Spotify Newsletter #245

Your Weekly Dose of Spotify News

Feb 28, 2025

⭐️ Spotify fights back: Think that artists aren’t getting enough cash? Spotify says there's a good reason for that

After a stream of anti-Spotify sentiment, the supersized streaming service wants to set the record straight.

⭐️ Spotify HiFi was announced four years ago, and it’s almost here — maybe

The streaming service is locking down the necessary deals to finally launch its Music Pro add-on in 2025. Hopefully.

⭐️ Spotify is profitable: Why it took so long

Spotify is profitable, but it wasn’t by chance. Aggressive growth strategies and new royalty deals are gave the platform more power over the music industry.

⭐️ What does the future of Spotify’s ad business look like?

Spotify may still be experimenting with the best path for advertising, but that doesn’t mean marketers should tune out.

⭐️ Snoop Dogg gets Tune·fm deal but Spotify questions his royalty claims

“We can’t speak to endorsement deals for Web3 companies but … $45K for a billion streams? It’s well documented that a billion streams on Spotify generates millions of dollars to rights holders,” its spokesperson told TMZ.

⭐️ Pantera Presale Tickets Hit Spotify As Superfan Tier Takes Shape

Pantera is the latest artist to launch a Spotify-exclusive “Fans First” ticket presale. That’s free for now, though it raises an interesting question: down the line, will diehard supporters have to pay for early access under the ‘Super-Premium’ tier?

🗣 Podcasts

▶️ Playlists

🎧 Streams

🤖 AI

Spotify Looks to Expand AI-Narrated Audiobooks On Its Platform

💡 Tips

How to Get Playlisted on Spotify And Get Your Music Heard

🔥 News

🎵 New Adventures

Roberta Flack, Virtuoso Singer-Pianist, Dies at 88

Legendary pop/R&B vocalist Roberta Flack, who was launched to stardom in the early ’70s by the Grammy-winning hits “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” has died, according to a statement from her rep. No cause of death was cited; she was 88.

The classically trained singer-pianist only belatedly found fame when Clint Eastwood employed her 2-year-old version of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” in his 1971 directorial debut “Play Misty for Me.”