Breaking Down Spotify’s Most Impressive Statistics

Step into the world of music and numbers as we embark on a journey through Spotify’s statistics, where the rhythm of global influence and user engagement harmonize in extraordinary ways.

Spotify Stats: Key Takeaways

• Spotify’s MAUs reach 551 million people.
• Spotify’s premium subscriber count is also rising, reaching 220 million users.
• The company has reported strong revenue numbers of $6 billion.
• Spotify commands nearly 31% of the global streaming market.
• The platform has a defined pay-per-stream rate between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream.
• Spotify has a vast library of 5 million podcast titles.
• The platform offers an impressive 4 billion playlists.
• Spotify is currently available in 184 countries.
• The Weeknd leads as the most-streamed artist on the platform, with over 100 million monthly listeners.
• Ed Sheeran leads the top artists with the most followers.
• The song “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd holds the record for the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify.

Spotify Monthly Active Users

Based on verified figures (Spotify Shareholder Deck), Spotify recorded 551 million monthly active users in the first quarter of 2023, above 21 million compared to guidance, marking a year-over-year growth of 27%.

As Spotify expands into new markets and invests in additional content types like podcasts, the MAU count is expected to rise. New partnerships, features, and exclusive releases can also significantly impact this number. 

According to projections shared in the Q2 2023 shareholder letter, Spotify expects to reach 572 million monthly active users by the close of the second quarter 2023.

To be more specific about the gradual growth, here is a breakdown of the quarterly MAU growth of Spotify in the last five years, from 2019 to 2023.

Source: Statista

Distribution Of Spotify’s Monthly Active Users By Region

Spotify enjoys widespread global acclaim, with a diverse user base spanning multiple geographical areas.

With 29% of Spotify’s MAUs, Europe is the largest market for the company. This likely reflects the company’s Swedish origins and early success in European markets. Europe’s relatively high internet connectivity and smartphone penetration might also be contributing factors.

Following Europe, Latin America contributes 21% of the MAUs. This may suggest that Spotify’s freemium model and localized content offerings resonate well with users in this region. High engagement rates could be fueling growth here.

Narrowly trailed by Latin America, which accounts for 20% of MAUs, North America is another significant market for Spotify. Given the strong competition from other services like Apple Music and Amazon Music, holding a fifth of the user base is a significant achievement.

The rest of the world, at 30%, is intriguing because it represents a broad range of countries and cultures, likely including Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This diverse user base offers fertile ground for growth, provided that Spotify can navigate each market’s unique challenges and opportunities.

Spotify Premium Subscribers

The number of premium subscribers directly indicates Spotify’s primary revenue stream.

Globally, Spotify boasts 220 million subscribers who have opted for the Premium service, above the guidance of 3 million users, marking a 17% increase compared to the previous year. Looking ahead, the company projects a rise in its premium user base to 244 million by the close of the third quarter of 2023.

Below is an overview of the growth trajectory of Spotify’s Premium subscribers from the year 2019 through 2023.

Source: Statista

Spotify Revenue

According to the official statistics, the total revenue for Q2 2023 was €3.177 billion, which is significant when considered alongside the €3.042 billion in revenue for Q1 2023. That’s an increase of approximately 4.4% quarter-over-quarter. 

Compared to the yearly revenue of €11.727 billion in 2022, the first two quarters of 2023 alone have already generated €6.219 billion. This indicates a robust year-over-year growth rate of about 14% for Q1 and a continued positive trend.

The platform’s financial officer forecasts reaching €3.3 billion in total revenue in the third quarter of this year.

Below is an in-depth statistic of Spotify’s revenue spanning from 2013 through 2023.

Source: Statista

Revenue Through Premium Subscribers

The revenue from premium subscribers has grown by 14% year-over-year to €2,713 million in Q1 2023 and to €2.773 billion in Q2 2023. This uptick shows sustained growth and aligns well with the company’s overall revenue performance.

The total for the first half of 2023 alone, €5.486 billion, already represents a substantial portion of the €10.25 billion generated in 2022.

However, the ARPU has declined by 6% year-over-year to €4.27. When adjusted for constant currency, the decline is 3%. This dip suggests that while Spotify is adding more premium subscribers, the revenue from each user is slightly diminishing.

