. derived from streaming , but royalties paid
to artists by Spotify are usually well below the one cent mark per stream. Spotify has frequently rebuffed
accusations that its royalty payments structure is unfair, claiming that a better understanding of their business
model was needed in order to appreciate how the payments work. However, as is often the case with anything
that sounds too good to be true, featuring on Spotify is not enough for most artists to make a living, regardless of
the amount of exposure the platform gives them.
Most-streamed weekly tracks on Spotify in the United States as of March 25, 2021 (in million
streams)

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