Form F-1

F-1 1 d494294df1.htm FORM F-1 Form F-1

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2018

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Spotify Technology S.A.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

7370

98-1097620

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

42-44, avenue de la Gare

L-1610 Luxembourg

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

(Address, including zip code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Horacio Gutierrez

General Counsel

45 West 18th Street, 7th Floor

New York, New York 10011

(Name and address, including zip code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Marc D. Jaffe

Gregory P. Rodgers

Benjamin J. Cohen

Latham & Watkins LLP

885 Third Avenue

New York, New York 10022

(212) 906-1200

APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE AFTER THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT IS DECLARED EFFECTIVE.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, please check the following box. ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐



Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered	Amount to be Registered	Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price⁽¹⁾	Amount of Registration Fee
Ordinary shares, nominal value of €0.000625 per share		Not applicable	$1,000,000,000	$124,500

⁽¹⁾	Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(f)(2) of the Securities Act.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The securities may not be sold until the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, dated , 2018

SPOTIFY TECHNOLOGY S. A.

LOGO

ORDINARY SHARES

This prospectus relates to the registration of the resale of up to of our ordinary shares by the registered shareholders identified in this prospectus (“Registered Shareholders”). Unlike an initial public offering, the resale by the Registered Shareholders is not being underwritten by any investment bank. The Registered Shareholders may, or may not, elect to sell their ordinary shares covered by this prospectus, as and to the extent they may determine. Such sales, if any, will be made through brokerage transactions on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) at prevailing market prices. See “Plan of Distribution.” If the Registered Shareholders choose to sell their ordinary shares, we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ordinary shares by the Registered Shareholders.

Each outstanding ordinary share entitles the holder thereof to one vote. In addition, we have issued ten beneficiary certificates per ordinary share held of record (excluding warrants, options, and RSUs, as applicable) to entities beneficially owned by our founders, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, for a total of 379,201,200 beneficiary certificates. Each beneficiary certificate entitles its holder to one vote. Our beneficiary certificates may be issued at a ratio of between one and 20 beneficiary certificates per ordinary share as determined by our board of directors or its delegate at the time of issuance. The beneficiary certificates carry no economic rights and are issued to provide the holders of such beneficiary certificates additional voting rights. The beneficiary certificates are non-transferable and shall automatically be canceled for no consideration in the case of sale or transfer of the ordinary share to which they are linked. See “Description of Share Capital and Articles of Association.”

No public market for our ordinary shares currently exists. However, our ordinary shares have a history of trading in private transactions. Based on information available to us, the low and high sales price per ordinary share for such private transactions during the year ended December 31, 2017 was $37.50 and $125.00, respectively, and during the period from January 1, 2018 through February 22, 2018 was $90.00 and $132.50, respectively, in each case excluding the Tencent Transactions (as defined herein). For more information, see “Sale Price History of Ordinary Shares.” Our recent trading prices in private transactions may have little or no relation to the opening public price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE or the subsequent trading price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE. Further, the listing of our ordinary shares on the NYSE without underwriters is a novel method for commencing public trading in our ordinary shares, and consequently, the trading volume and price of our ordinary shares may be more volatile than if our ordinary shares were initially listed in connection with an underwritten initial public offering.

Based on information provided by the NYSE, the opening public price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE will be determined by buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from broker-dealers. Based on such orders, the designated market maker will determine an opening price for our ordinary shares in consultation with a financial advisor pursuant to applicable NYSE rules. For more information, see “Plan of Distribution.”

We intend to apply to list our ordinary shares on the NYSE under the symbol “SPOT” on or about , 2018.

Investing in our ordinary shares involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 14.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS


	Page
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS		ii
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS		iii
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INFORMATION		iv
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA		v
SUMMARY		1
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA		10
RISK FACTORS		14
USE OF PROCEEDS		56
DIVIDEND POLICY		57
CAPITALIZATION		58
CURRENCIES AND EXCHANGE RATES		59
SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND OTHER DATA		60
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS		63
LETTER FROM DANIEL EK		92
BUSINESS		94
MANAGEMENT		126
REGISTERED SHAREHOLDERS		144
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS		147
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS		149
DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION		150
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE		168
SALE PRICE HISTORY OF ORDINARY SHARES		170
CERTAIN TAXATION CONSIDERATIONS		171
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION		180
EXPENSES OF THE REGISTRATION		182
ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES		183
LEGAL MATTERS		185
EXPERTS		185
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION		186
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS		F-1

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus and in any free writing prospectus we prepare or authorize. Neither we nor the Registered Shareholders have authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the Registered Shareholders take responsibility for any other information others may give you. We are not, and the Registered Shareholders are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information in this prospectus is only accurate as of the date of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed since that date.

For investors outside the United States: We have not and the Registered Shareholders have not done anything that would permit the use of or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ordinary shares and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration or continuous offering process. Under this shelf process, the Registered Shareholders may from time to time sell the ordinary shares covered by this prospectus in the manner described in “Plan of Distribution.” Additionally, we may provide a prospectus supplement to add information to, or update or change information contained in this prospectus, including the “Plan of Distribution.” You should read this prospectus before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares. You may obtain this information without charge by following the instructions under “Where You Can Find More Information” appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains estimates and forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The words “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible,” and similar words are intended to identify estimates and forward-looking statements.

Our estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect our businesses and operations. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are made in light of information currently available to us. Many important factors may adversely affect our results as indicated in forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to:

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our ability to attract prospective Users (as defined herein) and to retain existing Users;

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our dependence upon third-party licenses for sound recordings and musical compositions;

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our ability to comply with the many complex license agreements to which we are a party;

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our ability to generate sufficient revenue to be profitable or to generate positive cash flow on a sustained basis;

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our lack of control over the providers of our content and their effect on our access to music and other content;

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our ability to accurately estimate the amounts payable under our license agreements;

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the limitations on our operating flexibility due to the minimum guarantees required under certain of our license agreements;

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our ability to obtain accurate and comprehensive information about music compositions in order to obtain necessary licenses or perform obligations under our existing license agreements;

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potential breaches of our security systems;

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assertions by third parties of infringement or other violations by us of their intellectual property rights;

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risk associated with our substantial indebtedness;

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risks related to our status as a foreign private issuer;

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dilution resulting from additional share issuances; and

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the concentration of voting power among our founders who have and will continue to have substantial control over our business.

Other sections of this prospectus describe additional risk factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor are we able to assess the impact of all of these risk factors on our business or the extent to which any risk factor, or combination of risk factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. See “Risk Factors.”

You should read this prospectus and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to this prospectus completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different and worse from what we expect.

iii

PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER INFORMATION

Currency

All references in this prospectus to (i) “Euro,” “EUR,” or “€” are to the currency of the member states participating in the European Monetary Union, and (ii) “U.S. dollar,” “USD,” or “$” are to the currency of the United States. Our reporting currency is the Euro.

For the convenience of the reader, this prospectus contains translations of certain Euro amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates. Unless otherwise indicated, the U.S. dollar equivalent for information in Euros is based on the exchange rates, as defined in “Currencies and Exchange Rates.”

Presentation of Financial Information

In accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”), we prepare our consolidated financial statements on a historical cost basis, except for our securities, long term investment, Convertible Notes (as defined herein), and derivative financial instruments, which have been measured at fair value.

The financial information included in this prospectus for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 have been presented without the retrospective application of IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“IFRS 15”) and may not be comparable to the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

In this prospectus, we present certain financial measures that are not recognized by IFRS and that may not be permitted to appear on the face of IFRS-compliant financial statements or notes thereto.

The non-IFRS financial measures used in this prospectus are EBITDA and Free Cash Flow. For a discussion of EBITDA and Free Cash Flow and a reconciliation of each to their most closely comparable IFRS measures, see “Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” and “Selected Historical Financial Information and Other Data.”

Presentation of Ordinary Shares

As of February 22, 2018, we had 176,976,280 ordinary shares outstanding. Except as otherwise indicated, the number of ordinary shares outstanding excludes (i) 14,095,254 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of stock options outstanding as of February 22, 2018 at a weighted-average exercise price of $49.02 per ordinary share, (ii) 191,985 ordinary shares issuable upon the settlement of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) outstanding as of February 22, 2018, and (iii) 6,720,000 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of February 22, 2018, at a weighted average exercise price of $59.92 per ordinary share.

Further, unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus reflects a 40-to-one share split of our ordinary shares, beneficiary certificates, and any other outstanding securities, which we expect to effectuate prior to the effectiveness of this Registration Statement (the “Share Split”). The purpose of the Share Split is to reduce the per share price of our ordinary shares to a more customary level for a newly listed company on the NYSE.

Rounding

Certain monetary amounts, percentages, and other figures included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them, and figures expressed as percentages in the text may not total 100% or, as applicable, when aggregated may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the percentages that precede them.

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

Information included in this prospectus relating to our industry, industry size, share of industry sales, industry position, industry capacities, industry demand, growth rates, penetration rates, and other industry data consists of estimates based on reports compiled by professional third-party organizations and analysts, data from external sources, our knowledge of our sales and the industry in which we operate, and our own calculations based on such information. While we have compiled, extracted, and reproduced industry data from external sources, including third-party, industry, or general publications, we have not independently verified the data. Similarly, while we believe our management estimates to be reasonable, they have not been verified by any independent sources. Forecasts and other forward-looking information with respect to industry and ranking are subject to the same qualifications and additional uncertainties regarding the other forward-looking statements in this prospectus. See “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Among others, we refer to estimates compiled by the following industry sources:

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Nielsen Corporation (“Nielsen”), a global marketing research firm that measures media audiences;

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The Recording Industry Association of America (“RIAA”), an organization that conducts consumer, industry, and technical research;

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Equation Research, an independent panel brokerage that conducts brand tracking;

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Magna Global, a resource that publishes market insights and forecasts;

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Ovum, a global business intelligence firm that produces research for digital service providers;

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comScore, Inc. (“comScore”), an agency that measures audiences, advertising, and consumer behavior;

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BIA/Kelsey, an advisory firm focused on local advertising and marketing;

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International Telecom Union, a specialized agency for information and communication technologies; and

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MIDiA Research (“MIDiA”), a research service that provides comprehensive market insights and analysis.

SUMMARY

This prospectus summary highlights certain information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, you should read the entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in this prospectus. This prospectus includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “Spotify” refer to Spotify Technology S.A. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries on a consolidated basis.

Overview

Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by these creators.

When we launched our Service in 2008, music industry revenues had been in decline, with total global recorded music industry revenues falling from $23.8 billion in 1999 to $16.9 billion in 2008. Growth in piracy and digital distribution were disrupting the industry. People were listening to plenty of music, but the market needed a better way for artists to monetize their music and consumers needed a legal and simpler way to listen. We set out to reimagine the music industry and to provide a better way for both artists and consumers to benefit from the digital transformation of the music industry. Spotify was founded on the belief that music is universal and that streaming is a more robust and seamless access model that benefits both artists and music fans.

We are the largest global music streaming subscription service. Our premium service (“Premium Service”) provides Premium Subscribers with unlimited online and offline high-quality streaming access to our catalog. The Premium Service offers a commercial-free music experience. Our ad-supported service (“Ad-Supported Service,” and together with our Premium Service, our “Service”) has no subscription fees and provides Ad-Supported Users with limited on-demand online access to our catalog. With a presence in 61 countries and territories and growing, our platform includes 159 million MAUs and 71 million Premium Subscribers as of December 31, 2017, which we believe is nearly double the scale of our closest competitor, Apple Music. We define Premium Subscribers as the total count of users for accounts that have completed registration with Spotify and have activated a payment method for Premium Service. Monthly active users (“MAUs”) refers to the total count of Users of our Ad-Supported Service (“Ad-Supported Users,” and together with Premium Subscribers, “Users”) and Premium Subscribers that have consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds in the last thirty days from the period-end indicated.

