Spotify exec: “We don’t ever get to a world where everybody is paying for music”

Spotify’s Global Head of Creator Services, Troy Carter, has gone on record defending the service’s ad-supported, free tier.

In competition with Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Spotify is the only streaming giant to offer a free subscription. And in the Wall Street Journal’s WSJ.D conference, Carter argued that free tiers are a suitable option for some music listeners, who can’t or won’t pay for what they stream.

Carter, who used to manage Lady Gaga and John Legend, claimed: “We don’t ever get to a world where everybody is paying for music.” He argued that music streaming shouldn’t be top of the average person’s list of services to pay for, pointing out that some individuals can’t afford gas for their car. Some users “may never convert to a paying subscriber,” he said.

He was joined by Stefan Blom, Spotify’s Chief Strategy and Chief Content Officer. Blom declared the service uninterested in striking exclusivity deals with artists. 2016 has been defined by big-money deals, such as Apple Music’s agreement for Drake’s ‘Views’ and TIDAL’s exclusivity period on Rihanna’s ‘Anti’, but Spotify has avoided replicating this model. “We don’t believe that it is good for the artist,” Blom said. “We are not partaking in that game.”