CARTER BACKS UP SPOTIFY STRATEGY

Troy Carter defended Spotify’s free tier of music at the Wall Street Journal’s WSJ.D Live conference in Laguna Beach, saying, “we don’t ever get to a world where everybody is paying for music.” Furthermore, Spotify will not enter the business of exclusives.

"We don't believe that it is good for the artist," said Chief Strategy and Chief Content Officer Stefan Blom, who joined Carter, Spotify’s Global Head of Creator Services, onstage Tuesday at the conference.

The two said Spotify will continue to develop original and unique programming to distinguish itself from Apple Music and Tidal, but exclusive music will not be a part of those offerings.

Blom further asserted that the ad-supported tier is not free in the sense that it is being paid for. “We are monetizing it, and we are monetizing it well,” he said. “This ad-supported model works.”

The free-tier customer, he noted, is not likely to be converted to a paying one. “They may not be able to afford it,” Carter said.

Carter, the former manager, said relations with artists have been improving in the four months since he was hired. “A lot of artists are starting to come around,” he said.