Spotify Stats 2023 - Growth, Competition & Other Insights

By shepherding users through the world of rhythms since the year 2006, Spotify has evolved into a personalized tour guide, where music enthusiasts are constantly presented with content. Ranging from jazz to pop, Spotify’s users can explore a wide range of genres and tunes. With each year, the music streaming platform is setting the standard in the world of music. 

The sections below shed light on Spotify's journey as a small music streamer, its growth stats and competition. So, if you are interested in learning more, buckle up as we continue to serve you with interesting stats and everything else that this streaming powerhouse has to offer. 

Spotify’s Journey - Over the Years

From being a small startup to becoming a world renowned music streaming platform in 2023 which caters the needs of users across the globe, Spotify's journey has been remarkable. 

The foundation of this streaming provider was established by the young minds of partners in Sweden. After years of battling problems since its publishing in 2008, the company picked up pace and became one of the music industry's most influential companies in the year 2015. 

Spotify’s Growth & Global Reach 

Being the world’s most popular streamer, Spotify has 551 million users on board. This includes its 86 million subscribers across countries in Europe and approximately 60 million in North America, resulting in this streaming platform expanding its footprint globally.

MY SPOTIFY STATS ORGANIC GROWS

The increase in its quarterly revenue over the years is a result of Spotify’s wonderful algorithm, features, personalized playlists, and exciting content it offers. The streaming platform and its rapid growth has shaped the music industry to what it is today, giving its users a community to share their love and dedication for music. 

Source: businessofapps.com

Spotify’s Current Competition - Who Remains the Leader? 

Music streaming services like Apple Music and Sound Cloud, have been hustling to grow alongside Spotify. With each platform having distinct features, the consumers have a variety of platforms to choose from and this further intensifies the competition. However, Spotify remains the top-ranked platform due to its engaging and user-friendly interface as well as the variety its extensive audio catalog has to offer! 

Comparison with Top Streaming Platforms

Despite the competition from the streaming platforms discussed above, the second quarter of 2022 brought an approximate of 30 percent of additional subscribers, making Spotify on top of the streaming platform list. The statistics prove that this is almost twice the number of people on platforms like Apple Music, Amazon and Tencent music. 

Source: statista.com 

Spotify Users - A Community of Music Enthusiasts 

Spotify’s User Demographics - Countries & Gender 

According to the data published in Spotify's 2023 annual stats report, countries that make up one of the largest communities of music enthusiasts include the United States, which tops the list with 113 million users, followed by Brazil with 93 million and Germany with 76 million. If the growth remains to be on the rise, Spotify is anticipated to reach 1 billion subscribers by 2025.

As for its demographic based on gender, the platform has a fairly balanced distribution with a higher percentage of male subscribers. 

Source: newvisiontheatres.com

Spotify’s New Users Stats 

Spotify's 2023 quarterly reports garnered immense public attention, following the reported stats surge in the number of monthly active users on the platform. Users grew by 36 million to 551 million while gaining 10 million new Subscribers finishing at 220 million. This growing number of spotify users gained spotify over 5 billion dollars in 2023 alone!

Spotify’s User Satisfaction: Premium Vs Free Subscribers

By just paying a little more, the premium subscribers gain perks that make their experience better. These benefits include no-advertisements, offline listening and unlimited skips which allow users to listen to their preferred music without interruption, anytime and anywhere. Premium users listen for 25 hours on average each month, which is 50% more than customers who subscribe for free.

However, Spotify limits its free users by only allowing them to shuffle playlists rather than pick a song of their choice. Users are advised to subscribe sooner than later, since Spotify has been hiking up their prices every year.

User Collaborative Playlists- Spotify’s Music Community

Spotify’s collaborative playlists, in which users curate playlists together, has been crucial to the platform's high user growth and engagement. They encourage deeper user connections, increased engagement, and lengthier listening sessions. 

These shared playlists have not only enriched the user experience but also positioned Spotify to become the biggest hub for music lovers who want to share and discover music from all over the world. Spotify has since learned to leverage the insight and popularity of collaborative playlists to offer their own playlists such as "Discover Weekly" and "Release Radar". 

Source: chartex.com

Discovering Weekly Personalized Playlists 

The Discover Weekly feature on spotify stands out as a testament to the platform's commitment towards personalized music discovery. The playlist is updated every monday, and offers each user a personalized list of songs based on their listening habits. All you have to do is search for it on your mobile or desktop app to enjoy weekly new hits.

