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Five Fast Facts About Podcast Creator Monetization on Spotify

March 8, 2023

We know that many podcasters are able to establish their creative business on Patreon. But until now, there wasn’t an easy way for fans to listen to Patreon podcasts on Spotify. So today at Stream On, we were excited to announce that podcasters will be able to deliver patron content to their listeners on Spotify, and fans can easily listen to all their favorite episodes.

But the money talk went well beyond Patreon. Since launching in 2021, the Spotify Audience Network has grown by leaps and bounds as we’ve worked to connect advertisers with leading podcast publishers looking to monetize their shows. Also around that time, we acquired Megaphone, which has since become Spotify’s hosting, insights, and monetization solution for enterprise publishers like The Wall Street Journal, Paramount, and ESPN. Together, these tools give creators the ability to choose how to monetize, and we had plenty to discuss around both. 

Here are the five takeaways you need to know:

  1. The number of podcasters taking part in the Spotify Audience Network has grown eightfold in the last two years. And since we launched the Spotify Audience Network in 2021, monthly payout to opted-in publishers has grown by nearly 50% while advertiser participation has increased by 500%. So as we continue to scale the Spotify Audience Network, our intent is to make this kind of growth available to all creators.
  2. We’re pleased to welcome NPR to the Spotify Audience Network marketplace. 
  3. Recent additions to Megaphone’s roster of publishers include Netflix and Australia’s Schwartz Media. 
  4. In the future, Megaphone will be uniquely integrated into Spotify for Podcasters. And as of today, all Megaphone publishers have everything they need to create a successful podcast business across the new Spotify for Podcasters and Megaphone.
  5. Through our partnership with Patreon, powered by Spotify Open Access, podcasters will be able to publish patron-only content on Spotify. Patrons will be able to link their Patreon account to their Spotify account to access their Patreon-exclusive podcasts right where they’re already listening to all their audio content.

We’ll continue to explore new monetization models so that you continue to have options for how to build your business.