Hello! Welcome!

What a week to be publishing the world’s finest Spotify newsletter.

We have attempts to put the song lyrics behind a premium paywall, white noise podcasters on the outs, cannibis ads on the platform for the first-time, and Swedish gangs using Spotify to launder money.

That last one is a doozy.

It seems criminal networks have for several years been using money from drug deals, robberies, fraud and contract killings to pay for false Spotify streams of songs published by artists with ties to the gangs, an investigative report in Svenska Dagbladet claimed.

“I can say with 100% certainty that this goes on. I have been involved in it myself,” SvD quoted one anonymous gang member as saying.

He said his gang began using Spotify for money laundering in 2019, around the time Swedish gangster rap became popular in the country and started winning music awards. “We have paid people who have done this for us systematically,” he said.

This has all the makings of a John le Carré - esque story … with a music/tech spin!

Music Ally has the Spotify response:

“It is our belief that this story, full of anonymized sources, is largely a work of fiction. Manipulated and artificial streams are an industry-wide challenge that Spotify has been working hard to solve,” claimed Spotify in its official statement.

“Regarding the article by SVD, we cannot comment on far-fetched suggestions and hearsay, and Spotify is not aware of any contact by law enforcement about this,.”

In other, less dangerous news…. there’s a good story in the WSJ regarding Spotify’s $1 billion podcast bet. It’s behind a dreaded paywall, but perhaps you have your own workaround.

The prospect of podcast riches led to aggressive investments in celebrity deals and original programming for what appeared a sky’s-the-limit media frontier.

I would have advised from the get-go not to get involved with the Royal Couple, but at least it’s a lesson learned. I’m still not hip deep in the Spotify podcast pool, but I’m confident the podcast division - with its library of more than five million shows includes fiction, nonfiction and personality programming - will continue to innovate and ultimately find big success.

Whether or not Spotify’s investment pays off, it has helped lift podcasting from a medium to an industry, said Donald Albright, co-founder of Tenderfoot TV, the maker of hit podcasts, and a producer of “Kim Kardashian’s The System.”

By casting as broad a net as possible, Spotify now hopes to capture enough listeners and sell enough ads to make good on its billion-dollar bet.

There was a lot of news this week! Thanks for being here for the speedy rundown. I appreciate it.

Have a nice weekend!

★In the SPOTlight★

⭐️ Spotify CFO on AI DJ, Podcasting, Dealmaking

Spotify’s CFO touted the success of AI DJ, the company’s artificial intelligence-driven personalized guide, during an investor conference on Wednesday and highlighted management’s continued belief in more upside in the podcasting business, while emphasizing an “evolution” in its approach to it.

⭐️ Spotify founder Daniel Ek admits he initially ‘didn’t get’ the appeal of the flagship feature, Discover Weekly

“People often think founders have everything planned out from the start, but that’s at least not true for me. A lot of times, I rely on feedback from our team, customers, and partners. And I change my mind often. My job is a bit of that of a curator or producer – I’m putting together pieces of a puzzle,” Ek wrote, as part of his admission. “One of the most underrated skills we have in our society is listening. So I’m sending this tweet out in the world as a reminder to myself to work on becoming an ever better listener,” he concluded. 

⭐️ Spotify tests restricting lyrics feature to paying subscribers

Paywalling a feature that free users previously had access to feels a bit like it’s been taken from Elon Musk’s Twitter playbook, but another nudge for free users to subscribe will be cheered by the music industry.

⭐️ Criminal gangs use fake Spotify streams to launder money, says Swedish newspaper investigation

For several years, criminals have been using money from drug deals, robberies, fraud, and even contract killings to pay for fake streams of songs by artists with ties to the gangs. Payment from Spotify for the streams effectively means that the illegal funds have been laundered into “clean” money.

⭐️ Cresco Labs Launches First-Ever Cannabis Advertisements on Spotify

The ad campaign, which aims to communicate the benefits of shopping at Sunnyside dispensary, includes 30 second audio and in-app digital banners that drive to the retailer’s proprietary e-commerce platform.

🗣Podcasts 🗣

• Spotify will reportedly restrict ad payouts for white noise podcasters

▶️ Playlists ▶️

• Spotify and CFDA Get New York Fashion Week Started With Its First-Ever Official Playlist

• NBA 2K24 soundtrack list revealed, leaked Spotify Playlist confirmed

• Rapper Bun B takes over Spotify's 'Cookout' playlist

🎧 Streams 🎧

• Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' streams spike on Spotify

• Ariana Grande Unreleased Song On Spotify Charts

• 10 Great Songs That Aren't on Spotify

🎼 Spotify 4 Artists 🎼

• Making the Most of the 'Now Playing' View to Encourage Discovery

💡 Tips & Tricks 💡

• Here's how to see your Spotify Wrapped: Old and new

• How to view your Spotify stats

🤖 Spot(ai)fy 🤖

• How to Use Spotify's AI DJ

⚡️ Ek Notes ⚡️

• Daniel Ek Opens Up About the Struggles of Wanting to Be Liked

🖌 Design Notes 🖌

• How Spotify Improved its LLM Chatbot in Sidekick

💰 Spotify Stock 💰

• Spotify's market cap has doubled since the start of 2023

• Spotify: Don't Lose Patience

🔥 Extra News 🔥

• Spotify and American Express Get Ready for 'GUTS' With an Olivia Rodrigo Pop-Up in New York

• Spotify wants more adverts from small and medium businesses

• Chiefs TE Travis Kelce teams with DIRECTV for 'Sack the Sunday Scaries' Spotify series

• Spotify SWOT Analysis (2023)

• No Longer Just Focused On National Brands, Spotify Targets Main Street Advertisers

🎵 New Adventures 🎵

9th & Hennepin - 2023 Remaster Tom Waits

The Race Is On George Jones

Make It Last The Beat Farmers

Big Red Rocket Of Love The Reverend Horton Heat

The Fixer Pearl Jam

Thank You for Sending Me an Angel Talking Heads

Notorious Duran Duran

A Lucky Guy Rickie Lee Jones

Warning Sign Coldplay

Watch Your Step Elvis Costello & The Attractions

It was last week but I don’t care. I love Jimmy Buffet’s music, and I’m bummed he’s shuffled off this mortal coil. But the music is forever. The hits are the hits and are great — but the man recorded some damn good music over the years. A deep dive is in order when time permits. So good. Rest easy, JB.

Brand New Country Star Jimmy Buffett

Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes Jimmy Buffett

This Hotel Room Jimmy Buffett

Ace Jimmy Buffett

He Went To Paris Jimmy Buffett

📧 Get in touch 📧

If you have a question, idea, request, or simply a desire to chat about Spotify, please email me at jeff.spotifynewsletter@gmail.com.

😀 Have a Nice Weekend! 😀