Spotify- Grant Nygaard

Grant Nygaard

 

Headquarters (1)

Research & Development

Spotify AB
Birger Jarlsgatan 61, 10tr
113 56 Stockholm
Sweden
556786-5729

Main Headquarters

Spotify Ltd.
4th Floor
25 Argyll Street
London W1F 7TU
United Kingdom

USA Headquarters

Spotify USA Inc
45 W. 18th Street
7th Floor
New York, NY 10011
USA

http://www.spotify.com/


Key Executives (2)

Barry McCarthy- Chief Financial Officer

Daniel Ek: CEO & Co-Founder

Daniel Ek: CEO & Co-Founder

Martin Lorentzon- Co-Founder and Chairman of The Board

Steve Savoca-Head of Content

Steve Savoca-Head of Content

Gustav Söderström- Chief Product Officer


Overview (Clip courtesy of Vimeo)

Spotify is a commercial music streaming service based in Stockholm, Sweden that provides licensed, label-approved content to consumers using a “freemium” business model (4). Launched in October, 2008 by Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, the privately held company has amassed over 75 million users in just 7 years, 20 million of which subscribe to the premium service (3).  Available on Mac, Windows, smartphones, tablets, and Smart TV’s, Spotify revolutionized how users could access the world’s music from any platform. By providing a cost-effective, accessible alternative to piracy, Spotify has changed the landscape of engaging with music content.


Financial Information and Revenue Model

Spotify is a privately held and funded company that has no plans of going public as of now, but they have CFO Barry McCarthy on the board, who helped make Netflix a public company, so that may change in the near future (5). Currently valued at more than 8 billion, Spotify is essentially worth more than the entire recording industry combined, which is around 7 billion (6). In terms of a revenue model, Spotify employs the “freemium” approach, which means that the basic service is free with

advertising interruptions, but users can pay $9.99 per month for an ad-free service that can be accessed offline (4). Also, there is an option for college students to access the premium service for $4.99 a month, making the service extremely

attractive to advertisers looking to target a younger demographic (4). When it comes to paying royalties back to label and music providers, Spotify pays rights holders 70% of all revenue generated.  Royalty payment amounts are based on individual deals that factor in country, artist, and the amount of premium users (4).


Interface

 

An example of Spotify's desktop interface.

An example of Spotify’s desktop interface. (Provided by Spotify)

An Example of Spotify's Mobile Interface.

An Example of Spotify’s Mobile Interface. (Provided by Spotify)


 

Streaming Wars: A Market Fragments

From its release in the U.S, Spotify had dominated the music streaming market with little to no resistance. However, several competitors have begun to pop up, making the market more fragmented than ever. The most notable of these competitors is the recently released Apple Music, which currently boasts close to 15 million subscribers, 6.5

A new competitor has popped up trying to establish market share. Apple Music Logo

of which are paid users of the premium service (6). While this remains a fraction of Spotify’s number, it still is notable due to the fact that the service is less than a year old, and offered a free 3 month premium trial to anyone who signed up. To compete against this, Spotify announced its own trial period, offering 3 months of premium access for just 99 cents (7) .

Another reason Apple was able to grab a share of the market so quickly was its focus on artist-generated content and live curated radio by popular DJs on their “Beats Radio 1” Platform. Boasting celebrity DJs such as Drake and Pharrell Williams to host live shows and create curated content, Apple has been able to get users excited by having exclusive mixes created by artists (8). In response to Beats 1, Spotify has created “In Residence,” a series of podcast playlists curated by the likes of former Sex Pistol Steve Jones and alternative rock band Jungle (9). Although they lack the live component of Beats 1, Spotify hopes to expand this feature to more artists aimed a younger demographic.


 

Personal Curation 

Also in the realm of curated content to compete with Apple, Spotify has scored a hit with its new “Discover Weekly” feature. Launched this quarter, the new addition creates

Spotify has become the most popular streaming service worldwide.

Spotify has become the most popular streaming service worldwide. Courtesy of App Annie

customized 2-hour playlists for users each week based on listening history and habits. Having accumulated 1.7 billion streams since launch, Spotify’s head of product Matt Ogle said the feature has, “Exceeded our expectations.” (10)  This suggestion/discovery model is another reason Spotify has usurped the throne of most popular streaming service from Pandora, the internet radio service, this quarter (11) .