Our Users are highly engaged. We currently monetize our Service through both subscriptions and advertising. Our Premium Subscribers have grown 46% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017 to 71 million. Our 159 million MAUs have grown 29% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017. The Premium Service and Ad-Supported Service live independently, but thrive together. Our Ad-Supported Service serves as a funnel, driving more than 60% of our total gross added Premium Subscribers since we began tracking this data in February 2014. With a 51% increase in revenue from our Ad-Supported Service from 2015 to 2016 and a 41% increase in revenue from our Ad-Supported Service from 2016 to 2017, we believe our Ad-Supported Service is a strong and viable stand-alone product with considerable long-term opportunity for growth in Ad-Supported Users and revenue. However, we face intense competition in growing both our Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers, as well as in keeping our Users highly engaged. If User engagement declines or if we fail to continue to grow our Ad-Supported User base or Premium Subscriber base, our revenue growth will be negatively impacted. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—If our efforts to attract prospective Users and to retain existing Users are not successful, our growth prospects and revenue will be adversely affected.”

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, we generated €1,940 million, €2,952 million, and €4,090 million in revenue, respectively, representing a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 45%. For the

years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, we incurred net losses of €230 million, €539 million, and €1,235 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our EBITDA was €(205) million, €(311) million, and €(324) million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our net cash flow (used in)/from operating activities was €(38) million, €101 million, and €179 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our Free Cash Flow was €(92) million, €73 million, and €109 million, respectively. EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are non-IFRS financial measures. For a discussion of EBITDA and Free Cash Flow and a reconciliation of each to their most closely comparable IFRS measures, see “Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data.”

Music Industry Returns to Growth Led by Streaming

Global recorded music industry revenues declined by 40% from $23.8 billion in 1999 to $14.3 billion in 2014 following the launch of the first internet-based music download service. As Spotify’s access model gained traction, however, that trend reversed itself in 2015 when global recorded music revenues grew more than 3% from the prior year. Growth accelerated in 2016, when global recorded music revenues reached $15.7 billion, an increase of 6% from 2015. This was the highest annual growth rate in 20 years, according to management estimates and industry reports.

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Return to Growth was Primarily Driven by Streaming. Streaming is the engine which has primarily restored the global recorded music industry to growth. Streaming revenues increased by 60% in 2016, reaching $4.6 billion, while physical sales and digital download revenues continued to decline at 8% and 21% respectively, according to management estimates and industry reports.

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Streaming is Growing Globally. According to management estimates and industry reports, the return to growth in the recorded music industry was seen in every region measured, namely North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. By transforming user behavior, streaming has become the dominant global format in the music industry, fueling growth in key music markets worldwide.

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The Streaming Market is Still in its Infancy. While streaming has changed the way many people access music, we believe there is an untapped global audience with significant growth potential. We believe the universality of music gives us the opportunity to reach many of the over 3.6 billion internet users globally, according to the International Telecom Union ICT Facts and Figures 2017 Report.

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Opportunity in the Ad-Supported Music Market. With our Ad-Supported Service, we believe there is a large opportunity to grow Users and gain market share from traditional terrestrial radio. In the United States alone, traditional terrestrial radio is a $14 billion market, according to BIA/Kelsey. The total global radio advertising market is approximately $28 billion in revenue, according to Magna Global. With a more robust offering, more on-demand capabilities, and access to personalized playlists, we believe Spotify offers Users a significantly better alternative to linear broadcasting.

Spotify is the Largest Global Music Streaming Subscription Service

Spotify has transformed the way people access and enjoy music.

Today, millions of people around the world have access to over 35 million tracks through Spotify, whenever and wherever they want. We are transforming the music industry by allowing Users to move from a “transaction-based” experience of buying and owning music to an “access-based” model which allows Users to stream music on demand. In contrast, traditional radio relies on a linear distribution model in which stations and channels are programmed to deliver a limited song selection with little freedom of choice.

We are the largest global music streaming subscription service with 159 million MAUs and 71 million Premium Subscribers as of December 31, 2017. Based on management estimates and industry reports, Spotify’s global streaming market share was approximately 42% in 2016 as determined by revenue, and we had market share of approximately 41%, 42%, and 59% in the U.S., Brazil, and United Kingdom, our three largest markets by MAUs, respectively. In addition, we accounted for greater than 95% of the streaming market in our home country of Sweden. We made up almost half of global revenues from paid streaming to record labels in 2016, according to MIDiA. Through December 31, 2017, we have paid more than €8 billion in royalties to artists, music labels, and publishers since our launch.

Spotify is more than a music streaming service. We are in the discovery business. Every day, fans from around the world trust our brand to guide them to music and entertainment that they would never have discovered on their own. If discovery drives delight, and delight drives engagement, and engagement drives discovery, we believe Spotify wins and so do our Users. Our brand reflects culture—and occasionally creates it—by turning vast and intriguing listening data into compelling stories that remind people of the role music plays in their lives and encourages new fans to join Spotify each week.

How is Spotify Different?

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Scale Provides Unique Data which Enables a Differentiated and Personalized Experience. Many music services have large catalogs, but we believe Spotify is differentiated from other services because we provide Users with a more personalized experience, driven by powerful music search and discovery engines. We have a large and growing base of Users that are highly engaged on Spotify, which enables us to continuously learn about their listening behaviors throughout the day. We use this information to create a more personalized and engaging experience for each incremental visit to our platform. We believe this personalized experience is a key competitive advantage as Users are more likely to engage with a platform that reflects their real-time moods and activities and captures a unique understanding of moments in their lives.

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Superior User Experience Drives Industry Leading User Engagement. We believe our superior User experience is what has enabled Spotify to become the largest global music streaming subscription service. Investing in the User experience has and will continue to generate significant benefits for our platform. As our personalization becomes more refined and music discovery becomes more seamless, we believe we will increase our current Users’ engagement and will attract new Users to our platform. On average, 25 Content Hours Per MAU were streamed in each month of the fourth quarter of 2017. Content Hours Per MAU is a monthly measure defined as the aggregate number of hours Users spent consuming audio and video content on Spotify in the quarter indicated divided by the average of the MAUs for each month in such quarter, which is then divided by three months.

Our 159 million MAUs have grown 29% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017. Our Premium Subscribers have grown 46% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017 to 71 million. A portion of this

growth is due to the popularity of our Family Plan, which allows up to six Premium Subscribers in a household for one fixed monthly rate. Our Premium Subscribers include both the master Family Plan account as well as any sub-accounts associated with each household.

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Spotify Playlists are the Driving Force Behind Music Discovery and Demand Creation on our Service. As our Service has grown, our challenge has been to connect millions of Users—all with distinct listening preferences—with a large catalog of over 35 million tracks as of December 31, 2017.

Spotify has become an essential partner to both aspiring and established artists by enabling their music to be discovered. Our playlists have become a key discovery tool for Users to find new artists and new music from their favorite artists. Given the success of our playlists in driving music discovery, they have become one of the primary tools that labels, artists, and managers use in order to boost artists and measure success. Many of our Users also rely on Spotify to help soundtrack their day, through editorially-curated playlists like RapCaviar or personalized machine-generated playlists like Discover Weekly, Daily Mix, or Release Radar. We now program approximately 31% of all listening on Spotify across these and other playlists, compared to less than 20% two years ago.

Spotify—Building a Two-Sided Marketplace

We are building a two-sided music marketplace for Users and artists, which is powered by data, analytics, and software. Spotify provides fans with a way to discover and enjoy music, and artists with an additional avenue to showcase and be compensated for their creative works. For artists, Spotify provides a platform from which they can reach and interact with their fans, as well as analytics which provide a better and more thorough understanding of their fan base.

Benefits for Users

We are focused on enabling the discovery and curation of music for our Users through our range of products and services:

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Playlists and Personalization. Users benefit from our ability to help them navigate our more than 35 million tracks as of December 31, 2017. We do this by providing Users with editorially curated and machine-generated playlists. From the moment Users open the Spotify application, we serve them a personalized homepage with content that reflects our understanding of their music tastes, listening habits, musical moods, and daily activities. The homepage is a gateway to a universe of content, and we aim to make that universe accessible, dynamic, and engaging. We believe Users are more likely to engage with a platform that reflects their real-time moods and activities and captures a unique understanding of moments in their lives.

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Ad-Supported and Premium Listening. We provide a wide range of listening options that meet the varying needs of our rapidly growing User base and also address our Users’ real-time moods and activities and capture a unique understanding of the moments in their lives. Our listening options include our Ad-Supported Service, Family Plan, Student Plan, and individual Premium subscriptions. We created our student plan (the “Student Plan”) to target the student population, because these Users tend to have high retention and tend to migrate to our Premium Service over time. Additionally, we created our family plan (the “Family Plan”) to offer a better subscription experience for households so that every household member can have a unique individual account rather than share one account for music listening. Our Ad-Supported Service serves as both a Premium Subscriber acquisition channel and also a robust option for Users who are unable or unwilling to pay a monthly subscription fee but still want to enjoy access to a wide variety of high-quality music and other content.

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consoles to cars. The flexibility of our platform and the ability to access it via a single user ID across mobile, tablet, and other connected devices creates a seamless and integrated experience that is designed to fit a variety of lifestyles. As an independent service, we are uniquely positioned to work with the broadest set of partners in the ecosystem.

Benefits for Creators

Spotify provides a large stage for creators and artists to connect with existing fans and to be discovered by new fans. In addition to providing artists with access to 159 million MAUs, we also provide artists with a full stack of tools and services, enabling them to grow their businesses on a single platform.

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Discovery. We not only help artists connect with existing fans, but we also support artists in connecting with the Users who are most likely to become fans of their music. From our curation algorithms and data assets that surface new music to Users in playlists, to physical billboards, branded events, and personalized campaigns, we offer artists the tools to connect with fans, new and old.

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Distribution. An artist who makes their music available on Spotify gains access to the largest global music streaming subscription service based on our 159 million MAUs as of December 31, 2017. We offer our Service in 61 countries and territories around the world. We enable artists to distribute entire albums and individual songs to this audience. We also place artists’ content on playlists, further amplifying their reach.

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Promotion. We empower artists and their managers to personalize and create unique artist profiles by providing them with tools to develop their artist image, including featuring songs on their artist profiles and creating artist playlists. On top of these standard services, we also offer artists specific promotional tools, designed to target specific Users and broad audiences in order to drive engagement.

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Tools for Creation. Our Creator Technology Research Lab focuses on making tools to help artists in their creative process—with a goal of helping artists at all career stages to realize their creative visions.

Our Business Model

We continue to invest heavily in developing our two-sided marketplace with new and better product features and functionality for Users and creators and believe our investments are leading to higher User engagement and enjoyment. We provide personalization that drives a unique and tailored experience to each User and the tools for artists to reach the widest fan base.

2017, up 13% from the fourth quarter in 2016 and up 26% from the fourth quarter in 2015. Historically, our Premium Subscribers have streamed more than three times the amount of content per month than Ad-Supported Users.