HOW TO GET YOUR MUSIC ON SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS

Artist and Listener Engagement

Spotify’s users not only make a community with other users but artists too. The platform allows both artists and users to interact with one another. With new features such as Music + Talk, artists can now create audio shows that discuss the stories behind the music or memorable moments on tour blended with their tracks to offer Music enthusiasts a deeper connection with their favorite artists. However, artists are not able to see their top listeners as Spotify ensures every user's privacy is upheld.  

Spotify’s Rapidly increasing Podcast Listeners

Spotify offers way more than just music, with 5 million podcasts titles and over 100 million podcast listeners, the Swedish streaming has made an immense contribution to the world of podcasts. The exclusive signing of the most popular podcasts shows such as Crime Junkie, Call her daddy and Joe Rogan marks the influence of podcast listeners on Spotify. 

100 Millions Songs to Explore - The Audio Catalog of your Dreams 

Due to Spotify stats, over 100,000 brand-new tracks are ready for listeners to enjoy every day, giving musicians a platform to connect with fans across the globe. This way, more emerging artists across the globe get  the chance to share their music with millions of people. 

Beyond Basics - New Genres & Playlists 

With a mix of primary and sub genres, Spotify has a variety of approximately 5000 genres of music. Spotify expands the list by adding new genres each year. This year, the streaming service has incorporated some unpopular genres that are predicted to become the new trends. 

Though, this might just be spotify re-grouping the old generes and introducing it as new beats. If you are looking to discover some of the newly added genres, tune in to artist radio or explore some of the newly added playlists on spotify.

Read more: Top 10 Bold and Daring Spotify Hip-Hop Playlists

How to Find the Most Listened to song on Spotify - Discovering your Favorites 

Spotify doesn't offer detailed in-app listening data, which can be disappointing for users who are curious to know which music they have listened to the most. Users can, however, check their profiles to see the most recent music played. The top two techniques listed below could also be used to discover the detailed statistics:

• Exploring Spotify Wrapped - Revealing What’s Most Listened

Users can get a personalized summary of their musical year with Spotify's Wrapped feature which was introduced in 2020 and increased Spotify's mobile app downloads by 21%. The feature has evolved to present a collection of stories that include more than just your favorite artists and tracks of the year. 

The feature has been further personalized by introducing "Your Listening Personality," which divides users into one of 16 musical personas, and "Audio Day," which depicts listeners' musical moods from morning to night. 

• Utilizing Third-party Tools - Comprehensive Listening Stats 

If you can't wait till the end of the year, or want to gain an insight on your listening stats, download the  following third-party tools:

1. Last.fm: This free website keeps track of your listening records across multiple streaming platforms, including Spotify. You may use their premium subscription to enjoy the additional perks and features.
2. Stats for Spotify: This is a third-party app that can provide real-time Spotify listening stats. You may download it for free on both Android and iOS.

Top Artists & Songs - Global Listening Patterns 

Away from your own listening habits and most listened to songs,  it may be easier for you to locate what beats have been winning the hearts of users all across the world. Spotify publishes top artist lists and charts which provides users with an insight on what has been ‘on repeat’ by listeners across the globe.

At present, listeners who dig for pop, hip hop, or dance music in general, are in luck because these genres are currently topping the charts. Leading the list is "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd, a song that has captured the hearts and minds of listeners globally. Following as a second in the competition is  "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals, a track that's perfect to fix your mood. Lastly, let's not forget  "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X, which has been a daily jam for users across the globe.

First Artists to Surpass 100 Million Monthly Listeners 

The Weeknd and Taylor Swift are among the first artists to hit 100 million monthly listeners, signifying a huge milestone for their journey. The Weeknd topping the list at 108.48 million and Taylor Swift following with 100.52 million, these artists have started from the bottom and have successfully made it to the top of the streaming world. 

Their popularity highlights the platform's contribution in shaping the music industry and its trends on an international scale. Their closest competitors being Bad Bunny and Dua Lipa are miles off with less than 80 million monthly listeners.

As of  August 2023

Source: insider.com

Final Thoughts - The Future of Spotify & Is it Worth Subscribing? 

This ends our detailed view on Spotify, its growth, artists and competition. This music streaming platform floods its users with astounding features and perks, making it worth a try. Despite the competition, it is of no doubt that Spotify will continue to lead the charge and set the benchmark for offering an unforgettable experience to its users across the globe!