
In an all-around unforgettable year, 2021 was an especially notable one for Spotify. We're excited about what we've delivered for creators and listeners alike across new features, innovations, and collaborations. As the year comes to a close, we are taking a moment to look back on some of the advances we've made over the past 365 days.
More listeners in more places We have more listeners than ever. As we announced in our Q3 2021 earnings, as of September 2021, Spotify had increased the number of monthly active users and subscribers on the platform by 19% compared to 2020*. This year, we also doubled our global footprint by expanding into 92 new markets, bringing our total to 184 markets globally. New countries on our roster include South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and many more across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America. This continued expansion means that the music and voices of more people, places, and cultures can be shared with listeners around the world.
Podcasting for all At Spotify, we believe that podcasting provides a massive opportunity for creators to entertain, inspire, and inform people across the globe. According to Edison Research and our own internal data, we recently surpassed both Apple and YouTube in the U.S.-the largest podcast market globally-to become the number one podcast platform listeners say they use the most.
The appetite for podcasts has grown among listeners, and we are answering that demand with a catalog that includes 3.2 million titles*. That's 68% more podcasts (as of September 2021) than were on the platform in 2020. Through November of this year, we launched over 400 new O&E podcasts globally, and throughout the year we signed numerous podcast deals and entered into podcast partnerships with some of the world's biggest creators and beloved entertainment brands like Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert, The Joe Rogan Experience (the number one podcast in the world), and Bad Robot. But our passion for podcasts isn't limited to the U.S. This year, we expanded podcasts into more than 80 markets, including Russia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Expanding the possibilities for advertising When we reported earnings in October, we announced that ad revenue had increased 75% year over year. And in November, we surpassed 1 billion euro in annual ad revenue for the first time. New opportunities were created for advertisers with the launch of the Spotify Audience Network, our first-of-its-kind audio advertising marketplace that enables advertisers to connect with listeners enjoying a broad range of music and podcast content. Advertisers now have a way to reach and target audiences listening to Spotify Original & Exclusive podcasts, as well as third-party podcasts from enterprise publishers via Megaphone and Anchor creators. We've also introduced podcast ad buying to Spotify Ad Studio, our self-serve ad channel that makes it easy for advertisers of all sizes to reach podcast listeners.
Supporting both established and breakthrough artists With over 380 million listeners on the platform, there's a large audience for artists to share their new releases with. The increase in subscribers has led to many major artists, like Drake and Adele, across various genres breaking Spotify records throughout the year.
Spotify has also continued efforts to support up-and-coming artists. We expanded our exclusive offerings with Spotify Singles (including Pride, BNA, Latinx Heritage Month, Are & Be, mint, and Holiday programs) and Spotify x Electric Lady live EPs. We're supporting artists at all levels through programs like Fresh Finds (for independent artists), RADAR (for global emerging artists), EQUAL (which fosters equity for women in music globally) and Billions Club.
But those aren't the only ways we are pushing the industry when it comes to artists. We also launched Loud & Clear to increase transparency by sharing new data on the global streaming economy. And we expanded our Charts feature to include artist, genre, and local charts. This allows artists and listeners to dive even deeper into the data.
Inspiring and enabling creation In order to be the best audio network, we know we need to provide the best-in-class experience and content for our listeners. This means new features and new opportunities for creators to connect with their fans. We launched Spotify Greenroom, adding live audio as part of Spotify's ecosystem and providing yet another opportunity for creators of all types to connect with their fans more deeply and meaningfully. In November we announced the acquisition of Findaway, the global leader in digital audiobook distribution, to accelerate our presence in the audiobook space. We also introduced Spotify Open Access, which allows listeners to hear third-party content on Spotify. Finally, we partnered with beloved brands like Peloton, Netflix, and Delta to bring exclusive experiences and curated playlists to our listeners.
Personalized tools for listeners One thing that makes Spotify stand out is our knack for giving each listener a unique experience they can't get anywhere else. We've continued to invest in personalization by bringing listeners new features like our Only You campaign, Spotify Mixes, and an all-new personalized feature called Blend. In 2019, Spotify launched Daily Drive, and now it has expanded to 11 new markets, bringing the very best of news talk shows and audio streaming to even more users around the world. In September, we announced a new feature for Spotify Premium users called Enhance, which provides listeners with personalized recommendations to create playlists with ease. Late this year we also launched Lyrics, a long-requested feature that brings song lyrics to life through in-app access across the majority of our extensive library of tracks. Finally, we acquired Pod
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...