New York and Stockholm, 30th September 2025

Spotify and Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independents, today announced the renewal of their global, multi-year licensing partnership. This agreement reinforces the vital role of independent music on Spotify and provides Merlin members continued access to a platform that reaches fans worldwide.

This expanded partnership reflects both companies’ commitment to the independent community and its impact on global culture. Over their 17-year collaboration, Spotify and Merlin have partnered to help independent artists and labels succeed across both emerging and established markets. Together, they have played an instrumental role in building and sustaining careers while fueling the global rise of genres such as Afrobeats and Amapiano, reigniting interest in rock, and supporting the continued growth of alternative, electronic, rap, Latin, and many other genres championed by independent labels.

“Merlin’s mission is to empower our members to own their future. Spotify remains a key and forward-looking partner in advancing that mission,” said Jeremy Sirota, CEO, Merlin. “In a rapidly changing industry, this isn’t just about securing terms that value the contributions of our members’ artists; it’s about building frameworks that unleash creativity and ensure our dynamic global membership—which accounts for 15% of the market—can continue to grow, thrive, and lead. Together, we are committed to a future where independent music drives discovery and value for artists and fans.”

“Independent music has always been at the heart of discovery on Spotify, and our partnership with Merlin makes that possible at a global scale,” said Alex Norström, Co-President & Chief Business Officer, Spotify. “This renewal reflects our commitment to ensuring independent labels and artists continue to thrive on streaming platforms, while we work together to grow the value of music for creators everywhere.”

As Spotify evolves, this agreement ensures that Merlin’s independent membership stands ready to shape the future of streaming as a key partner, helping to build a sustainable, artist-centred ecosystem for the next generation of independent artists, labels, and distributors.

About Spotify

Spotify’s platform revolutionized music listening forever when we launched in 2008. Today, more listeners than ever can discover, manage and enjoy over 100 million tracks, nearly 7 million podcasts titles, and 350,000 audiobooks a la carte on Spotify. We are the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with more than 696 million users, including 276 million subscribers across 184 markets.

About Merlin

Merlin is the digital music licensing partner for the world’s leading independent labels and distributors. We’ve negotiated premium deals with Apple, Canva, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, YouTube, and 40 other innovative platforms around the world. Our global membership is from 70+ countries around the world, representing 15% of the recorded music market. Merlin operates for the benefit of its members, without investors looking for an exit, and is funded entirely by our low 1.5% admin fee. Merlin helps the world’s leading independents to own their digital business through world-class deals and white-glove support.

Merlin’s membership includes independents such as !K7, AEI Music, Anjunabeats, Armada Music Group, AudioSalad, Better Noise, Cinq Music Group, Curb Records, Epitaph Records, Exceleration Music, Freeme Digital, GYROstream, Hopeless Records, IDOL, Innercat Music, Kompakt, Kontor New Media, Lex Records, Mad Decent, Many Hats, Merge Records, MNRK Music Group, Mushroom Music, Nettwerk, Ninja Tune, ONErpm, Polyvinyl Records, Pony Canyon, Redeye, Secret City, Secretly, Stones Throw, Sub Pop, Symphonic, UnitedMasters, Wagram Music, Warp Records, Zebralution, and hundreds more.