With engagement increasing, Premium Churn has continued to trend lower. In the fourth quarter of 2017, Premium Churn was 5.1%, down from 6.0% in the fourth quarter of 2016 and down from 7.5% in the fourth quarter of 2015. Premium Churn is a monthly measure defined as Premium Subscriber cancellations in the quarter indicated divided by the average number of daily Premium Subscribers in such quarter, which is then divided by three months. As our User base matures, and with the growth in higher retention products such as our Family Plan and Student Plan, we believe Premium Churn will continue to trend lower over time.

We are currently in 61 countries and territories and are growing in each of our four geographic regions. Europe is our largest region with 58 million MAUs, accounting for 37% of our total User base as of December 31, 2017, an increase of 26% from the prior year. In our North America region, MAUs increased by 23% from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017 and now account for 32% of our MAUs. Our two fastest growing regions are Latin America, with 21% of our MAUs, an increase of 37% from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017, and the rest of the world, with 10% of our MAUs, an increase of 51% from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017.

Our Growth Strategies

We believe we are still in the early stages of realizing our goal to connect artists and audiences around the world. Our growth strategies are focused on continuously improving our technology and attracting more Users in current and new markets in order to collect more behavioral data, which we use to offer our Users, advertisers, and artists an even better experience. The key elements of our growth strategy are:

•

Continually Enhance our Platform in Order to Retain and Grow Our User Base. We will continue to (i) invest heavily in research and development, (ii) make strategic acquisitions in order to enhance our product capabilities, and (iii) make our offerings more attractive to existing and prospective Users. We will continue to invest in our artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to deepen the personalized experience that we offer to all of our Users.

•

Further Penetrate our Existing Markets. In aggregate, only 13% of the payment-enabled smartphone users in the 61 countries and territories in which we have active Users use our platform, based on estimates from Ovum, as of December 31, 2017. This statistic is calculated as the number of our Users within a country divided by the total number of smartphone owners in that country. By pursuing initiatives that drive the continued growth of our User base within our existing markets, we hope to take advantage of this current low penetration rate. These initiatives include enhancing our Ad-Supported offering, continuing to improve our playlists, enhancing the personalization of our music delivery, bringing even more artists to our platform, and expanding our content offerings.

•

Enter New Geographies. In the last two years, we launched Spotify in Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand, and we expect to continue to expand geographically in order to provide Users around the world with full access to the Spotify music catalog. Before launching in a new market, we typically optimize the local Spotify experience for local music preferences. We seek to obtain the rights to popular local content and have local curators where it makes sense.

•

Continue to Invest in our Advertising Business. We will continue to invest in our advertising products in order to create more value for advertisers and our Ad-Supported Users by enhancing our ability to make advertising content more relevant for our Ad-Supported Users. Offering advertisers additional ways to purchase advertising on a programmatic basis is one example of how we continue to expand our portfolio of advertising products. We also are focused on developing analytics and measurement tools to evaluate, demonstrate, and improve the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on our platform.

•

Expand our Non-music Content and User Experience. We are an audio first platform and have begun expanding into non-music content like podcasts. We hope to expand this offering over time to include other non-music content, such as spoken word and short form interstitial video.

•

Expand our ‘Spotify for Artists’ Initiatives. We will continue to make investments in the artistic community, by providing artists with even more ways to connect with their fans. By investing in tools that will help further the creation of music, we hope to find more ways to help artists reach Users to grow their audiences.

Risks Associated with our Business and of Owning Our Ordinary Shares

Our business and owning our ordinary shares are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in “Risk Factors.” These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

•

your ability to sell your ordinary shares at or above the price you bought them for due to (i) our listing not having the same safeguards as an underwritten initial public offering, which may result in the public price of our ordinary shares being volatile and declining significantly upon listing, or (ii) the failure of an active, liquid, and orderly market for our ordinary shares to develop or be sustained;

•

our ability to attract prospective Users and to retain existing Users;

•

our dependence upon third-party licenses for sound recordings and musical compositions;

•

our ability to comply with the many complex license agreements to which we are a party;

•

our ability to generate sufficient revenue to be profitable or to generate positive cash flow on a sustained basis;

•

our lack of control over the providers of our content and their effect on our access to music and other content;

•

our ability to accurately estimate the amounts payable under our license agreements;

•

the limitations on our operating flexibility due to the minimum guarantees required under certain of our license agreements;

•

our ability to obtain accurate and comprehensive information about music compositions in order to obtain necessary licenses or perform obligations under our existing license agreements;

•

potential breaches of our security systems;

•

assertions by third parties of infringement or other violations by us of their intellectual property rights;

•

the substantial control our founders have and will continue to have over our business due to the concentration of voting power among them; and

•

risks related to our status as a foreign private issuer.

Corporate Information

We were organized under the laws of Luxembourg as a société anonyme and incorporated on December 27, 2006 with our registered office at 42-44, avenue de la Gare, L-1610 Luxembourg and registered with the Luxembourg Trade and Companies’ Register under number B. 123.052. Our principal operational office is located at Regeringsgatan 19, 111 53 Stockholm, Sweden. Our website is www.spotify.com. We do not have a phone number. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus and you should not consider information contained on our website to be a part of this prospectus.

Recent Developments

Tencent Transactions

In December 2017, Spotify and Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”) completed two separate equity investments. In the first transaction, (i) Tencent Music Entertainment Group (“TME”) issued shares of TME to Spotify, and (ii) Spotify issued ordinary shares of Spotify to an affiliate of TME. In the second transaction, an affiliate of Tencent purchased ordinary shares of Spotify through a secondary purchase. For accounting purposes, these transactions were treated as share exchanges. Following these transactions, Spotify holds a minority stake in TME, and both Tencent and TME indirectly hold minority stakes in Spotify. In connection with the transactions, affiliates of TME and Tencent agreed not to transfer ordinary shares of Spotify for a period of three years from December 15, 2017, subject to limited exceptions, including transfers with Spotify’s prior consent; transfers to certain permitted transferees; transfers pursuant to a tender offer or exchange offer recommended by Spotify’s board of directors for a majority of Spotify’s issued and outstanding securities; transfers pursuant to mergers, consolidations, or other business combination transactions approved by Spotify’s board of directors; transfers to Spotify or any of its subsidiaries; or transfers that are necessary to avoid regulation as an “investment company” under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The transactions described herein are collectively referred to as the “Tencent Transactions.”

Tencent, which owns a majority stake in TME, is an operator of social networks in China. TME is an early mover in authorized digital music in China, and provides digital music services to users including streaming, online live broadcasts, and karaoke services. Spotify believes the Tencent Transactions allow Spotify to invest in the long term potential of the music market in China and, in turn, TME to invest in the long term potential of the music market outside of China.

Exchange of Convertible Notes

In connection with the Tencent Transactions, in December 2017, certain accredited investors holding a portion of our $1,000 million in aggregate principal amount of convertible senior unsecured notes due 2021 (the “Convertible Notes”) exchanged $301 million of Convertible Notes, plus accrued interest, for 4,800,000 ordinary shares pursuant to an exchange agreement (the “Tencent Exchange”) and subsequently sold such shares to an affiliate of Tencent as described above.

In December 2017, we entered into an exchange agreement with accredited investors holding a portion of our Convertible Notes pursuant to which we exchanged an aggregate of $110 million of Convertible Notes, plus accrued interest, for an aggregate of 1,754,960 ordinary shares (the “December Exchange”).

In January 2018, we entered into an exchange agreement with accredited investors holding the remaining balance of our Convertible Notes pursuant to which the remaining $628 million of Convertible Notes, plus accrued interest, were exchanged for 9,431,960 ordinary shares (the “January Exchange”). Pursuant to this exchange agreement, subject to certain conditions, if we fail to list our ordinary shares on or prior to July 2, 2018, we have agreed to offer to each noteholder the option to unwind the transaction such that we will purchase back the ordinary shares that were issued to such noteholder pursuant to the exchange and we will issue such noteholder a new note that is materially identical to such noteholder’s note prior to the exchange.

At December 31, 2017, pro forma for the January Exchange, we have no outstanding indebtedness.

The following diagram illustrates our current simplified corporate structure for Spotify and its significant subsidiaries (as defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)):

LOGO

SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

The following summary consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the section of this prospectus entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The summary consolidated financial, pro forma, and other data presented for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and as of December 31, 2016, and 2017 has been derived from our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. The key performance indicators included in this prospectus have not been derived from our consolidated financial statements. We prepared our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017 in accordance with IFRS. Please read Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The following data gives effect to the Share Split, which we expect to effectuate prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. Our historical results for any prior period are not necessarily indicative of results expected in any future period.


	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions, except share and per share data)
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:
Revenue		1,940			2,952			4,090
Cost of revenue		1,714			2,551			3,241

Gross profit		226			401			849

Research and development		136			207			396
Sales and marketing		219			368			567
General and administrative		106			175			264

		461			750			1,227

Operating loss		(235	)		(349	)		(378	)
Finance income		36			152			118
Finance costs		(26	)		(336	)		(974	)
Share in (losses)/earnings of associates and joint ventures		—			(2	)		1

Finance income/(costs)—net		10			(186	)		(855	)

Loss before tax		(225	)		(535	)		(1,233	)

Income tax expense		5			4			2

Net loss attributable to owners of the parent		(230	)		(539	)		(1,235	)

Net loss per share attributable to owners of the parent⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted	€	(1.62	)	€	(3.63	)	€	(8.14	)

Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted		141,946,600			148,368,720			151,668,769

Pro Forma net loss per share attributable to owners of the parent⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted							€	(4.28	)


	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions, except share and per share data)
Pro Forma weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted								166,146,849

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Data:
Net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities		(38	)		101			179
Net cash flows used in investing activities		(67	)		(827	)		(435	)
Net cash flow from financing activities		476			916			34
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		371			190			(222	)

Selected Other Data (unaudited):
EBITDA⁽²⁾		(205	)		(311	)		(324	)
Free Cash Flow⁽²⁾		(92	)		73			109

	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
Key Performance Indicators (unaudited)⁽³⁾:
MAUs, in millions⁽⁴⁾		91			123			159
Premium Subscribers, in millions⁽⁵⁾		28			48			71
Ad-Supported MAUs, in millions⁽⁶⁾		64			77			92
Premium ARPU⁽⁷⁾	€	6.84		€	6.20		€	5.32
Content Hours, in billions⁽⁸⁾		17.4			26.7			40.3
Premium Churn⁽⁹⁾		7.7	%		6.6	%		5.5	%

	Three months ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
Premium ARPU⁽⁷⁾	€	7.06		€	6.00		€	5.24
Content Hours, in billions⁽⁸⁾		5.1			7.7			11.4
Premium Churn⁽⁹⁾		7.5	%		6.0	%		5.1	%

	As of December 31, 2016			As of December 31, 2017
	Actual			Actual			Pro Forma⁽¹⁰⁾
	(in € millions)
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents		755			477			477
Short term investments		830			1,032			1,032
Working capital		689			38			38
Total assets		2,100			3,107			3,107
Total liabilities		2,340			2,869			1,925
Total (deficit)/equity attributable to owners of the parent		(240	)		238			1,182

⁽¹⁾

See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for an explanation of the calculations of our basic and diluted net loss and pro forma net loss per share attributable to owners of the parent as well as our basic and diluted weighted-average and pro forma weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding.

⁽²⁾

purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and financial projections. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool. EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Additionally, EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of discretionary cash to invest in the growth of our business, as it does not reflect tax payments, debt service requirements, capital expenditures, and certain other cash costs that may recur in the future. Management compensates for these limitations by relying on our results reported under IFRS as issued by IASB in addition to using EBITDA supplementally.

