Spotify now has more than 20m subscribers, 75m active users

Spotify has released its monthly user and subscriber stats, shortly after the news of it closing a funding round came out. Though the stats release happens every now and then, Spotify’s release days after Apple Music launch, is a lot more than just stats release.

During Apple Music launch, Spotify CEO and Founder Daniel Elk respondent to the news with what has been viewed as the most important two worded tweet in history. He simply said ‘Oh ok’. Classic.

Today Spotify has announced that it has reached more than 20-million subscribers and more than 75-million active users. At the end of May 2014, the music streaming service had reached 10-million paying subscribers and 40-million active users. This is quite a big increase.

Read more: Your move Apple Music: Spotify completes new funding round

Spotify further notes that it has had 10-million subscribers in its first five and a half years, and went on to have 10-million subscribers in a single year. The 10-million subscribed users, an average of one new subscriber every three seconds over the year, is an impressive number.

The company has released a video, highlighting the great things it has done.

Spotify states that its current user subscribers and active user numbers are great for artists.

“As we grow, the amount of royalties we pay out to artists, songwriters and rights holders continues to climb faster than ever” the company said.

In the first three months of 2015 alone Spotify claims to have paid US$300-million and paid more than US$3-billion in royalties. If these numbers are indeed true, it sounds like Spotify is doing right by its artists.

The advantage that Tidal and Apple Music might have over Spotify is that unlike it they are entering an industry that is, largely because of Spotify, beginning to figure itself out. Their teething problems are issues that Spotify has had to deal with and often in public.

Take a look at what it means for four different types of artists. The blue columns show average actual payouts over the last 12 months, which started with 10 million subscribers; the green columns show our projected average payouts over the next 12 months, starting from our new baseline of 20-million paying subscribers.