Four big music takeaways from Spotify’s earnings call

While Spotify’s Q4 earnings call focused more on podcasts, audiobooks, and bottom-line numbers than music, there were still some critical music-related takeaways.

1. Spotify is still growing, and that growth is happening overseas, particularly in Latin America. Monthly active users now surpass 602 million, including 236 paid premium subscribers. Overall, Spotify added 113 million new active users last year.
2. Spotify and the Major Labels are finally on the same page. “We feel really good about our relationships with our music partners, said CEO Daniel EK, calling them “the best” they’ve ever been. That lovefest seemingly includes the streamer’s new royalty calculations that exclude tracks with under 1000 plays per year from payments.
3. Spotify still believes in its Marketplace, which offers paid promotional opportunities to artists and labels, as an opportunity for future revenue growth.
4. Superfan Clubs, which Spotify tipped in a post earlier this month., will likely have to wait until there is a significant reduction in the cut Apple takes of in-app purchases. According to EK, without a change, this kind of creator monetization would be unprofitable.

MORE: Spotify passes 602 Million Monthly Active Users

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.