We define “Free Cash Flow” as net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities less capital expenditures and change in restricted cash. We believe Free Cash Flow is a useful supplemental financial measure for us and investors in assessing our ability to pursue business opportunities and investments and to service our debt. Free Cash Flow is not a measure of our liquidity under IFRS and should not be considered as an alternative to net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities.

EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are non-IFRS measures and are not a substitute for IFRS measures in assessing our overall financial performance. Because EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are not measurements determined in accordance with IFRS, and are susceptible to varying calculations, it may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures presented by other companies. You should not consider EBITDA and Free Cash Flow in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported on our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

Set forth below is a reconciliation of EBITDA to net loss attributable to owners of the parent and a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow to net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities, in each case, for the periods presented:

EBITDA:


	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions)
Net loss attributable to owners of the parent		(230	)		(539	)		(1,235	)
Finance (income)/costs—net		(10	)		186			855
Income tax expense		5			4			2
Depreciation and amortization		30			38			54

EBITDA		(205	)		(311	)		(324	)

Free Cash Flow:


	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions)
Net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities		(38	)		101			179
Capital expenditures		(44	)		(27	)		(36	)
Change in restricted cash		(10	)		(1	)		(34	)

Free Cash Flow		(92	)		73			109

⁽³⁾

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Operating Results—Key Performance Indicators,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our User metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business,” “—We are at risk of artificial manipulation of stream counts and failure to effectively manage and remediate such fraudulent streams could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Fraudulent streams and potentially associated fraudulent User accounts or artists may cause us to overstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly,” and “—We are at risk of attempts at unauthorized access to our Service, and failure to effectively prevent and remediate such attempts could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Unauthorized access to our Service may cause us to misstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly.”

⁽⁴⁾

Monthly active users (“MAUs”) refers to the total count of Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers that have consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds in the last thirty days from the period-end indicated. Reported MAUs may overstate the number of unique individuals who actively use our Service within a thirty-day period as one individual may register for, and use, multiple accounts. Additionally, fraud and unauthorized access to our Service may contribute, from time to time, to an overstatement of MAUs, if undetected.

⁽⁵⁾	We define Premium Subscribers as Users that have completed registration with Spotify and have activated a payment method for Premium Service. Our Premium Subscribers include all registered accounts in our Family Plan. Our Family Plan consists of one primary

subscriber and up to five additional sub-accounts, allowing up to six Premium Subscribers per Family Plan subscription. Premium Subscribers includes subscribers who are within a grace period of up to 30 days after failing to pay their subscription fee.

⁽⁶⁾

Ad-Supported monthly active users (“Ad-Supported MAUs”) refers to the total count of Ad-Supported Users that have consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds in the last thirty days from the period-end indicated. Reported Ad-Supported MAUs may overstate the number of unique individuals who actively use our Ad-Supported Service within a thirty-day period, as one individual may register for, and use, multiple accounts. Additionally, fraud and unauthorized access to our Service may contribute, from time to time, to an over statement of Ad-Supported MAUs, if undetected.

⁽⁷⁾

Average revenue per Premium User (“Premium ARPU”) is a monthly measure defined as Premium revenue recognized in the quarter indicated divided by average daily Premium Subscribers in such quarter, which is then divided by three months. Annual figures are calculated by averaging Premium ARPU for the four quarters in such fiscal year.

⁽⁸⁾	Content hours (“Content Hours”) refers to the aggregate number of hours Users spent consuming audio and video content on Spotify for the period indicated.

⁽⁹⁾

Premium churn (“Premium Churn”) is a monthly measure defined as Premium Subscriber cancellations in the quarter indicated divided by the average number of daily Premium Subscribers in such quarter, which is then divided by three months. Annual figures are calculated by averaging Premium Churn for the four quarters in such fiscal year.

⁽¹⁰⁾

The pro forma column in the consolidated balance sheet data table above reflects the exchange of all the outstanding Convertible Notes into ordinary shares assuming the exchange was consummated on December 31, 2017. See “Summary—Recent Developments—Exchange of Convertible Notes” and Note 2(b) to our consolidated financial statements.

RISK FACTORS

An investment in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully read and consider the following risks, along with the other information included in this prospectus. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flow could be materially impaired. The public price of our ordinary shares could decline due to any of these risks, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

If our efforts to attract prospective Users and to retain existing Users are not successful, our growth prospects and revenue will be adversely affected.

Our ability to grow our business and generate revenue depends on retaining and expanding our total User base, increasing advertising revenue by effectively monetizing our Ad-Supported User base, and increasing the number of Premium Subscribers. We must convince prospective Users of the benefits of our Service and our existing Users of the continuing value of our Service. Our ability to attract new Users, retain existing Users, and convert Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers depends in large part on our ability to continue to offer leading technologies and products, compelling content, superior functionality, and an engaging User experience. Some of our competitors, including Apple, Amazon, and Google, have developed, and are continuing to develop, devices for which their music streaming service is preloaded, which puts us at a significant competitive disadvantage. As consumer tastes and preferences change on the internet and with mobile devices and other internet-connected products, we will need to enhance and improve our existing Service, introduce new services and features, and maintain our competitive position with additional technological advances and an adaptable platform. If we fail to keep pace with technological advances or fail to offer compelling product offerings and state-of-the-art delivery platforms to meet consumer demands, our ability to grow or sustain the reach of our Service, attract and retain Users, and increase our Premium Subscribers may be adversely affected.

In addition, in order to increase our advertising revenue, we also seek to increase the listening time that our Ad-Supported Users spend on our Ad-Supported Service. The more content we stream under the Ad-Supported Service, the more advertising inventory we have to sell. Further, growth in our Ad-Supported User base increases the size and scope of user pools targeted by advertisers, which improves our ability to deliver relevant advertising to those Users in a manner that maximizes our advertising customers’ return on investment and, ultimately, demonstrates the effectiveness of our advertising solutions and justifies a pricing structure that is advantageous for us. If we fail to grow our Ad-Supported User base, the amount of content streamed, and the listening time spent by our Ad-Supported Users, we may be unable to grow Ad-Supported revenue. Moreover, given that Premium Subscribers primarily are sourced from the conversion of our Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers, any failure to grow our Ad-Supported User base or convert Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers may negatively impact our revenue.

In order to increase our Ad-Supported Users and our Premium Subscribers we will need to address a number of challenges, including:

•

improving our Ad-Supported Service;

•

providing Users with a consistently high-quality and user-friendly experience;

•

continuing to curate a catalog of content that consumers want to engage with on our Service;

•

continuing to innovate and keep pace with changes in technology and our competitors; and

•

maintaining and building our relationships with the makers of consumer products such as mobile devices.

We may not be able to successfully overcome each challenge, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Moreover, the provisions of certain of our license agreements may require consent to implement improvements to, or otherwise change, our Ad-Supported Service. We may not be able to obtain consent from our rights holders to add additional features and functionality to our Ad-Supported Service or our rights holders may be delayed in providing such consent, which may hinder our ability to be responsive to our Ad-Supported User’s tastes and preferences and may make us less competitive with other services.

We depend upon third-party licenses for sound recordings and musical compositions and an adverse change to, loss of, or claim that we do not hold any necessary licenses may materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

To secure the rights to stream sound recordings and the musical compositions embodied therein, we enter into license agreements to obtain licenses from rights holders such as record labels, music publishers, performing rights organizations, collecting societies, and other copyright owners or their agents, and pay royalties to such parties or their agents around the world. Though we work diligently in our efforts to obtain all necessary licenses to stream sound recordings and the musical compositions embodied therein, there is no guarantee that the licenses available to us now will continue to be available in the future at rates and on terms that are favorable or commercially reasonable or at all. The terms of these licenses, including the royalty rates that we are required to pay pursuant to them, may change as a result of changes in our bargaining power, changes in the industry, changes in the law, or for other reasons. Increases in royalty rates or changes to other terms of these licenses may materially impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We enter into license agreements to obtain rights to stream sound recordings, including from the major record labels who hold the rights to stream a significant number of sound recordings—Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group—as well as Music and Entertainment Rights Licensing Independent Network (“Merlin”), which represents the digital rights on behalf of numerous independent record labels. If we fail to obtain these licenses, the size and quality of our catalog may be materially impacted and our business, operating results, and financial condition could be materially harmed.

We generally obtain licenses for two types of rights with respect to musical compositions: mechanical rights and public performance rights.

With respect to mechanical rights, for example, in the United States, the rates we pay are, to a significant degree, a function of a ratemaking proceeding conducted by an administrative agency called the Copyright Royalty Board. The rates that the Copyright Royalty Board set apply both to compositions that we license under the compulsory license in Section 115 of the Copyright Act of 1976 (the “Copyright Act”), and to a number of direct licenses that we have with music publishers for U.S. rights, in which the applicable rate is generally pegged to the statutory rate set by the Copyright Royalty Board. The most recent proceeding before the Copyright Royalty Board (the “Phonorecords III Proceedings”) set the rates for the Section 115 compulsory license for calendar years 2018 to 2022. The Copyright Royalty Board issued its initial written determination on January 26, 2018. The rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board may still be modified if a party appeals the determination and are subject to further change as part of future Copyright Royalty Board proceedings. Based on management’s estimates and forecasts, we currently believe that the proposed rates will not materially impact our business, operating results, and financial condition. However, if our business does not perform as expected or if the rates are modified to be higher than the proposed rates, our content acquisition costs could increase and impact our ability to obtain content on pricing terms favorable to us, which could negatively harm our business, operating results, and financial condition and hinder our ability to provide interactive features in our services, or cause one or more of our services not to be economically viable.

In the United States, public performance rights are generally obtained through intermediaries known as performing rights organizations (“PROs”), which negotiate blanket licenses with copyright users for the public performance of compositions in their repertory, collect royalties under such licenses, and distribute those royalties to copyright owners. The royalty rates available to us today may not be available to us in the future.

Licenses provided by two of these PROs, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (“BMI”) are governed by consent decrees relating to decades-old litigations. Changes to the terms of or interpretation of these consent decrees could affect our ability to obtain licenses from these PROs on favorable terms, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

In other parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Latin America, we obtain mechanical and performance licenses for musical compositions either through local collecting societies representing publishers or from publishers directly, or a combination thereof. We cannot guarantee that our licenses with collecting societies and our direct licenses with publishers provide full coverage for all of the musical compositions we make available to our Users in such countries. In Asia and Latin America, we are seeing a trend of movement away from blanket licenses from copyright collectives, which is leading to a fragmented copyright licensing landscape. Publishers, songwriters, and other rights holders choosing not to be represented by collecting societies could adversely impact our ability to secure favorable licensing arrangements in connection with musical compositions that such rights holders own or control, including increasing the costs of licensing such musical compositions, or subjecting us to significant liability for copyright infringement.

There also is no guarantee that we have all of the licenses we need to stream content, as the process of obtaining such licenses involves many rights holders, some of whom are unknown, and myriad complex legal issues across many jurisdictions, including open questions of law as to when and whether particular licenses are needed. Additionally, there is a risk that aspiring rights holders, their agents, or legislative or regulatory bodies will create or attempt to create new rights that could require us to enter into license agreements with, and pay royalties to, newly defined groups of rights holders, some of which may be difficult or impossible to identify. See also “—Difficulties in obtaining accurate and comprehensive information necessary to identify the compositions embodied in sound recordings on our Service and the ownership thereof may impact our ability to perform our obligations under our licenses, affect the size of our catalog, impact our ability to control content acquisition costs, and lead to potential copyright infringement claims.”

