Does Amazon Own Spotify (Answered!)

Thomas Joseph

Does Amazon own Spotify? Who is the owner of a popular streaming music service, Spotify? It's a question that has been plaguing people for a while. Let's look at the facts behind the rumors.

Amazon is already a major player in the streaming music industry with its own Prime Music service. Amazon and Spotify are two of the most popular companies today. Both companies operate on very different business models, yet both have done a tremendous amount to expand their reach and influence.

The popularity of both Amazon and Spotify has made it hard to tell where one company starts and the other ends. Many claim that Amazon owns Spotify, but if you dig deeper into their business models, there are distinct differences between how they both function. Let's find out who owns Spotify.


Table Of Contents

Does Amazon Own Spotify?

No, Amazon does not own Spotify. Both Amazon and Spotify are independent entities with their own unique histories and business models. Despite operating in similar digital media spaces and having collaborated in certain ways, such as Spotify's integration with Amazon Echo devices, there is no ownership relationship between the two companies.

Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and has expanded into various products and services, including Amazon Music, which is a competitor to Spotify. Spotify, on the other hand, was founded in 2006 in Sweden by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon and is a dedicated music streaming service.


Who Owns Spotify Now?

Spotify's ownership is primarily held by its co-founders, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, alongside key institutional investors. Daniel Ek, the CEO, is the largest shareholder with around 31.93 million shares, equating to over 15.6% of the total. Martin Lorentzon holds about 21 million shares or 10.9%.

The leading institutional investor, Baillie Gifford & Co., owns nearly 14.5%, with other notable investors including T. Rowe Price, Morgan Stanley, and Tencent Holdings, the latter owning 8.6%. Universal Music Group also holds a substantial stake with 6.49 million shares. Despite public trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the founders' significant shares and voting power keep control within their hands.


Is Amazon Music and Spotify the Same?

Amazon Music and Spotify are not the same. Although they are both streaming music platforms, they have different features and offerings. Amazon Music is part of the larger Amazon ecosystem, which includes the Amazon Prime membership program. Spotify, on the other hand, is a standalone music streaming service.

Amazon Music offers two tiers of service: Prime Music and Music Unlimited. Prime Music is included with an Amazon Prime membership and offers a limited selection of songs and albums. Music Unlimited is a separate paid subscription that gives users access to a larger library of songs and albums. In addition to music streaming, Amazon Music allows users to download songs and albums for offline playback.

Spotify also offers two tiers of service: Spotify Free and Spotify Premium. Spotify Free is ad-supported and offers a limited selection of songs and albums. Spotify Premium is a paid subscription that gives users access to the full Spotify catalog of songs and albums. In addition to music streaming, Spotify offers video content, podcasts, and other audio content.


Is Spotify Compatible with Amazon Devices?

Yes, Spotify is compatible with Amazon devices. You can download the Spotify app on your Amazon Appstore and sign in with your Spotify account to start listening to music. Spotify is compatible with nearly all of the top amazon devices, including Alexa, Echo, and Echo dot. Spotify is one of the most popular audio apps on those platforms.

If you're a Spotify user looking to stream your favorite music and radio stations through an Amazon device, you can do that — but there's one catch. You can also access Spotify through Echo Show and Fire TV Stick 4K via Alexa voice commands or by downloading the Spotify app from either Google Play or the Amazon App Store on these devices.


Is Spotify Better Than Amazon Music?

Amazon Music is a streaming service that Amazon.com offers. You can access Amazon Music through the Amazon Music app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, or through the Amazon Music website. Spotify, on the other hand, is a streaming service that Spotify Ltd offers. You can access Spotify through the Spotify app, which is available for iOS and Android devices, or the Spotify website.

So, which one of these two streaming services is better? That's a tough question to answer. They both have their pros and cons. For example, Amazon Music has a larger selection of songs than Spotify. However, Spotify has a better user interface than Amazon Music. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide which one you like better.

Spotify has a larger selection of songs and albums than Amazon Music. However, Amazon Music offers a wider range of prices for its 7.99 monthly subscription service, which could be a better deal for some users. Spotify charges a $9.99 monthly subscription. Amazon Music also integrates with Alexa, which gives it an advantage if you're already using other Amazon products.

It's ultimately up to you to decide which streaming service is best for your needs. Consider what kinds of music you like to listen to, how much you're willing to pay, and whether you want to use other Amazon products before making your decision.


Is Amazon Music and Spotify Free

Both Amazon Music and Spotify provide free and premium services. The free tiers come with ads, but upgrading to premium eliminates these interruptions. Amazon Prime members benefit from a discounted rate of $9.99 per month or $99 annually, while non-Prime users are charged $10.99 monthly. Similarly, Spotify's Individual Plan is priced at $10.99 per month.


Can I Use Amazon Services On Spotify?

No, you cannot directly use Amazon services on Spotify. Amazon services, such as Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music, or Amazon Shopping, do not integrate directly into the Spotify platform. Spotify is primarily a music and podcast streaming service, and while it integrates with various devices and platforms for playback purposes, it does not support the integration of Amazon's distinct services within its app or platform.

However, Spotify does support integration with Amazon Echo devices, allowing users to play Spotify music and podcasts through these devices using voice commands with Alexa, Amazon's virtual assistant. This integration enables users to link their Spotify account to their Amazon account and set Spotify as their default music service for Alexa-enabled devices. This way, users can enjoy Spotify's content on Amazon hardware, but this is the extent of the interaction between Amazon services and Spotify.


Who Has More Music, Amazon or Spotify?

Both Amazon Music and Spotify claim to have over 100 million tracks in their catalogs. This puts them on par with each other in terms of the sheer number of songs available. Therefore, neither service has a definitive edge over the other when it comes to the size of their music libraries. Both platforms have expanded their offerings to include not just music but also other forms of audio entertainment such as podcasts, with Spotify boasting 5 million podcast titles and Amazon Music including a large catalog of ad-free podcasts as part of its service.


Conclusion

Amazon does not currently own Spotify. Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, together with prominent institutional investors, hold ownership of Spotify. However, you can use amazon devices such as Alexa to play music from Spotify and other streaming services. 

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