Right after calling Universal ‘music’s most ground breaking company’, now Spotify says UMG is ‘willing to lean in additional aggressively’ than its rivals to SPOT’s marketing and advertising tools

When Spotify introduced a multi-yr, global licensing offer with Common Songs Team in July, the streaming system boldly referred to UMG in an official press launch as “music’s most ground breaking company” – a declare that raised a couple eyebrows in the other two thirds of Big Label Land.

It was explained in that push launch that, as part of the agreement, UMG would “deepen its foremost job as an early adopter of long term items and offer worthwhile responses to Spotify’s growth team”.

Spotify Chairman & CEO Daniel Ek reported at the time that “from [UMG’s] early experimentation with Marquee, to tests new experiences like Canvas, Common Audio Team has been an essential companion in encouraging to shape the progress of our marketing equipment.”

The definition of “marketing tools” in this article is all important. Marquee, for instance, is a attribute that enables labels to encourage new releases by using compensated-for marketing pop-ups on the platform.

Spotify offers that 20% of its users who see a Marquee advertisement subsequently stream the release that advert is marketing inside of two weeks.

It could be argued, as a result, that in the hotly-contested world of key (and large indie) labels, expending income on Spotify Marquee advertisements could right aid a corporation raise their streaming quantity, and for that reason, their streaming market place share.

And certainly the extra aggressively people labels shell out, the bigger the sector share gains they’re most likely to see.

Conversely, it could also therefore be argued that those people labels who never splash the hard cash aggressively on Spotify’s advert formats stand to drop out on market share.

Earlier this thirty day period Spotify released yet another “marketing tool” in the firm’s so-named “two-sided marketplace” method – ‘Discovery Mode’ – which lets report labels to flag tracks that are a unique priority for them.

This flagging then influences the selection of songs that Spotify’s algorithm picks out for listeners’ personalised Autoplay and Radio feeds.

Artists and labels are not essential to pay anything at all upfront for this, but by opting in, they concur to becoming paid out a lower recording royalty level for streams performed in individuals customized classes (in Radio and Autoplay).

As soon as once more, by agreeing to monetarily advantage Spotify (in this scenario by using reduced royalties), labels can arguably acquire their way to increased streaming volumes (so prolonged as individuals actually like the music they are pushing).


This all qualified prospects to an exciting remark place forth by Spotify CFO, Paul Vogel, yesterday (November 17) at the RBC Cash Markets World wide Engineering, Online, Media and Telecommunications Convention.

Vogel was quizzed by RBC analysis analyst Mark Mahaney about Spotify’s “two-sided marketplace” strategy. Mahaney pointed out particulars from that UMG offer announcement, while inquiring “what’s preventing other labels from participating” additional strongly in Spotify’s B2B advertising and marketing equipment alongside Universal.

Vogel answered thatthere is nothing avoiding the other labels from [participating]”. He then spelled out: “The simple fact that we explicitly termed out Universal does not mean we haven’t at situations worked with the other labels and experimented with them as perfectly.”

“The exceptional issue about Universal is that since they’re ready to lean in more aggressively, they’re in the space functioning with us a lot more to assistance determine out which solutions are functioning and which items they really want to lean into from a merchandise and a development standpoint… Our hope and expectation will be that other labels, both the large ones [and] compact kinds will lean in more aggressively in excess of time.”

Paul Vogel, Spotify

Vogel then included: “The special point about Universal is that because they are willing to lean in far more aggressively, they’re in the area doing work with us a lot more to help determine out which goods are functioning and which factors they seriously want to lean into from a products and a progress standpoint.

“We imagine that the applications that we have will be additive to everyone in the ecosystem. It’ll just take some time for some people recognize precisely what that indicates, how it can profit them and we’ll transfer forward.

“So, we’re tremendous thrilled that Universal has leaned in. Our hope and expectation will be that other labels, both of those the major ones [and] small ones will lean in much more aggressively in excess of time. And we have experienced successes each at the major labels and the independents. That is wherever that one particular stands.”


Somewhere else in the interview, Mahaney questioned Vogel about Spotify’s subscription gross margins and the place he thinks they “can go extensive-term”.

Explained Vogel: “We feel about gross margins [on] a consolidated basis. As a lot of men and women know, the complete price tag of the podcasting business enterprise, the brunt of that is impacting the advertising and marketing gross margin and not the top quality gross margin.

“There’s certainly a gain from a retention standpoint and a conversion standpoint on the top quality business, even while from a financial viewpoint, we account for all in advertising and marketing.”

Vogel pointed out that on a consolidated basis, Spotify’s gross margin at the moment sits at someplace all over 25%.

“We’re optimistic about the two-sided market and the alternatives there from a monetization standpoint and its profit to gross margin.”

He continued: “The question is how are we going to get it increased? We have a few of avenues to do it. Marketing development in normal is a person. Both equally on podcasting in common where by as I reported previously, the design could be a minimal distinctive.

He extra: “Two, promotion [in] some markets the place we seriously are underneath-monetize… we truly choose a little margin strike in some markets wherever we never deliver more than enough promoting. So, just developing advertising in some of all those marketplaces would genuinely advantage gross margin.”

He ongoing: “We’re optimistic about the two-sided market and the possibilities there from a monetization standpoint and its profit to gross margin.”


Vogel was also requested about how Spotify monetizes its podcast use. He talked about how SPOT’s the latest $235 million Megaphone offer will help the company  greater monetize podcast use likely ahead.

Vogel explained that “the additional podcasts improve, the a lot more advert stock there is to sell across podcasts. From a enterprise point of view in excess of the very long-expression, it’s a whole lot far more preset cost content material, which is terrific for us”.

He continued: “As we develop it, we’ll have the ability to improve promoting on top of a various form of price structure, which is definitely appealing to us. It’s seriously about, from 1 side, what is the over-all bucket of cost we’re going to invest and what is the promoting income? That’s the clear side.

“The next aspect is…what does it basically do for a consumer expansion? What does it do for subscriber advancement? How does it assistance with retention? How does it help with engagement? Individuals are all the issues that we’re doing the job to observe appropriate now, and to understand the worth of just about every piece of material we put on the platform.”

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