Even when we are able to enter into license agreements with rights holders, we cannot guarantee that such agreements will continue to be renewed indefinitely. For example, from time to time, our license agreements with certain rights holders and/or their agents may expire while we negotiate their renewals and, per industry custom and practice, we may enter into brief (for example, month-, week-, or even days-long) extensions of those agreements and/or continue to operate as if the license agreement had been extended, including by our continuing to make music available. During these periods, we may not have assurance of long-term access to such rights holders’ content, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and could lead to potential copyright infringement claims.

It also is possible that such agreements will never be renewed at all. The lack of renewal, or termination, of one or more of our license agreements, or the renewal of a license agreement on less favorable terms, also could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have no control over the providers of our content, and our business may be adversely affected if our access to music is limited or delayed. The concentration of control of content by our major providers means that even one entity, or a small number of entities working together, may unilaterally affect our access to music and other content.

We rely on music rights holders, over whom we have no control, for the content we make available on our Service. We cannot guarantee that these parties will always choose to license to us.

The music industry has a high level of concentration, which means that one or a small number of entities may, on their own, take actions that adversely affect our business. For example, with respect to sound recordings, the music licensed to us under our agreements with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner

Music Group, and Merlin, makes up the majority of music consumed on our Service. For the year ended December 31, 2017, this content accounted for approximately 87% of streams.

Our business may be adversely affected if our access to music is limited or delayed because of deterioration in our relationships with one or more of these rights holders or if they choose not to license to us for any other reason. Rights holders also may attempt to take advantage of their market power to seek onerous financial terms from us, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Even if we are able to secure rights to sound recordings from record labels and other copyright owners, artists and/or artist groups may object and may exert public or private pressure on third parties to discontinue licensing rights to us, hold back content from us, or increase royalty rates. As a result, our ability to continue to license rights to sound recordings is subject to convincing a broad range of stakeholders of the value and quality of our Service.

To the extent that we are unable to license a large amount of content or the content of certain popular artists, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be materially harmed.

We have incurred significant operating losses in the past, and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to be profitable, or to generate positive cash flow on a sustained basis. In addition, our revenue growth rate may decline.

Since our inception in April 2006, we have incurred significant operating losses and as of December 31, 2017, had an accumulated deficit of €(2,427) million. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our operating losses were €(235) million, €(349) million, and €(378) million, respectively. We have incurred significant costs to license content and continue to pay royalties to music labels, publishers, and other copyright owners for such content. We cannot assure you that we will generate sufficient revenue from the sale of our Premium Service and advertising for our Ad-Supported Service to offset the cost of our content and these royalty expenses. If we cannot successfully earn revenue at a rate that exceeds the operational costs, including royalty expenses, associated with our Service, we will not be able to achieve or sustain profitability or generate positive cash flow on a sustained basis.

From 2015 to 2016, our total revenue grew from €1,940 million to €2,952 million, and from 2016 to 2017, our total revenue grew to €4,090 million, which represents a CAGR of 45%. We expect that, in the future, our revenue growth rate may decline because of a variety of factors, including increased competition and the maturation of our business. We cannot assure you that our revenue will continue to grow or will not decline. You should not consider our historical revenue growth or operating expenses as indicative of our future performance. If our revenue growth rate declines or our operating expenses exceed our expectations, our financial performance will be adversely affected.

Additionally, we also expect our costs to increase in future periods, which could negatively affect our future operating results and ability to achieve profitability. We expect to continue to expend substantial financial and other resources on:

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securing top quality audio and video content from leading music labels, distributors, aggregators, as well as the publishing right to the underlying musical compositions;

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creating new forms of original content;

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our technology infrastructure, including website architecture, development tools, scalability, availability, performance, security, and disaster recovery measures;

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research and development, including investments in our research and development team and the development of new features;

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sales and marketing, including a significant expansion of our field sales organization;

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international expansion in an effort to increase our member base, engagement, and sales; and

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general administration, including legal and accounting expenses, related to being a public company.

These investments may not result in increased revenue or growth in our business. If we fail to continue to grow our revenue and overall business, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be harmed.

We are a party to many license agreements which are complex and impose numerous obligations upon us which may make it difficult to operate our business, and a breach of such agreements could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Many of our license agreements are complex and impose numerous obligations on us, including obligations to, among other things:

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meet certain User and conversion targets in order to secure certain licenses and royalty rates;

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calculate and make payments based on complex royalty structures, which requires tracking usage of content on our Service that may have inaccurate or incomplete metadata necessary for such calculation;

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provide periodic reports on the exploitation of the content in specified formats;

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represent that we will obtain all necessary publishing licenses and consents and pay all associated fees, royalties, and other amounts due for the licensing of musical compositions;

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provide advertising inventory;

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comply with certain marketing and advertising restrictions; and

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comply with certain security and technical specifications.

Many of our license agreements grant the licensor the right to audit our compliance with the terms and conditions of such agreements. Some of our license agreements also include so-called “most favored nations” provisions which require that certain terms (including potentially the material terms) of such agreements are no less favorable than those provided to any similarly situated licensor. If triggered, these most favored nations provisions could cause our payments or other obligations under those agreements to escalate substantially. Additionally, some of our license agreements require consent to undertake certain business initiatives and without such consent, our ability to undertake new business initiatives may be limited. This could hurt our competitive position.

If we materially breach any of these obligations or any other obligations set forth in any of our license agreements, or if we use content in ways that are found to exceed the scope of such agreements, we could be subject to monetary penalties and our rights under such license agreements could be terminated, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. We have entered into settlement agreements requiring us to make substantial payments in the past, and may do so in the future, as a result of claims that we are in breach of certain provisions in, or have exceeded the scope of, our license agreements.

Our royalty payment scheme is complex, and it is difficult to estimate the amount payable under our license agreements.

Under our license agreements and relevant statutes, we must pay a royalty to record labels, music publishers, and other copyright owners in order to stream content. The determination of the amount and timing of such payments is complex and subject to a number of variables, including the revenue generated, the type of content streamed and the country in which it is streamed, the service tier such content is streamed on, identification of the appropriate license holder, size of User base, ratio of Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers, and any applicable advertising fees and discounts, among other variables. Additionally, we have

certain arrangements whereby royalty costs are paid in advance or are subject to minimum guaranteed amounts. An accrual is estimated when actual royalty costs to be incurred during a contractual period are expected to fall short of the minimum guaranteed amount. Moreover, for minimum guarantee arrangements for which we cannot reliably predict the underlying expense, we will expense the minimum guarantee on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement. Additionally, we also have license agreements that include so-called “most favored nations” provisions that require that the material terms of such agreements are the most favorable material terms provided to any music licensor, which, if triggered, could cause our royalty payments under those agreements to escalate substantially. An accrual and expense is recognized when it is probable that we will make additional royalty payments under these terms.

Though we are continually assessing the internal controls and systems we use to determine royalties payable, and because determining royalties payable is so complex, we have in the past and may in the future identify material weaknesses in our internal controls relating to our royalty payments. For example, for the year ended December 31, 2015, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for rights holders’ liabilities. As a result, we may underpay or overpay the royalty amounts payable to record labels, music publishers, and other copyright owners. Underpayment could result in (i) litigation or other disputes with record labels, music publishers, and other copyright owners, (ii) the unexpected payment of additional royalties in material amounts, and (iii) damage to our business relationships with record labels, music publishers, other copyright owners, and artists and/or artist groups. If we overpay royalties, we may be unable to reclaim such overpayments, and our profits will suffer. Failure to accurately pay our royalties may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Minimum guarantees required under certain of our license agreements for sound recordings and underlying musical compositions may limit our operating flexibility and may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Certain of our license agreements for sound recordings and musical compositions (both for mechanical rights and public performance rights) contain minimum guarantees and/or require that we make minimum guarantee payments. As of December 31, 2017, we have estimated future minimum guarantee commitments of €1.7 billion. Such minimum guarantees related to our content acquisition costs are not always tied to our number of Users, active Users, Premium Subscribers, or the number of sound recordings and musical compositions used on our Service. Accordingly, our ability to achieve and sustain profitability and operating leverage on our Service in part depends on our ability to increase our revenue through increased sales of Premium Services and advertising sales on terms that maintain an adequate gross margin. The duration of our license agreements that contain minimum guarantees is typically between one and two years, but our Premium Subscribers may cancel their subscriptions at any time. If our forecasts of Premium Subscriber acquisition do not meet our expectations or the number of our Premium Subscribers or advertising sales decline significantly during the term of our license agreements, our margins may be materially and adversely affected. To the extent our Premium Service revenue growth or advertising sales do not meet our expectations, our business, operating results, and financial condition also could be adversely affected as a result of such minimum guarantees. In addition, the fixed cost nature of these minimum guarantees may limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the market segments in which we operate.

We rely on estimates of the market share of licensable content controlled by each content provider, as well as our own User growth and forecasted advertising revenue, to forecast whether such minimum guarantees could be recouped against our actual content acquisition costs incurred over the duration of the license agreement. To the extent that these revenue and/or market share estimates underperform relative to our expectations, leading to content acquisition costs that do not exceed such minimum guarantees, our margins may be materially and adversely affected.

Difficulties in obtaining accurate and comprehensive information necessary to identify the compositions embodied in sound recordings on our Service and the ownership thereof may impact our ability to perform our obligations under our licenses, affect the size of our catalog, impact our ability to control content acquisition costs, and lead to potential copyright infringement claims.

Comprehensive and accurate ownership information for the musical compositions embodied in sound recordings is often unavailable to us or difficult or, in some cases, impossible for us to obtain, sometimes because it is withheld by the owners or administrators of such rights. We currently rely on the assistance of third parties to determine this information. If the information provided to us or obtained by such third parties does not comprehensively or accurately identify the ownership of musical compositions, or if we are unable to determine which musical compositions correspond to specific sound recordings, it may be difficult or impossible to identify the appropriate rights holders to whom to pay royalties. This may make it difficult to comply with the obligations of any agreements with those rights holders.

In the United States, we also rely on the assistance of third parties to issue notices of intent (“NOIs”) to obtain a compulsory license under Section 115 of the Copyright Act to those copyright owners with whom we do not have a direct license agreement or, in the case of unknown copyright owners, to the United States Copyright Office. The lack of comprehensive and accurate ownership information or the inability to determine which musical compositions correspond to specific sound recordings can cause difficulties in issuing NOIs to the correct parties (including the United States Copyright Office) or serving NOIs in a timely manner and can otherwise cause difficulties in obtaining licenses. This could lead to a reduction of sound recordings available to be streamed on our Service, adversely impacting our ability to retain and expand our User base, and could make it difficult to ensure that we are fully licensed.

These challenges, and others concerning the licensing of musical compositions embodied in sound recordings on our Service, may subject us to significant liability for copyright infringement, breach of contract, or other claims. See “Business—Legal Proceedings.”

If our security systems are breached, we may face civil liability, and public perception of our security measures could be diminished, either of which would negatively affect our ability to attract and retain Premium Subscribers, Ad-Supported Users, advertisers, content providers, and other business partners.

