Spotify has recorded a historic addition of 15 million new premium subscribers in the first half of 2023, marking the largest H1 growth in its history. When Spotify launched its streaming service in 2008, only a few people would have believed it could become the world’s number-one music platform. However, fifteen years after its inception, Spotify continues to surge in popularity, attracting more subscribers than ever before.
Data from OnlyAccounts.io reveals that over 15 million people subscribed to Spotify Premium in the first half of 2023. The company’s subscriber base has seen dramatic growth in recent years. According to official company data and insights from Statista, the number of people paying for Spotify Premium has nearly tripled since 2017, with the platform consistently adding between 25 and 30 million subscribers each year. The year 2023 is on track to set a new record, with the platform experiencing the largest H1 subscriber growth in its history.
Between 2017 and 2019, Spotify reported an increase of approximately 12 million new Premium subscribers in the first half of each year. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, H1 subscriber growth surged to 14 million. Data indicates that during the first six months of 2021, the platform registered 10 million new subscribers. However, H1 2022 witnessed a decrease, with the number of new subscribers dropping to just eight million, a figure last observed in 2016.
However, 2023 has witnessed a surge in Spotify Premium users. Statistics show that between December 2022 and June this year, 15 million people subscribed to Spotify Premium, pushing the total subscriber count to 220 million.
This achievement becomes even more impressive when compared to other major players in the music streaming industry. With 220 million users, Spotify Premium boasts two and a half times more subscribers than YouTube Music and Apple Music, and nearly three times more than Amazon’s music streaming service.
Spotify is also making significant progress in Nigeria, especially among the country’s urban music enthusiasts. A historic milestone was achieved when Rema’s single ‘Calm Down,’ featuring Selena Gomez, became the first Afrobeats song to surpass a billion streams on the platform.
Notably, Spotify recently celebrated its growing commercial success in Afrobeats by hosting an event in Lagos. The platform has paid out over 11 billion naira in revenue to Afrobeats artists, further cementing its role in the genre’s rising prominence.