Spotify’s premium revenue segment is robust with significant year-over-year growth, but there are nuances like a declining ARPU that need to be addressed to ensure long-term financial health.

Revenue Through Advertising

Ad-supported revenue saw a substantial 17% year-over-year growth to €329 million in Q1 2023 and climbed to €404 million in Q2. The total ad-supported revenue for the first half of 2023 is €733 million, showing a strong upward trend.

The network showed double-digit quarter-over-quarter growth in participating advertisers and publishers and high single-digit growth in shows. When adjusted for constant currency, the growth is 15% year-over-year.

While music advertising revenue grew at a moderate single-digit rate, podcast advertising soared, growing more than 30% year-over-year. This highlights the increasing importance of podcasts as a revenue stream for Spotify.

Spotify Market Share

The 2023 IMS Business Report shows that Spotify holds 30.5% of the music streaming industry’s market share, more than twice as significant as Apple Music’s (13.7%).

Source: IMS Bussiness Report 2023

Although Spotify still commands over 30% of the music streaming market, its share has declined since 2018, when it held 42.7%. By 2021, that figure would have dropped to 32%.

A quick look at the market share of Spotify over nine years, from 2015 to Q2 2023

How Much Does Spotify Pay Artists Per Stream?

Spotify’s payout per stream ranges between $0.003 and $0.005. While these numbers may appear small at first glance, they can accumulate significantly for artists with high numbers of streams. However, for emerging artists or those with less visibility, these figures mean that substantial streams are required to generate meaningful revenue.

A streaming calculator estimates that you’d need over 280,000 streams on Spotify to earn $1,000, a target that might appear daunting for emerging artists. In contrast, achieving the same earnings on Apple Music would require roughly half as many streams.

Spotify Data Use

Typically, Spotify users spend about 25 hours each month listening to music on the platform. Using just 1 GB of a monthly data plan is generally sufficient for running the Spotify app, but this only accounts for music streaming. Other activities within the app would consume additional data.

Spotify offers a range of sound quality settings to accommodate different devices, subscription types, and user preferences. Below is the data usage associated with each audio quality level.

Spotify Podcast Statistics

Starting with a humble collection of 180,000 episodes, Spotify’s podcast library has grown exponentially to include over 5 million podcast titles and 100,000 video podcasts.

In the United States, Spotify ranks second among podcast platforms, capturing 40% of regular podcast listeners.

Despite Spotify’s larger podcast collection, Apple Podcasts remains a major contender in podcast streaming due to its widespread use on iOS devices globally. People often use Apple Podcasts to listen to their favorite shows, solidifying its position as the second-most popular podcast platform.

Most Popular Podcasts On Spotify

With an average of about 11 million listeners per episode, “The Joe Rogan Experience” is the world’s most popular podcast among all Spotify podcasts in the US. In addition to its massive popularity, the show has a long history, boasting more than 2,000 episodes recorded so far. 

Here are the top 5 Spotify podcasts in the world. 

Most Popular Podcast Genres On Spotify

According to global listening data, the “Society & Culture” category claims the top spot as the most frequently listened-to podcast genre on Spotify.

Here’s a rundown of the five leading podcast genres that captivate Spotify’s international audience:

• Society & Culture
• Comedy
• Lifestyle & Health
• Arts & Entertainment
• Education

Spotify Video Podcast Statistics

As of March this year, Spotify reported having 70,000 video podcasts, which soared to over 100,000 by July 5, 2023, underscoring the rapidly growing demand for this format.

The countries leading in video podcast production on Spotify are the United States, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

In the Philippines, the allure of video podcasts is rapidly increasing, now making up more than 50% of all podcast consumption in the country.

Spotify Availability

Spotify’s services are accessible across a wide geographical range, including the majority of European countries, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania, cumulatively reaching 184 markets.

A significant portion of its user base and revenue predominantly stems from the United States and Europe, making up approximately 53% of its users and contributing to 67% of its total revenue.

Between 2018 and 2022, Spotify extended its services to 121 new countries. Even more striking is that, since 2020, the platform has expanded to over 84 additional countries, indicating a rapid pace of international growth.