Techniques used to gain unauthorized access to data and software are constantly evolving, and we may be unable to anticipate or prevent unauthorized access to data pertaining to our Users, including credit card and debit card information and other personal data about our Users, business partners, and employees. Like all internet services, our Service, which is supported by our own systems and those of third parties that we work with, is vulnerable to software bugs, computer viruses, internet worms, break-ins, phishing attacks, attempts to overload servers with denial-of-service, or other attacks and similar disruptions from unauthorized use of our and third-party computer systems, any of which could lead to system interruptions, delays, or shutdowns, causing loss of critical data or the unauthorized access to personal data. Computer malware, viruses, and computer hacking and phishing attacks have become more prevalent in our industry, have occurred on our systems in the past, and may occur on our systems in the future. Because of our prominence, we believe that we are a particularly attractive target for such attacks. Though it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from any specific interruption or attack, any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security, and availability of our products and technical infrastructure to the satisfaction of our Users may harm our reputation and our ability to retain existing Users and attract new Users. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect our data and User data, to prevent data loss, to disable undesirable accounts and activities on our platform, and to prevent or detect security breaches, we cannot assure you that such measures will provide absolute security, and we may incur significant costs in protecting against or remediating cyber-attacks.

In addition, if an actual or perceived breach of security occurs to our systems or a third party’s systems, we may face regulatory or civil liability and public perception of our security measures could be diminished, either of which would negatively affect our ability to attract and retain Users, which in turn would harm our efforts to

attract and retain advertisers, content providers, and other business partners. We also would be required to expend significant resources to mitigate the breach of security and to address matters related to any such breach. We also may be required to notify regulators about any actual or perceived personal data breach (including the EU Lead Data Protection Authority) as well as the individuals who are affected by the incident within strict time periods.

Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to maintain the security of data relating to our Users, to comply with our posted privacy policy, laws and regulations, rules of self-regulatory organizations, industry standards, and contractual provisions to which we may be bound, could result in the loss of confidence in us, or result in actions against us by governmental entities or others, all of which could result in litigation and financial losses, and could potentially cause us to lose Users, advertisers, and revenues. In Europe, European Data Protection Authorities could impose fines and penalties of up to 4% of annual global turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher, for a personal data breach.

Assertions by third parties of infringement or other violation by us of their intellectual property rights could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Third parties have asserted, and may in the future assert, that we have infringed, misappropriated, or otherwise violated their copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property rights, and as we face increasing competition, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. See “Business—Legal Proceedings.”

Our ability to provide our Service is dependent upon our ability to license intellectual property rights to sound recordings and the musical compositions embodied therein, as well as related content such as album cover art and artist images. Various laws and regulations govern the copyright and other intellectual property rights associated with sound recordings and musical compositions. Existing laws and regulations are evolving and subject to different interpretations, and various legislative or regulatory bodies may expand current or enact new laws or regulations. Although we expend significant resources to seek to comply with the statutory, regulatory, and judicial frameworks by, for example, entering into license agreements, we cannot assure you that we are not infringing or violating any third-party intellectual property rights, or that we will not do so in the future. See “—Difficulties in obtaining accurate and comprehensive information necessary to identify the compositions embodied in sound recordings on our Service and the ownership thereof may impact our ability to perform our obligations under our licenses, affect the size of our catalog, impact our ability to control content acquisition costs, and lead to potential copyright infringement claims.”

In addition, music, internet, technology, and media companies are frequently subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, or other violations of intellectual property rights. Many companies in these industries, including many of our competitors, have substantially larger patent and intellectual property portfolios than we do, which could make us a target for litigation as we may not be able to assert counterclaims against parties that sue us for patent, or other intellectual property infringement. In addition, various “non-practicing entities” that own patents and other intellectual property rights often attempt to aggressively assert claims in order to extract value from technology companies. Further, from time to time we may introduce new products and services, including in territories where we currently do not have an offering, which could increase our exposure to patent and other intellectual property claims from competitors and non-practicing entities. It is difficult to predict whether assertions of third-party intellectual property rights or any infringement or misappropriation claims arising from such assertions will substantially harm our business, operating results, and financial condition. If we are forced to defend against any infringement or misappropriation claims, whether they are with or without merit, are settled out of court, or are determined in our favor, we may be required to expend significant time and financial resources on the defense of such claims. Furthermore, an adverse outcome of a dispute may require us to pay significant damages, which may be even greater if we are found to have willfully infringed upon a party’s intellectual property; cease exploiting copyrighted content that we have previously had the ability to exploit; cease using solutions that are alleged to infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property of others; expend additional development resources to redesign our solutions; enter into

potentially unfavorable royalty or license agreements in order to obtain the right to use necessary technologies, content, or materials; indemnify our partners and other third parties; and/or take other actions that may have material effects on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Moreover, we rely on multiple software programmers to design our proprietary technologies, and we regularly contribute software source code under “open source” licenses and have made technology we developed available under open source licenses. Although we make every effort to prevent the incorporation of licenses that would require us to disclose code and/or innovations in our products, we do not exercise complete control over the development efforts of our programmers, and we cannot be certain that our programmers have not used software that is subject to such licenses or that they will not do so in the future. In the event that portions of our proprietary technology are determined to be subject to licenses that require us to publicly release the affected portions of our source code, re-engineer a portion of our technologies, or otherwise be limited in the licensing of our technologies, we may be forced to do so, each of which could materially harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Finally, some of the content offered on our Service is generated by our Users, subjecting us to heightened risk of claims of intellectual property infringement by third-parties if Users do not obtain the appropriate authorizations from rights holders.

Failure to protect our intellectual property could substantially harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

The success of our business depends on our ability to protect and enforce our patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and all of our other intellectual property rights, including our intellectual property rights underlying our Service. We attempt to protect our intellectual property under patent, trade secret, trademark, and copyright law through a combination of employee, third-party assignment and nondisclosure agreements, other contractual restrictions, technological measures, and other methods. These afford only limited protection and we are still early in the process of securing our intellectual property rights. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights and trade secrets, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our song recommendation technology or other technology, or obtain and use our trade secrets and other confidential information. Moreover, policing our intellectual property rights is difficult and time consuming. We cannot assure you that we would have adequate resources to protect and police our intellectual property rights, and we cannot assure you that the steps we take to do so will always be effective.

We have filed, and may in the future file, patent applications on certain of our innovations. It is possible, however, that these innovations may not be patentable. In addition, given the cost, effort, risks, and downside of obtaining patent protection, including the requirement to ultimately disclose the invention to the public, we may choose not to seek patent protection for some innovations. Furthermore, our patent applications may not issue as granted patents, the scope of the protection gained may be insufficient or an issued patent may be deemed invalid or unenforceable. We also cannot guarantee that any of our present or future patents or other intellectual property rights will not lapse or be invalidated, circumvented, challenged, or abandoned. Neither can we guarantee that our intellectual property rights will provide competitive advantages to us. Our ability to assert our intellectual property rights against potential competitors or to settle current or future disputes could be limited by our relationships with third parties, and any of our pending or future patent applications may not have the scope of coverage originally sought. We cannot guarantee that our intellectual property rights will be enforced in jurisdictions where competition may be intense or where legal protection may be weak. We could lose both the ability to assert our intellectual property rights against, or to license our technology to, others and the ability to collect royalties or other payments.

We currently own the www.spotify.com internet domain name and various other related domain names. Internet regulatory bodies generally regulate domain names. If we lose the ability to use a domain name in a particular country, we would be forced either to incur significant additional expenses to market our Service within that country or, in extreme cases, to elect not to offer our Service in that country. Either result could harm

our business, operating results, and financial condition. The regulation of domain names in the United States and in foreign countries is subject to change. Regulatory bodies could establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may not be able to acquire or maintain the domain names that utilize our brand names in the United States or other countries in which we may conduct business in the future.

Litigation or proceedings before governmental authorities and administrative bodies may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our patent rights, trademarks, trade secrets, and domain names and to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Our efforts to enforce or protect our proprietary rights may be ineffective and could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management time, each of which could substantially harm our operating results. Additionally, changes in law may be implemented, or changes in interpretation of such laws may occur, that may affect our ability to protect and enforce our patents and other intellectual property.

Our User metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business.

We regularly review key metrics related to the operation of our business, including, but not limited to, our Ad-Supported MAUs, Content Hours, Content Hours Per MAU, MAUs, Premium ARPU, Premium Churn, and Premium Subscribers, to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance, and make strategic decisions. These metrics are calculated using internal company data and have not been validated by an independent third party. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates of our User base for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring how our Service is used across large populations globally. For example, we believe that there are individuals who have multiple Spotify accounts, which can result in an overstatement of Ad-Supported MAUs and MAUs.

Errors or inaccuracies in our metrics or data could result in incorrect business decisions and inefficiencies. For instance, if a significant understatement or overstatement of Ad-Supported MAUs and MAUs were to occur, we may expend resources to implement unnecessary business measures or fail to take required actions to attract a sufficient number of Users to satisfy our growth strategies.

In addition, advertisers generally rely on third-party measurement services to calculate our metrics, and these third-party measurement services may not reflect our true audience. Some of our demographic data also may be incomplete or inaccurate because Users self-report their names and dates of birth. Consequently, the personal data we have may differ from our Users’ actual names and ages. If advertisers, partners, or investors do not perceive our User, geographic, or other demographic metrics to be accurate representations of our User base, or if we discover material inaccuracies in our User, geographic, or other demographic metrics, our reputation may be seriously harmed. See “—We rely on advertising revenue from our Ad-Supported Service, and any failure to convince advertisers of the benefits of our Ad-Supported Service in the future could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition,” “—We are at risk of artificial manipulation of stream counts and failure to effectively manage and remediate such fraudulent streams could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Fraudulent streams and potentially associated fraudulent User accounts or artists may cause us to overstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly,” and “—We are at risk of attempts at unauthorized access to our Service and failure to effectively prevent and remediate such attempts could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Unauthorized access to our Service may cause us to misstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our metrics and could cause our stock price to drop significantly.”

We are at risk of attempts at unauthorized access to our Service, and failure to effectively prevent and remediate such attempts could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Unauthorized access to our Service may cause us to misstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly.

We have in the past been, and continue to be, impacted by attempts by third parties to manipulate and exploit our software for the purpose of gaining unauthorized access to our Service. For example, we have detected instances of third parties seeking to provide mobile device users a means to suppress advertisements without payment and gain access to features only available to the Ad-Supported Service on tablets. If in the future we fail to successfully detect and address such issues, it may have artificial effects on our key performance indicators, such as Content Hours, Content Hours per MAU, and MAUs, which underlie, among other things, our contractual obligations with rights holders and advertisers, as well as harm our relationship with advertisers and rights holders. This may impact our results of operations, particularly with respect to margins on our Ad-Supported segment, by increasing our Ad-Supported cost of revenue without a corresponding increase to our Ad-Supported revenue, and could expose us to claims for damages including, but not limited to, from rights holders, any of which could seriously harm our business. Additionally, unlike our Ad-Supported Users, individuals using unauthorized versions of our application are unlikely to convert to Premium Subscribers. Moreover, once we detect and correct such unauthorized access and any key performance indicators it affects, investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators could be undermined. These could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We are at risk of artificial manipulation of stream counts and failure to effectively manage and remediate such fraudulent streams could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Fraudulent streams and potentially associated fraudulent User accounts or artists may cause us to overstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly.

