Stockholm (AP) – The music streaming market leader Spotify continued to grow in the past quarter, despite the controversy surrounding its podcast star Joe Rogan.
The Swedish company closed the quarter with 182 million subscribers. That was two million more than at the end of 2021. Spotify also digested the sudden loss of 1.5 million customers in Russia, where the service ceased operations due to international sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
For the second quarter, Spotify expects an increase to 187 million subscribers. The forecast remained below the estimates of analysts, who assumed more than 189 million customers. Subscription fees are still Spotify’s most important source of income, even though the service is now making more and more money from advertising, including in podcasts.
Revenue grew 24 percent year-on-year to €2.15 billion in the first quarter, Spotify announced on Wednesday. The bottom line is that profit rose to 131 million euros from 23 million euros a year earlier.
The popular US podcaster Joe Rogan, who publishes his talk programs exclusively on the Spotify platform, recently brought negative headlines to the service. After a debate about incorrect information about the corona virus in his podcasts, he also had to apologize for racist statements. One focus of the quarterly numbers was whether the controversy hurt Spotify’s business.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220427-99-65104/2
–
![[Exclusif] The senatorial study mission on the Metropolis arrives in Marseille and Aix](https://gomet.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/guy_benarroche_eelv.jpg "[Exclusif] The senatorial study mission on the Metropolis arrives in Marseille and Aix")