This expansive reach underscores Spotify’s ambition to dominate the global music streaming market and its success in entering diverse markets worldwide.

How Many Spotify Playlists Are There?

Spotify boasts an extensive collection of around 4 billion playlists that span a wide array of genres. A small but significant fraction of these, over 3,000 to be exact, are officially curated by Spotify itself.

The platform has shown remarkable growth in this aspect; in 2020 alone, it added over 1 billion new playlists to its library. This underlines user engagement and the company’s proactive efforts to offer diverse curated musical experiences.

Most Popular Playlists on Spotify

Spotify’s most popular playlists exhibit a blend of personalization and genre specialization. Specifically, half of Spotify’s top 20 most-followed playlists are personalized, tailoring their content to the user’s individual tastes.

When it comes to genres, pop music reigns supreme, accounting for 50% of these top 20 playlists. Both pop and Latin music combined make up 10% of the total playlist popularity across the platform.

Regarding track freshness, a substantial 70% of Spotify’s top 20 most-followed playlists primarily feature new tracks. This suggests a focus on introducing listeners to recent releases. On the other hand, the remaining 30% of these top playlists have a smaller proportion of new tracks, offering a more diverse age range of music.

A rundown of the 20 most popular Spotify playlists, based on follower counts, as of 2023.

How Many Tracks Are Available On Spotify?

Spotify boasts a massive library of over 100 million songs as of 2023. The platform is on track to add an estimated 22 million new songs by the end of this year.

Most Popular Artists on Spotify by Monthly Listeners

In September 2023, The Weeknd leads as the artist with the most monthly listeners on Spotify, hailing from Canada. On the other hand, Taylor Swift stands as the top female artist in terms of monthly listeners. 

Both have set a record by being the first artists to exceed 100 million monthly listeners on the platform.

Top 10 Spotify Popular Artists by monthly listeners

Most Popular Artists on Spotify by Follower Count

In September 2023, Ed Sheeran held the title of the most-followed artist on Spotify, and Ariana Grande claimed the spot as the most-followed female artist on the platform.

Top 10 Spotify artists with the highest followers

Most Streamed Songs on Spotify

As of September 2023, The Weeknd’s hit single ‘Blinding Lights’ holds the record for the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify, boasting 3.764 billion streams. 

Top 10 most streamed songs on Spotify

Spotify’s Workforce

The over 60% increase since 2019 indicates that the company has been on a strong growth trajectory in the long term. This could reflect an expansion of business lines, increased market share, or a greater demand for Spotify’s services.

The growth in the number of Spotify employees from 2011 to 2023:

2023 Highlights

Let’s take a quick look at what makes Spotify stand out in the first half of 2023

Audio network:

• Spotify rolled out its highly requested AI DJ feature to Premium users in the UK and Ireland.
• The platform added 11 new languages and dialects on mobile, increasing the total number of supported languages to 74.
• Spotify revamped the desktop experience with a new look for the ‘Your Library’ and ‘Now Playing’ views, offering users quicker access to their favorite content.
• The company launched a free global measurement and reporting service for brands and agencies.

Podcasting: 

• Spotify expanded its video podcast offerings from 70,000 in March 2023 to over 100,000, deepening global user engagement.
• Spotify introduced new technology for Megaphone publishers.

Music: 

• The album “GENESIS” by Peso Pluma set a new record for the most-streamed Musica Mexicana album a week after its release on June 23rd.
• Loreen’s song “Tattoo” garnered over 60 million global streams on Spotify by the Eurovision competition finale.

How Can You Check Your Personal Spotify Stats (Newest Guide)

Accessing these statistics on the Spotify app is straightforward, thanks to a user-friendly, step-by-step guide.

1. Log into the Spotify app
2. Go to the ‘Search’ section
3. Navigate to ‘Made For You’ to view personalized stats about your listening habits, including frequently listened-to songs, genres, and artists. 
4. Explore curated playlists like ‘Daily Mixes’ and ‘Release Radar,’ and check out ‘On Repeat’ and ‘Repeat Rewind’ for detailed statistics on your favorite tracks.