We have in the past been, and continue to be, impacted by attempts by third parties to artificially manipulate stream counts. Such attempts may, for example, be designed to generate revenue for rights holders or to influence placement of content on Spotify-created playlists or industry music charts. These potentially fraudulent streams also may involve the creation of non-bona fide User accounts or artists. For example, an individual might generate fake Users to stream songs repeatedly, thereby generating revenue each time the song is streamed; or might utilize fake Users to stream specific content to increase its visibility on our or third-party charts. We use a combination of algorithms and manual review by employees to detect fraudulent streams. However, we may not be successful in detecting, removing, and addressing all fraudulent streams (and any related User accounts). In 2017, we detected instances of botnet operators creating fake new User accounts seemingly for the above purposes. If in the future we fail to successfully detect, remove, and address fraudulent streams and associated User accounts, it may result in the manipulation of our data, including the key performance indicators which underlie, among other things, our contractual obligations with rights holders and advertisers (which could expose us to the risk of litigation), as well as harm our relationships with advertisers and rights holders. In addition, once we detect, correct, and disclose fraudulent streams and associated User accounts and the key performance indicators they affect, investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators could be undermined. These could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our business is subject to a variety of laws around the world. Government regulation of the internet is evolving and any changes in government regulations relating to the internet or other areas of our business or other unfavorable developments may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We are an international company that is registered under the laws of Luxembourg, and with offices and/or operations in 61 countries and territories around the world. As a result of this organizational structure and the

scope of our operations, we are subject to a variety of laws in different countries. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting. It also is likely that if our business grows and evolves and our solutions are used more globally, we will become subject to laws and regulations in additional jurisdictions. It is difficult to predict how existing laws will be applied to our business and the new laws to which we may become subject.

We are subject to general business regulations and laws, as well as regulations and laws specific to the internet. Such laws and regulations include, but are not limited to, labor, advertising and marketing, real estate, taxation, user privacy, data collection and protection, intellectual property, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, foreign exchange controls, antitrust and competition, electronic contracts, telecommunications, sales procedures, automatic subscription renewals, credit card processing procedures, consumer protections, broadband internet access, and content restrictions. We cannot guarantee that we have been or will be fully compliant in every jurisdiction in which we are subject to regulation, as existing laws and regulations governing issues such as intellectual property, privacy, taxation, and consumer protection, among others, are constantly changing. The adoption or modification of laws or regulations relating to the internet or other areas of our business could limit or otherwise adversely affect the manner in which we currently conduct our business. For example, certain jurisdictions have implemented or are contemplating implementing laws which may negatively impact our automatic renewal structure or our free or discounted trial incentives. Further, compliance with laws, regulations, and other requirements imposed upon our business may be onerous and expensive, and they may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, further increasing the cost of compliance and doing business.

Moreover, as internet commerce continues to evolve, increasing regulation by U.S. federal and state agencies and other international regulators becomes more likely and may lead to more stringent consumer protection laws, which may impose additional burdens on us. The adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the popularity or growth in use of the internet, including laws limiting internet neutrality, could decrease User demand for our Service and increase our cost of doing business. Future regulations, or changes in laws and regulations or their existing interpretations or applications, also could hinder our operational flexibility, raise compliance costs, and result in additional historical or future liabilities for us, resulting in material adverse impacts on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, and we may identify additional material weaknesses in the future that may cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result in material misstatements of our financial statements. If we fail to remediate any material weaknesses or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results could be adversely affected.

In connection with the audit of our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, we identified certain control deficiencies in the design and operation of our internal control over financial reporting that constituted material weaknesses. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The material weaknesses resulted from (i) our technology access and change control environment not supporting an efficient or effective internal controls framework, (ii) reconciliations and account analyses not being timely performed, (iii) the lack of review of manual journal entries, and (iv) inadequate segregation of duties in the procure to pay process. We remediated these material weaknesses by hiring additional accounting and finance personnel, creating a formal month-end close process, establishing more robust processes supporting internal control over financial reporting, implementing formal access and change controls to our systems, making changes to our information technology systems, and implementing NetSuite, a more robust enterprise resource planning system.

Additionally, for the year ended December 31, 2015, we identified a material weakness in our internal controls over the accounting for rights holder liabilities. This remains a material weakness as of the date of this prospectus. In order to remediate this material weakness, we have hired and plan to continue to hire additional accounting, finance, system engineers, and data analysts. We have implemented, and plan to continue to implement, new controls, new processes and technologies over the calculation, processing, reconciliations, and analysis of rights holder liabilities. In addition, we are planning to create a rights holder contracts compliance function. We cannot assure you that the measures that we have taken to remediate, and that will be taken to remediate, this material weakness and prior material weaknesses will be sufficient to prevent future material weaknesses from occurring. We also cannot assure you that we have identified all of our existing material weaknesses.

Neither we nor our registered public accounting firm have performed an assessment or audit, respectively, of our internal control over financial reporting during any period in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”).

In light of the control deficiencies and the resulting material weaknesses that were previously identified as a result of the limited procedures performed, we believe that it is possible that, had we and our registered public accounting firm performed an assessment or audit, respectively, of our internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, additional material weaknesses may have been identified.

If we identify future material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or fail to meet the demands that will be placed upon us as a public company, including the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results, or report them within the timeframes required by law or stock exchange regulations. Under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we will be required to evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and provide a management report as to internal control over financial reporting. Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting also could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. We cannot assure you that our existing material weakness will be remediated or that additional material weaknesses will not exist or otherwise be discovered, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our business emphasizes rapid innovation and prioritizes long-term User engagement over short-term financial condition or results of operations. That strategy may yield results that sometimes do not align with the market’s expectations. If that happens, our stock price may be negatively affected.

Our business is growing and becoming more complex, and our success depends on our ability to quickly develop and launch new and innovative products. We believe our culture fosters this goal. Our focus on complexity and quick reactions could result in unintended outcomes or decisions that are poorly received by our Users, advertisers, or partners. Our culture also prioritizes our long-term User engagement over short-term financial condition or results of operations. We frequently make decisions that may reduce our short-term revenue or profitability if we believe that the decisions benefit the aggregate User experience and will thereby improve our financial performance over the long-term. These decisions may not produce the long-term benefits that we expect, in which case, our User growth and engagement, our relationships with advertisers and partners, as well as our business, operating results, and financial condition could be seriously harmed.

We depend on highly skilled key personnel to operate our business, and if we are unable to attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel, our ability to develop and successfully grow our business could be harmed.

We believe that our future success is highly dependent on the talents and contributions of our senior management, including Daniel Ek, our Chief Executive Officer, members of our executive team, and other key employees, such as key engineering, finance, research and development, marketing, and sales personnel. Our

future success depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. All of our employees, including our senior management, are free to terminate their employment relationship with us at any time, and their knowledge of our business and industry may be difficult to replace. Qualified individuals are in high demand, particularly in the digital media industry, and we may incur significant costs to attract them. We use equity awards to attract talented employees. If the value of our ordinary shares declines significantly and remains depressed, that may prevent us from recruiting and retaining qualified employees. If we are unable to attract and retain our senior management and key employees, we may not be able to achieve our strategic objectives, and our business could be harmed. In addition, we believe that our key executives have developed highly successful and effective working relationships. We cannot ensure that we will be able to retain the services of any members of our senior management or other key employees. If one or more of these individuals leave, we may not be able to fully integrate new executives or replicate the current dynamic, and working relationships that have developed among our senior management and other key personnel, and our operations could suffer.

Streaming depends on effectively working with third-party platforms, operating systems, online platforms, hardware, networks, regulations, and standards we do not control. Changes in our Service or those operating systems, hardware, networks, regulations, or standards, and our limitations on our ability to access those platforms, operating systems, hardware, or networks may seriously harm our business.

Our Service requires high-bandwidth data capabilities. If the costs of data usage increase or access to data networks is limited, our business may be seriously harmed. Additionally, to deliver high-quality audio, video, and other content over networks, our services must work well with a range of technologies, systems, networks, regulations, and standards that we do not control. In addition, the adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth, popularity, or use of the internet, including laws governing internet neutrality, could decrease the demand for our Service and increase our cost of doing business. Previously, Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) “open internet rules” prohibited mobile providers in the United States from impeding access to most content, or otherwise unfairly discriminating against content providers like us. These rules also prohibited mobile providers from entering into arrangements with specific content providers for faster or better access over their data networks. However, on December 14, 2017, the FCC voted to repeal the “open internet rules” and as a result, broadband services are now subject to less U.S. federal regulation. A number of parties have already stated they would appeal this order, and it is possible Congress may adopt legislation restoring some of the “open internet rules.” If, as a result of the repeal of “open internet rules,” broadband providers in the United States decrease access to certain content, start entering into arrangements with specific content providers for faster or better access over their data networks, or otherwise unfairly discriminate against content providers like us, this could increase our cost of doing business and put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to larger competitors. Additionally, mobile providers may be able to limit our Users’ ability to access Spotify or make Spotify a less attractive alternative to our competitors’ applications. If that occurs, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be seriously harmed.

The European Union (the “EU”) currently requires equal access to internet content. Additionally, as part of its Digital Single Market initiative, the EU may impose network security, disability access, or 911-like obligations on “over-the-top” services such as those provided by us, which could increase our costs. If the EU or the courts modify these open internet rules, mobile providers may be able to limit our Users’ ability to access Spotify or make Spotify a less attractive alternative to our competitors’ applications. If that occurs, our business, operating results, and financial condition would be seriously harmed.

We rely on a variety of operating systems, online platforms, hardware, and networks to reach our customers. These platforms range from desktop and mobile operating systems and application stores to wearables and intelligent voice assistants. The owners or operators of these platforms may not share our interests and may restrict our access to them or place conditions on access that would materially affect our ability to access those platforms. In particular, where the owner of a platform also is our direct competitor, the platform may attempt to use this position to affect our access to customers and ability to compete. For example, an online platform might

arbitrarily remove our Service from its platform, deprive us of access to business critical data, or engage in other harmful practices. Online platforms also may unilaterally impose certain requirements that negatively affect our ability to convert Users to the Premium Service, such as conditions that limit our freedom to communicate promotions and offers to our customers. Similarly, online platforms may force us to use the platform’s payment processing systems which may be inferior to and more costly than other payment processing services available in the market.

Online platforms frequently change the rules and requirements for services like ours to access the platform, and such changes may adversely affect the success or desirability of our Service. Online platforms may limit our access to information about customers, limiting our ability to convert and retain them. Online platforms also may deny access to application programming interfaces (“API”) or documentation, limiting functionality of our Service on the platform.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the requirements of those operating systems, online platforms, hardware, networks, regulations, and standards on which our Service depends, and failure to do so could result in serious harm to our business.

We face and will continue to face competition for Ad-Supported Users, Premium Subscribers, and User listening time.

We compete for the time and attention of our Users with other content providers on the basis of a number of factors, including quality of experience, relevance, diversity of content, ease of use, price, accessibility, perception of advertising load, brand awareness, and reputation.

We compete with providers of on-demand music, which is purchased or available for free and playable on mobile devices and in the home. These forms of media may be purchased, downloaded, and owned such as iTunes audio files, MP3s, or CDs, or accessed from subscription or free online on-demand offerings by music providers or content streams from other online services. We face increasing competition for Users from a growing variety of businesses, including other subscription music services around the world, many of which offer services that seek to emulate our Service, that deliver music content over the internet, through mobile phones, and through other wireless devices. Many of our current or future competitors are already entrenched or may have significant brand recognition in a particular region or market in which we seek to penetrate.