Examples like these show how, even in an evolving market, Spotify has found ways to stay on top when it comes to music streaming through new ways for users to engage with music. This yields results, as they are now able to dominate globally.


 

Spotify and Artists: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

This past semester, Spotify has had both positive and questionable interactions with content creators. Here are some notable ones:

The Good: The “Year in Music” (12)

On November 30th, Spotify released its annual “Year in Music” figures to the public, showcasing how Spotify numbers have become a legitimate measurement for success in the industry, and how it can be extremely beneficial for exposing music to a large audience.

In 2015, Spotify users streamed over 20 Billion hours of music across all platforms. Within those 20 billion hours, rapper Drake was the most popular, with 1.6 billion streams and 46 million unique listeners, showing how Spotify has helped his music reach a massive audience. Also, Major Lazer’s track, “Lean On” was named the most streamed track ever, with 540 million plays overall worldwide. Justin Bieber also broke records with his new album “Purpose,” getting 36 million streams on November 13th, the day it was released (available for streaming via Spotify below). These numbers show the power streaming can give the artist, as getting 36 million plays the first day an album was released was virtually impossible in the days of solely physical releases.

The Bad: Adele and 25 Absent on Spotify (13) 

Although numbers for streaming are higher than ever, the projected highest-selling album of the year, English songstress Adele’s “25”, was not put up for streaming on Spotify at

Adele isn’t Spotify’s biggest fan. Courtesy of XL Recordings

her request. Having sold over 4 million copies in the US alone, the album is breaking sales records in an era where album sales are at their lowest point in history. This album would have surely boosted streaming numbers for Spotify and boosted ad sales to target free users. When asked about the lack of streaming for “25”, Adele said, “It probably is the

future, but, eh,” showing her lack of enthusiasm towards the method. To make matters worse, Pandora has exclusive rights to the album, putting the potential revenue in a competitor’s hands.

The Ugly: Victory Records Controversy (14) 

The catalog of indie rock label Victory was pulled off of Spotify after the company inquired with Spotify about inadequate royalty payments. This practice of taking catalogs off the service is ugly because it sets a dangerous precedent for indie labels in a streaming

Victory Records Logo. Courtesy of Victory

climate, who may not have as much leverage to negotiate with Spotify as a major label like UMG would. Marginalizing independent music on Spotify would hurt not only the artists, but create an environment where conglomerates make all decisions.

Hopefully Spotify could expand on positive artist relations while attempting to help others be more comfortable with streaming in the future.


Overview

Spotify has had a tumultuous but overall successful few months, as they navigated an evolving, fragmenting market successfully and have become the de facto music streaming service around the globe. It will be interesting to see how they can deal with a rising Apple Music and recent backlash over royalties and label agreements while still engaging users with curated and personalized content.


Sources

(1) Spotify About Us

(2) Bloomberg Business Company Overview of Spotify

(3) Time Magazine What is Spotify?

(4) Spotify Artists Spotify Explained

(5) Huffington Post Spotify Just Hired The Man Who Took Netflix Public

(6) Digital Music News Spotify now Worth More Than Entire Recording Industry

(6) Wall Street Journal  Apple Music Now has 15 Million Users

(7) Spotify Premium for 99 Cents

(8) BBC Beats 1 Radio Hosts

(9) NME Spotify Introduces “In Residence”

(10) Time Here’s The Story Behind Spotify’s Coolest Feature

(11) Radio and Music Spotify Becomes World’s go-to Streaming Service

(12) Billboard Spotify’s Year in Music

(13) The Verge Adele Admits Streaming is Probably The Future, Still Doesn’t Care

(14) Rolling Stone Spotify Drops Victory Records Catalog Over Disputed Royalties

Sirius XM Radio

by Andrew Spalter
sirius-xm_logo_224

Courtesy of Consumer Affairs [1]

Seriously, what is Sirius XM [2]?  

