Spotify paid the music industry $10bn (£7.7bn) in 2024, which the streaming service said was the highest annual payment from any single retailer in history. But the figures come as a heated debate continues about how much money artists and songwriters receive in royalties.

Nearly 1,500 artists generated over $1 million in royalties from Spotify in 2024, the company said in its annual Loud and Clear Report. Spotify said more than 80% of the artists in that pool didn't have a song reach the app's Global Daily Top 50 Chart.

Spotify has launched a program to publish audiobooks from independent authors, focusing on a few genres to start.

Spotify wants to make it easier than ever for audiobook authors to have their work heard. The audio-streaming platform has a new website for independent authors to submit short-form books.