Competition in music streaming world will benefit all creators, Spotify says

Seventeen years after its founding and 600 million users later, Spotify is embracing the challenge posed by a host of music streaming platforms seeking to take a piece of the Sweden-based company’s success.

“Everybody loves this idea of Spotify versus another company and it makes for an interesting story,” said Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s chief public affairs officer. “But … creators everywhere benefit when there’s a lot of competition. Because it gets more people streaming,” Ms Jenkins told The National at the 2024 World Governments Summit in Dubai.

Apple, Amazon, YouTube and Tidal are a few of many companies seeking to capture monthly streaming fees from customers who want instant access to music and other audio content.

Ms Jenkins, however, said it is the single app-centric approach that differentiates Spotify from its competitors.

“There are some companies that look to have different apps for different use cases, but we don’t want to confuse our listeners,” she said.

That approach, she stressed, made it possible for Spotify to add more content and more value on to the app in a seamless manner that benefits both users and creators.

Ms Jenkins said Spotify has precautionary measures in place to protect musicians and content creators amid the potential problems posed by artificial intelligence.

“You can’t pretend to be someone you’re not,” she said, referring to the plethora of AI tools making it possible to duplicate voices. We’re focusing on enforcing the rules we have in place around copyright.”

Spotify, Ms Jenkins said, has long made it a point to use AI in areas that enable and help the creator. “We’re not going to say to a creator that they should or shouldn’t use AI, the creator can make that decision on their own.”

While music put Spotify on the map, in recent years the company has put a lot of resources behind the podcasting boom, forming partnerships in the Middle East and hosting events bringing together prominent podcasters. Those efforts to bolster the podcast boom show no sign of slowing down, and Ms Jenkins said the company was also excited about its recent entry into the audiobooks sector.

“This is a space that’s largely been held by one company,” she said, referring to Amazon’s Audible.

Ms Jenkins, however, noted that a lot of Spotify’s success revolved around remembering the company’s roots.

“We’re always in the realm of audio, and that’s the core of what we do,” she said.

“It was music first, then we added podcasts, and now we’re off to audiobooks, so we’ll see what comes next.”

Ms Jenkins also reflected on Spotify’s decision five years ago to open an office in Dubai. “It’s incredibly important to us,” she said. “We’ve seen an explosion of content and talent from the region.”

Spotify’s ‘single app-centric approach’ differentiates the Swedish company from its competitors