# Spotify revenue rises 16% to €4.97bn, just below forecasts

> The Swedish streaming service grew its paying subscribers to 306 million in the third quarter, but both revenue and advertising income came in below market expectations.

Economy · published 2026-10-22 20:05 · https://nlnow.nl/a/spotify-revenue-rises-16-but-advertising-income-disappoints/

The Swedish music streaming service Spotify said on Thursday that its advertising revenue fell short of expectations in the third quarter, coming in at €482m. Total quarterly revenue rose 16% to €4.97bn, slightly below what the market had expected.

The number of users and of paying subscribers both edged up in the quarter. Paying subscribers rose 2% to 306 million, the company said in a press release.

Spotify is working with actress and director Amy Poehler on a podcast, and has agreed a deal with Netflix to offer certain shows through the streaming service.

Earlier this year Spotify announced a verification system meant to tell music by real artists apart from AI-generated tracks. The system responds to growing concern about the amount of AI music flooding streaming services.

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