Sirius XM is a commercial-free listening service that is always in your grasp.  Whether it be by smartphone, tablet, computer, home, or even car, you can always listen to Sirius XM radio within Wifi or Cellular range.  The channels consist of every genre, play-by-play sports, news and talk, and the biggest/hottest entertainment, 24/7.

Sirius XM has over 175+ channels that range from every genre of music to some of the most listened to entertainment channels in the world, including the wildcard, Howard Stern [3].  With over 26 million subscribers [4] Sirius is one of the largest most subscribed to Music Streaming/Radio service.

sirius_xm_channel_lineup_starting_may_4_2011

Courtesy of Maple Crest for Lincoln Union [5]

Who is in Charge [6] Here?

trustee-james-meyer

James E. Meyer (CEO) -Courtesy of SBU.edu [7]

MV5BODkyOTYxMjA1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTI0OTIz._V1_SY317_CR9,0,214,317_AL_

Scott Greenstein (President & Chief Content Officer) -Courtesy of IMBD.com [8]

photo3

Dara Altman (Left) (Executive VP & Chief Administrative Officer) -Courtesy of New York Social Diary [9]

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Patrick L. Donnelly (Executive VP & General Counsel) -Courtesy of Pli.edu [10]

Sirius XM’s Financials [11]

Closing the previous weekend, Sirius XM (SIRI) [12] is trading at $3.63.  Since Sirius XM is a publicly traded company, their total company revenue has sky rocketed the past few years.  Going from a $3 Billion revenue to closing at a $3.8 Billion revenue last year. Sirius XM is the largest radio broadcaster [4] and their revenue stream comes from their 26.7 million subscribers.  A large amount of their 26.7 million subscribers comes from their vast array of listening devices that their service can be installed on.  Everything from a smartphone to a car has the ability to obtain Sirius XM.  Along with their multiple ways to be listened to, they have a huge range of genres and entertainment stations including, Howard Stern, Oprah, Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra, and Tiesto.

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 3.03.05 AM

-Courtesy of Google Search [13]

Competitors?  Who? [14]

Who can compete with a company this large and with fans this loyal and committed into yearly contracts?  Not many in fact.  Companies such as Pandora [15], or Apple/iTunes [16] (radio), Spotify (Radio) [17], etc., are the closest competitors to Sirius XM.  The reason that these particular apps/companies are competitors is due to the fact that you can pay for their radio service.  These companies that are competitors to that of Sirius XM are extremely different due to the fact that you cannot instal those streaming services in your car [18] or home.  Although, now with new technology you are able to store the application version of these companies into your car, home, phone, and tablet.  They are slowly approaching that of the power of Sirius XM, but slowly.

History of Sirius XM

 Before Sirius XM was Sirius XM there was a Sirius Radio and a XM Radio, separately.  In July of 2008 Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio announced that they had completed their merger [19].

sirius xm

Courtesy of Toplessactions.com [20]

Since then the companies have been called Sirius XM radio and instead of mainly cars only offering Sirius, or XM radio, they offer Sirius XM radio.  Before the huge merge, in 2000 the FCC allowed satellite radio to be deployed, thus the launch of three satellites [21] into orbit from Kazakhstan in July.  Soon after that Sirius secured partnerships with Chrysler, Ford, and BMW and in 2002 they launched the initial phase of its service in the cities of Denver, Houston, Phoenix, and Jackson, MS [22] in February of 2002, then in July Sirius spread nationwide.

Where can YOU find Sirius XM?

With Sirius covering of 3,717,792 [23] square miles of coast to coast coverage, and with a reach of 200 miles off shore, Sirius XM goes where you go.  The satellite radio service can be found in vehicles built by GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Hyundai, Honda, Nissan, Audi, and Volkswagen [24].

Screen Shot 2014-12-01 at 4.23.45 PM

Courtesy of Siriusxm.com [25]

Not only can you find the satellite radio in 11 car companies but you can listen to the service in your car, home, boat, plane, business, or even on the go from your Smartphone, Tablet, and Computer.  Other places that are capable of playing from Sirius XM are Android devices, the Kindle Fire, Blu-ray & Media Players, Home Audio, Custom Audio, and Smart TV’s. [26]

What’s Happening at Sirius XM, What Can You Expect?

