Spotify says it paid out $11 billion in royalties in 2025

Today, Spotify announced that it had paid out more than $11 billion to the music industry in 2025. It’s an impressive-sounding number that’s a full $1 billion more than it paid last year. And, according to Spotify, that accounts for roughly 30 percent of the entire recording industry’s revenue. And, according to Spotify, that accounts for roughly 30 percent of the entire recording industry’s revenue. This figure, however, is purely a measure of royalties paid to the music industry…