Spotify\’s paid subs jump 12%

Spotify Surpasses Subscriber Milestone but Operates Below Forecast

Spotify’s operating profit for the quarter ending June fell short of its 539 million‑euro forecast, reaching 406 million euros—an increase of 52.6 percent.

Key Highlights

• Paying subscribers grew 12 percent to 276 million users.
• Monthly active users rose 11 percent year‑on‑year, totaling 696 million.
• Total revenue climbed 10.1 percent to 4.19 billion euros.
• Operating profit was 98 million euros above forecast due to higher social charges.

Daniel Ek, Spotify’s founder and CEO, emphasised the platform’s ongoing evolution: “Users come to Spotify and they stay on Spotify. By constantly evolving, we create more and more value for the almost 700 million people using our platform.”

Challenges and Industry Debate

Spotify’s below‑expectation profit announcement coincides with growing concerns about artificial‑intelligence‑generated music. Artists fear being overwhelmed by AI‑composed songs, and only Deezer currently alerts listeners when a track is entirely AI‑created. When asked by AFP in late May, Ek asserted that AI would not threaten the music industry but would instead foster creativity.