Spotify boss Daniel Ek has granted a rare interview to Billboard, talking about his company’s highs and lows of 2014. Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift makes an early appearance. “The public probably learned there’s something called Spotify, and that it’s not Pandora. What it has highlighted for us is we need to do a better job explaining to artists how streaming benefits them,” claimed Ek. “The point that’s been lost is that Spotify’s the fastest-growing revenue source the industry has. There are many artists to whom, through the labels, we’re paying out millions a year already.” Meanwhile, Ek defended his ambitions to reach a “billion-plus” consumers with streaming. “I think people discount piracy. We’ve grown accustomed to it, so [we’re] not really sure what we can do about it. But there’s a billion people doing it. If they contribute to a legal service of any kind, that’s a huge win.” Meanwhile, Ek hinted at plans to beef up Spotify’s subscription tier more: “Lossless music – is that a higher priced tier? Is that something that comes with deluxe editions? How should we package subscriptions to consumers?”
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…