Spotify is continuing to enjoy rising user numbers, with the popular music streaming service announcing it has reached a total of 15 million subscribers. At the same time, reports claim that the majority of Spotify streams stem from mobile listeners, with 52 percent of listening taking place on smartphones and tablets rather than desktops.
A brief blog post thanking subscribers reveals the 15 million-user milestone, and that it had 60 million active users overall. By contrast, the company was reporting 12.5 million subscribers and more than 50 million active users just two months ago. At the time, it was suggested that more than 80 percent of the subscriber base started off as free users, and it is unlikely the proportion will have changed by much for the new totals.
News of Spotify’s increased popularity comes shortly after reports that royalties collected from the service in Europe are 13-percent higher than music royalties from iTunes. Nielsen SoundScan also notes that on-demand music streaming rose 54 percent in 2014, while digital album sales fell 9 percent, individual song sales dropped 12 percent, and combined physical and digital album sales slumped 11 percent overall. It has not all been plain sailing, as Spotify entered into a public tiff with Taylor Swift, after the singer pulled her albums from the service over claims she received underwhelming royalties.
