Spotify Newsletter #242

Your Weekly Dose of Spotify News

Jan 31, 2025

⭐️ Spotify Artist Payout Hits $10B in 2024

And it has paid out a collective $60 billion since its founding a decade ago.

⭐️Spotify Wins Lawsuit Over Bundling Royalties

Spotify has defeated a lawsuit from the Mechanical Licensing Collective that accused the streaming giant of unfairly cutting royalty rates as part of its audiobooks-music “bundling” option announced last year, according to Billboard. Although the MLC claimed that Spotify had “unilaterally and unlawfully” cut its music-royalty payments via the bundle, a federal judge ruled that its move was supported by “unambiguous” regulations.

⭐️ Spotify Announces New Multiyear Deal With Universal Music Group

The new publishing agreement establishes a direct license between Spotify and Universal Music Publishing Group.

⭐️ Bruno Mars Becomes First to Surpass 150M Monthly Spotify Listeners

Mars, who has not put out a solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic,” made history on the platform on the back of his hot streak of collaborative singles. “Die With a Smile,” his mid-tempo duet with Lady Gaga, has amassed nearly 1.7 billion Spotify streams since its release in Aug. 2024, becoming his ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and opening the year in the top spot months after it dropped.