Yesterday’s Observer had an interesting piece on Spotify that included a little more substance about whether or not Spotify is making money.
I tried to find out as much as I could about Spotify ahead of Radio at the Edge a few weeks ago, and put everything I determine into a short video.
As I said at the time, there are conflicting numbers published about Spotify which can muddy the waters a bit, but yesterday’s Observer piece cuts through them as best as anybody can. The Swedish news that Lady Gaga’s Poker Face only earned around £100 from Spotify in that country.
The most interesting information comes from Rob Wells at Universal who explains that although record companies have a stake in Spotify, it doesn’t get better terms as a result. Moreover:

And the revenues are flowing, he stresses. In revenue terms, Spotify Sweden is now Universal Music Group International’s eighth largest business partner, out of 1,400. “Watch this space. Those guys are absolutely on fire, you are going to see some amazing developments over the next three to six months.”