Spotify announced it paid over $100 million to podcast publishers and creators worldwide in the first quarter of 2025. This marks the first time the company has revealed such figures, highlighting its commitment to the creator economy.
The payments include ad revenue and revenue generated through the Spotify Partner Program, launched earlier in 2025 in select markets, offering content creators more ways to monetize their content. The Partner Program allows creators to earn a 50% share of ad revenue.
Spotify's total audience has reached 675 million, with 170 million monthly podcast listeners. The company is investing heavily in video podcasts to compete with platforms like YouTube, which has a larger podcast audience. Spotify's efforts to attract more video podcast creators have led to a 40% increase in video consumption since January 2025.