Spotify says Merlin, which represents more than 30,000 independent labels and distributors, has joined Universal Music Group in backing its upcoming AI-powered remix and covers product. The paid tool will let fans create AI-generated covers and remixes of participating artists’ music while ensuring artists opt in,

Spotify hit 777 million total users and 300 million paid premium subscribers in the past quarter, company executives shared in an earnings release on Tuesday, along with an AI-driven increase in expenses.

By Jaspreet Singh Aug 4 (Reuters) - Spotify said higher marketing and development costs would hurt its profit in the current quarter as the Swedish music-streaming giant bets heavily on features powered by AI to attract users.

Streaming giant Spotify said Tuesday that it had 777 million monthly active users at the end of June, 16 million more than in the previous quarter but a

The milestone is historic. The margin underneath it is the number to watch.

Spotify grew its global Premium Subscriber base to 300 million paying users in Q2 (the three months to the end of June). That’s according to the company’s latest financial results (for Q2 2026 ), published on Tuesday (August 4).

Spotify has launched Premium Rewards in India, offering subscribers brand discounts, exclusive experiences, and partner benefits through a dedicated microsite, with offers set to expand regularly over time.

Spotify introduced two new features today: Running Mode and User Notes. Running Mode generates custom playlists for runs, while User Notes lets listeners add comments to tracks on their personal playlists. Running Mode is currently exclusive to iOS.

It is the first time overseas services have held both of the market’s top two positions, according to WiseApp Retail, with Google’s YouTube Music still in first.

The company called India and Indonesia “very populous” and “lucrative” markets as it moved to improve conversion from its large free-user base