Spotify said it paid $100m+ to podcasters in Q1 2025 amid audio to video expansion

Music streaming platform Spotify has announced that it paid over $100 million to podcasters globally in Q1 2025. The figure, which comes amid the rising expansion of the platform’s adoption of music to video content, is the first time the platform has paid out more than $100 million to its podcasters. 

According to a statement released on Monday by the Swedish-based company, the surge in podcasts has tailored the platform’s experience amid its incorporation of video podcasts while reinstating its commitment to supporting creators across all formats. The company tagged the new development as a major milestone in the company’s history. 

“For the first time, we’re revealing that Spotify paid out more than $100 million to podcast publishers and podcasters worldwide in the first quarter of 2025 alone. This figure reflects our deep commitment to the creator economy and underscores Spotify’s position as a leading platform for audio and video creators alike,” Spotify said in a blog post.

Recall that in March 2024, Spotify introduced its video streaming platform to Premium users in 11 countries and added 85 more countries in October 2024. 

Spotify explained that the audio to video expansion is structured at placing its creators on a larger scale to earn more, expand their fanbase, and reach a greater audience.

“Whether a creator is just starting out or looking to scale an existing show, Spotify provides the resources and opportunities to thrive,” it added.

Also Read: Nigerian artists earned N58bn in royalties on Spotify in 2024, 232% more than 2023.

The new experience, according to the company, creates an extended richer library of diverse content for fans and the ability to seamlessly switch between listening and watching their favorite podcasts on the platform.

In addition, the music platform highlighted that the goal moving forward is to create a larger earning rate and continue to invest in new tools, resources, and programs that support creators in all formats, and enable a sustainable ecosystem where creators can thrive on the platform.

When the Swedish music streaming company rolled out the audio to video feature last year, YouTube’s dominance of music video streaming was heavily challenged, with a share of the market it has majorly dominated for years. 

Now launched in more than 90 countries, the Spotify music videos available on mobile and desktop allow users to easily switch between audio and video through a toggle. Users can also turn their phone to landscape mode to switch to the full-screen video. The company said that listeners who discover a song and watch the music video on the app are 34 per cent more likely to stream the song again the following week.

Spotify partner program

Though the over $100 million payout was mostly driven by the video adoption, the music giant expressed that the payout encompasses both ad-based revenue and revenue generated through the Spotify Partner Program, launched earlier this year in select markets. 

The program was designed to provide creators additional ways to monetize their content, offer audience-driven payouts from Spotify Premium video engagement, and the ability to monetize via ads in Spotify free. The company noted that it’s seeing positive signals that the approach is resonating with creators. 

The Spotify Partner Program recorded total earnings for participating creators by 23 per cent month-over-month from January to February, and 29 per cent month-over-month from February to March. There was also a significant increase in video podcast adoption, with active monthly video podcasts increasing by 28 per cent since the program launched.

Individual brilliance from creators took some credit in the success story as the company attributed Shows like Your Mom’s House with Christina P. and Tom Segura and The Rest Is Politics which spurred engagement from U.S. users with weekly consumption up more than 45 per cent. 

Moreover, the music streaming giant explained that the Spotify Partner Program is extending its base with some of the world’s largest advertisers booking campaigns through the Spotify Audience Network as part of the Program, such as McDonald’s, Google, and Chelsea FC, providing creators with more monetisation opportunities.