Recently you may have heard that Sirius XM and their competitor Pandora have been slammed with a series of lawsuits over older recordings.  The reason beyond these lawsuits is due to the fact that neither company pays record labels or artists for songs that were recorded before the year 1972.  This was due to the copyright protection that was first applied to recordings via Federal copyright protection [27].

11504080_s

Courtesy of Bloggless.com [28]

Overall both companies lost their lawsuits but this is a big awakening and a step forward for music subscription via satellite.  When one door closes another one opens and due to these lawsuits Sirius XM will be paying artists and labels appropriately, creating lasting business relationships.

Upcoming News/Numbers

Contrary to popular belief, Sirius XM was not always so profitable.  Only a few months after their merger in 2008, Sirius was on the cusp of declaring bankruptcy but with the help of a $530 million loan from Liberty Media in 2009, Mel Karmazin was able to negotiate a deal for 40% equity stake in Sirius XM. Then in their fourth quarter of 2009, Sirius XM reported a profit of income of a little over $14 million [29], since then it has all been up hill.  They even released a statement via their companies investor site stating, “We expect to double factory installed vehicles to over 100 million by 2018 and plan to offer our unique content and valuable entertainment to even more customers in the future.” (Jim Meyer, President, Sirius XM) [30]  In 2012 this statement was released and during that time, Sirius XM was in over 50 million cars.  Their goal is coming into fruition with adding nearly half a million subscribers per quarter.  Maybe it won’t hit 100-million vehicles, but they are constantly raising the bar higher and higher.  The company Sirius XM has made a complete turned a complete 180 from being nearly bankrupt to a company that substantially increases profit each quarter.

Sources:

1.  Sirius XM Logo, Consumeraffairs.com, RT: 11/20/2014

2.  What is Sirius XM?, Siriusxm.com, RT:  11/20/2014

3.  Howard Stern Info, Siriusxm.com/howard100, RT:  11/20/2014

4.  Subscriber Info, Siriusxm.com/corporate, RT:  11/20/2014

5.  Channel Listings, Maplecrestfordlincolnunion.com, RT:  11/21/2014

6.  Executives, Siriusxm.com/bios, RT:  11/20/2014

7.  James E. Meyer, Sbu.edu, RT:  11/20/2104

8.  Scott Greenstien, Imdb.com, RT:  11/21/2014

9.  Dara Altman, Newyorksocialdiary.com, RT:  11/21/2014

10.  Patrick L. Donnelly, Pli.edu, RT:  11/21/2014

11.  Sirius XM Financials, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT:  11/21/2014

12.  Sirius XM Stock, Finance.yahoo.com, RT:  11/21/2014

13.  Sirius XM Stock Google, Google.com, RT:  11/21/2014

14.  Competitors, Fool.com, RT:  11/21/2014

15.  Pandora Info, Pandora.com, RT:  11/21/2014

16.  Apple Info, Apple.com, RT:  11/21/2014

17.  Spotify Info, Support.spotify.com, RT:  11/22/2014

18.  Apple In Car Display, Apple.com, RT:  11/22/2014

19.  Merger Info, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT:  11/22/2014

20.  Sirius Satellite & XM Picture, Topclassactions.com, RT:  11/22/2014

21.  Satellite Info, Archive.fortune.com, RT:  11/22/2014

22.  Where Sirius Started, Radiomagonline.com, RT:  11/22/2014

23.  Sirius Mileage Coverage, Siriusxm.com/whatissiriusxm, RT:  11/22/2014

24.  List of Vehicles Sirius is in, Siriusxm.com/internetradio, RT:  11/22/2014

25.  Image of Vehicle List, Nytimes.com, RT:  11/22/2014

26.  List of Devices, Siriusxm.com/internetradio, RT:  11/22/2014

27.  Lawsuit, Nytimes.com, RT:  11/22/2014

28.  Copyright Image, Bloggless.com, RT:  11/22/2014

29.  Revenue, Nytimes.com, RT:  11/22/2014

30.  Jim Meyer Quote, Siriusxm.com, RT:  11/22/2014