Spotify tops 1 million paid U.S. subscribers in one year
CEO Daniel Ek says that the streaming music service has accumulated 5 million paid users worldwide and hit a benchmark that took rival subscription services a decade to reach.
Ek said that Spotify has paid $500 million to artists so far, including $250 million in the last nine months.
Spotify also introduced a new "Follow" tab, which gives users music recommendations from trusted sources, shows Facebook friends and recommends the music choices of friends, artists and others. As with the Twitter follow function, users can see who they follow and who follows them.
A new Discover feed finds the most relevant music, such as new releases and playlists from sources a user follows, as well as recommendations based on listening history.
