Spotify says it’s a creator firm now

Spotify launched its quarterly earnings today throughout a very fraught time for the corporate. Its star podcaster, Joe Rogan, spurred a number of musicians to tug their discographies from the platform over his present’s spreading of misinformation; Spotify-employed podcasters themselves spoke out, and even the White House responded.

CEO Daniel Ek fielded questions concerning the backlash to having Rogan on the platform and stood by the corporate’s resolution to host, distribute, and monetize the present. He as a substitute tried to reframe the dialogue as one in all free speech and making Spotify a platform that may assist all audio creators make a residing, no matter their opinions.

“We’re trying to balance creative expression with the safety of our users, and of course, this is a very complicated issue,” he stated. He additionally added that it was too early to know whether or not Rogan-spurred cancellations would symbolize a considerable drawback.

He then pointed to the corporate’s promise to roll out a COVID-19 disclaimer on any podcast episode that discusses the virus, in addition to its public rollout of its content material moderation insurance policies as issues he feels “really good about.”

“I do believe they’re right for our platform,” he says, including that though Rogan is the highest podcaster in 90 markets on its platform, the corporate has “something for everyone,” together with all advertisers, which is turning into an even bigger a part of the corporate’s backside line.

Monthly energetic customers grew by 18 p.c yr over yr to 406 million, whereas paying subscribers reached 180 million. Advertising represented 15 p.c of Spotify’s income final quarter, which Ek says is encouraging the workforce to experiment with content material windowing, quite than entire exclusives, in an effort to succeed in a broader viewers.

Spotify hopes to succeed in 50 million creators, he says, who will earn a living by means of the platform. It’ll additionally proceed to put money into instruments, sources, and companies to cater to them.

“We want to be the best place for audio creators,” he stated. “We’ve only scratched the surface of the creative potential in audio.”