Spotify Pays $100 Million to Podcast Creators, Aims to Compete with YouTube
Spotify has disbursed over $100 million to podcast publishers and creators since January, as reported by The New York Times’s DealBook. This financial boost stems from a new revenue-sharing program launched in 2025, designed to attract more creators to the platform amid the growing trend of video podcasts, which predominantly thrived on YouTube.
According to a January Edison Research report, more than half of American adults aged 12 and older have watched a video podcast, primarily on YouTube, a platform that dominates the podcasting landscape. Spotify, however, claims to reach around 1 billion podcast listeners each month, boasting 170 million monthly podcast subscribers within its total user base of 675 million. In comparison, YouTube has paid creators more than $70 billion from 2021 to 2024, highlighting Spotify’s uphill battle for market share.
Despite challenges, Spotify reports promising earnings, with expectations of generating around 540 million euros in pretax income from 4.2 billion euros in sales, according to S&P Capital IQ. The company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange and based in Stockholm, retained its status as a major player in the industry, particularly due to its popular podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
The newly introduced partner program enables creators to earn money not just through ad revenue but also by incentivizing engagement from premium subscribers with video content. Consequently, Spotify has noted a 40% increase in video consumption since the program’s announcement.
Podcast creators like David Coles and YMH Studios have reported substantial revenue increases from Spotify, with some podcasters even reconsidering their primary platforms. As excitement builds around the new payment structure, industry insiders label it a "game-changer" for the future of podcasting.
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