Spotify reports record growth in monthly listeners, totaling to 751 million

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Spotify finished 2025 with a significant boost, adding 38 million more monthly listeners – a new record for the company.

Spotify announced strong results for the last three months of the year, revealing a significant jump in both users and paying subscribers. Monthly active users increased by 11% to reach 751 million – the largest increase ever for the company. Paid subscriptions also grew by 10%, hitting 290 million. Overall revenue climbed 7% to exceed $5.3 billion.

Last quarter was a big success for the company, largely thanks to its most popular Wrapped campaign yet. Wrapped reached 300 million users around the world and generated 630 million shares in 56 languages. Spotify also improved its platform by adding features like music videos and wider access to audiobooks, benefitting both paying and free users.

As a huge Spotify fan, it was interesting to read what their founder, Daniel Ek, shared recently. Basically, they’re not just about music anymore – they’ve created a whole platform for audio and, even bigger, for how creators like artists and podcasters connect with us, their listeners. He seems to think this broader connection is going to be really important for Spotify’s future, and honestly, I can see why!

I’m incredibly excited about the future of how we experience audio and media! It feels like we’re on the cusp of a huge change with things like AI, new ways to interact with technology, and even wearables. I believe these innovations will completely transform how we find and enjoy music, podcasts, books, videos, and everything else – even things that haven’t been invented yet! And what really inspires me is the dedication to tackling the tough challenges ahead and continuing to build the technology needed to overcome them. It’s a really promising time.

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Spotify distributed over $11 billion to artists and rights holders last year. As the service expands and subscription costs increase, they’re also planning to address issues related to artificial intelligence.

The company’s profits from its regular business activities increased by 47%, reaching $834 million. They finished the year with 7,323 full-time employees worldwide.

Okay, so here’s the deal with Spotify’s earnings, as I understand it. Their ad revenue actually dipped a bit – about 4% – and honestly, they’re saying part of that is because they couldn’t charge as much for music ads. While their podcast side is growing, mostly thanks to sponsorships, even that revenue wasn’t as strong as it could be. They’re talking about ‘optimizing’ their podcast ad space, which basically means they didn’t sell all of it, or maybe didn’t get the best rates. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, and it sounds like advertising, in general, is a little tricky for them right now.

Recently, Spotify has been investing a lot in podcasts. This includes opening a new studio in Hollywood, offering more ways for podcast creators to earn money, and partnering with Netflix to show some podcasts as videos.

Spotify announced it paid over $11 billion to the music industry last year, which the company claims is the biggest annual payout ever made by a music retailer.

Initially, when music streaming services began, there were concerns about fair payment for artists. However, the streaming company reported that independent artists and labels actually received half of all the royalty payments.

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Following recent successes – including winning a podcast award at the Golden Globes and launching a video podcast on Netflix – the music streaming service is increasing its subscription price for U.S. customers.

As a huge fan of all things audio and visual, I’ve been watching this company’s growth for years. It started back in 2006 and quickly became a major player, especially in the L.A. Arts District. Now, it’s basically the go-to streaming service worldwide. What’s really impressive is they’ve expanded beyond just music – they now boast over half a million video podcasts and audiobooks available in English, which is incredible! It’s become a real all-in-one entertainment hub.

Spotify increased its subscription price to $12.99 this month. They anticipate gaining 8 million new listeners by early 2026, reaching a total of approximately 759 million monthly users. While overall listener numbers will rise, they expect only 3 million new paid subscribers. Spotify forecasts revenue will remain steady at about $5.3 billion.

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2026-02-11 00:31