We also compete with providers of internet radio both online and through connected mobile devices. These internet radio providers may offer more extensive content libraries than we offer and some may be offered internationally more broadly than our Service. In addition, internet radio providers may leverage their existing infrastructure and content libraries, as well as their brand recognition and user base, to augment their services by offering competing on-demand music features to provide Users with more comprehensive music service delivery choices.

Our competitors also include terrestrial radio, satellite radio, and online radio. Terrestrial radio providers often offer their content for free, are well-established and accessible to consumers, and offer media content that we currently do not offer. In addition, many terrestrial radio stations have begun broadcasting digital signals, which provide high-quality audio transmission. Satellite radio providers may offer extensive and exclusive news, comedy, sports and talk content, and national signal coverage.

We believe that companies with a combination of technical expertise, brand recognition, financial resources, and digital media experience also pose a significant threat of developing competing on-demand music distribution technologies. In particular, if known incumbents in the digital media space such as Facebook choose to offer competing services, they may devote greater resources than we have available, have a more accelerated time frame for deployment, and leverage their existing user base and proprietary technologies to provide services that our Users and advertisers may view as superior. Furthermore, Amazon Prime, Apple Music, Deezer, Google

Play Music, Joox, Pandora, SoundCloud, and others have competing services, which may negatively impact our business, operating results, and financial condition. Our current and future competitors may have higher brand recognition, more established relationships with music and other content licensors and mobile device manufacturers, greater financial, technical, and other resources, more sophisticated technologies, and/or more experience in the markets in which we compete. In addition, Apple and Google also own application store platforms and are charging in-application purchase fees, which are not being levied on their own applications, thus creating a competitive advantage for themselves against us. As the market for on-demand music on the internet and mobile and connected devices increases, new competitors, business models, and solutions are likely to emerge.

We also compete for Users based on our presence and visibility as compared with other businesses and platforms that deliver music content through the internet and mobile devices. We face significant competition for Users from companies promoting their own digital music content online or through application stores, including several large, well-funded, and seasoned participants in the digital media market. Mobile device application stores often offer users the ability to browse applications by various criteria, such as the number of downloads in a given time period, the length of time since a mobile application was released or updated, or the category in which the application is placed. The websites and mobile applications of our competitors may rank higher than our website and our Spotify mobile application, and our application may be difficult to locate in mobile device application stores, which could draw potential Users away from our Service and toward those of our competitors. In addition, some of our competitors, including Apple, Amazon, and Google, have developed, and are continuing to develop, devices for which their music streaming service is preloaded, creating a visibility advantage. If we are unable to compete successfully for Users against other digital media providers by maintaining and increasing our presence and visibility online, on mobile devices, and in application stores, our number of Premium Subscribers and songs streamed on our Service may fail to increase or may decline and our subscription fees and advertising sales may suffer. See ”—If our efforts to attract prospective Users and to retain existing Users are not successful, our growth prospects and revenue will be adversely affected.”

We compete for a share of advertisers’ overall marketing budgets with other content providers on a variety of factors including perceived return on investment, effectiveness and relevance of our advertising products, pricing structure, and ability to deliver large volumes or precise types of advertisements to targeted User demographic pools. We also compete for advertisers with a range of internet companies, including major internet portals, search engine companies, social media sites, and applications, as well as traditional advertising channels such as terrestrial radio.

Large internet companies with strong brand recognition, such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter, have significant numbers of direct sales personnel, substantial advertising inventory, proprietary advertising technology solutions, and web and mobile traffic that provide a significant competitive advantage and have a significant impact on pricing for internet advertising and web and mobile traffic. Failure to compete successfully against our current or future competitors could result in loss of current or potential advertisers, a reduced share of our advertisers’ overall marketing budget, loss of existing or potential Users, or diminished brand strength, which could adversely affect our pricing and margins, lower our revenue, increase our research and development and marketing expenses, and prevent us from achieving or maintaining profitability.

Our Service and software are highly technical and may contain undetected software bugs or vulnerabilities, which could manifest in ways that could seriously harm our reputation and our business.

Our Service and software are highly technical and complex. Our Service, Spotify Connect, which allows Users to use the Spotify application to transfer and control playback on speakers, receivers, TVs, cars, smart watches, other phones, tablets, computers, or game consoles, and Spotify for Artists, which provides numerous analytics for artists, or any other products we may introduce in the future, may contain undetected software bugs, hardware errors, and other vulnerabilities. These bugs and errors can manifest in any number of ways in our products, including through diminished performance, security vulnerabilities, malfunctions, or even permanently

disabled products. We have a practice of rapidly updating our products and some errors in our products may be discovered only after a product has been used by Users, and may in some cases be detected only under certain circumstances or after extended use. Any errors, bugs, or other vulnerabilities discovered in our code or backend after release could damage our reputation, drive away Users, allow third parties to manipulate or exploit our software (including, for example, providing mobile device users a means to suppress advertisements without payment and gain access to features only available to the Ad-Supported Service on tablets), lower revenue, and expose us to claims for damages, any of which could seriously harm our business. See “— We are at risk of attempts at unauthorized access to our Service, and failure to effectively prevent and remediate such attempts could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Unauthorized access to our Service may cause us to misstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly.” Additionally, errors, bugs, or other vulnerabilities may—either directly or if exploited by third parties—affect our ability to make accurate royalty payments. See “—Our royalty payment scheme is complex, and it is difficult to estimate the amount payable under our license agreements.”

We also could face claims for product liability, tort, or breach of warranty. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, is costly and may divert management’s attention and seriously harm our reputation and our business. In addition, if our liability insurance coverage proves inadequate or future coverage is unavailable on acceptable terms or at all, our business could be seriously harmed.

Interruptions, delays or discontinuations in service arising from our own systems or from third parties could impair the delivery of our Service and harm our business.

We rely on systems housed in our own facilities and upon third parties, including bandwidth providers and third-party “cloud” data storage services, to enable our Users to receive our content in a dependable, timely, and efficient manner. We have experienced and may in the future experience periodic service interruptions and delays involving our own systems and those of third parties that we work with. Both our own facilities and those of third parties are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, floods, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures, and similar events. They also are subject to break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism, the failure of physical, administrative, technical, and cyber security measures, terrorist acts, natural disasters, human error, the financial insolvency of third parties that we work with, and other unanticipated problems or events. The occurrence of any of these events could result in interruptions in our Service and to unauthorized access to, or alteration of, the content and data contained on our systems and that these third parties store and deliver on our behalf.

Any disruption in the services provided by these third parties could materially adversely impact our business reputation, customer relations, and operating results. Upon expiration or termination of any of our agreements with third parties, we may not be able to replace the services provided to us in a timely manner or on terms and conditions, including service levels and cost, that are favorable to us, and a transition from one third party to another could subject us to operational delays and inefficiencies until the transition is complete.

We rely upon the Google Cloud Platform to operate certain aspects of our business and to store all of our data, and any disruption of or interference with our use of the Google Cloud Platform could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Google Cloud Platform (“GCP”) provides a distributed computing infrastructure platform for business operations, or what is commonly referred to as a cloud computing service. We have designed our software and computer systems to utilize data processing, storage capabilities, and other services provided by GCP. Currently, we are in the process of transitioning all of our data storage (including personal data of Users and music data licensed from rights holders) and computing from our own servers to GCP. We cannot easily switch our GCP operations to another cloud provider, and any disruption of, or interference with, our use of GCP could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. While the consumer side of

Google competes with us, we do not believe that Google will use the GCP operation in such a manner as to gain competitive advantage against our Service.

If we fail to accurately predict, recommend, and play music that our Users enjoy, we may fail to retain existing Users and attract new Users in sufficient numbers to meet investor expectations for growth or to operate our business profitably.

We believe that a key differentiating factor between Spotify and other music content providers is our ability to predict music that our Users will enjoy. Our system for predicting User music preferences and selecting music tailored to our Users’ individual music tastes is based on advanced data analytics systems and our proprietary algorithms. We have invested, and will continue to invest, significant resources in refining these technologies; however, we cannot assure you that such investments will yield an attractive return or that such refinements will be effective. The effectiveness of our ability to predict User music preferences and select music tailored to our Users’ individual music tastes depends in part on our ability to gather and effectively analyze large amounts of User data. In addition, our ability to offer Users songs that they have not previously heard and impart a sense of discovery depends on our ability to acquire and appropriately categorize additional songs that will appeal to our Users’ diverse and changing tastes. While we have a large catalog of songs available to stream, we must continuously identify and analyze additional songs that our Users will enjoy and we may not effectively do so. Our ability to predict and select music content that our Users enjoy is critical to the perceived value of our Service among Users and failure to make accurate predictions could materially adversely affect our ability to adequately attract and retain Users, increase Content Hours, and sell advertising to meet investor expectations for growth or to operate the business profitably.

If we fail to effectively manage our growth, our business, operating results, and financial condition may suffer.

Our rapid growth has placed, and will continue to place, significant demands on our management and our operational and financial infrastructure. In order to attain and maintain profitability, we will need to recruit, integrate, and retain skilled and experienced personnel who can demonstrate our value proposition to Users, advertisers, and business partners and who can increase the monetization of the music streamed on our Service, particularly on mobile devices. Continued growth also could strain our ability to maintain reliable service levels for our Users, effectively monetize the music streamed, develop and improve our operational and financial controls, and recruit, train, and retain highly skilled personnel. If our systems do not evolve to meet the increased demands placed on us by an increasing number of advertisers, we also may be unable to meet our obligations under advertising agreements with respect to the delivery of advertising or other performance obligations. As our operations grow in size, scope, and complexity, we will need to improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure, which will require significant expenditures and allocation of valuable technical and management resources. If we fail to maintain efficiency and allocate limited resources effectively in our organization as it grows, our business, operating results, and financial condition may suffer.

We have experienced rapid growth rates in both the number of active Users of our Service and revenue over the last few years. As we grow larger and increase our User base and usage, we expect it will become increasingly difficult to maintain the rate of growth we currently experience.

Our ability to increase the number of our Users will depend in part on our ability to distribute our Service, which may be affected by third-party interference beyond our control.

The use of our Service depends on the ability of our Users to access the internet, our website, and our app. Enterprises or professional organizations, including governmental agencies, could block access to the internet, our website, and our application for a number of reasons such as security or confidentiality concerns or regulatory reasons that could adversely impact our User base.

Additionally, we distribute our application via smartphone and tablet application download stores managed by Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, among others. Certain of these companies are now, and others may in the future become, competitors of ours, and could stop allowing or supporting access to our Service through their products, could allow access for us only at an unsustainable cost, or could make changes to the terms of access in order to make our Service less desirable or harder to access, for competitive reasons. Furthermore, because devices providing access to our Service are not manufactured and sold by us, we cannot guarantee that these devices perform reliably, and any faulty connection between these devices and our Service may result in consumer dissatisfaction toward us, which could damage our brand.

If we are unable to increase revenue from our Service on mobile devices, such as smartphones, our results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our business model with respect to monetization of our Service on mobile and connected devices is still evolving. As Users migrate away from personal computers, there is increasing pressure to monetize mobile. In all markets except Taiwan, we offer our Ad-Supported Service on mobile, from which we generate advertising revenue. However, to date we primarily rely on our Premium Services to generate revenue on mobile and other connected devices. If we are unable to effectively monetize our Service on mobile and connected devices, our business, operating results, and financial condition may suffer.

We rely on advertising revenue from our Ad-Supported Service, and any failure to convince advertisers of the benefits of our Ad-Supported Service in the future could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our ability to attract and retain advertisers, and ultimately to generate advertising revenue, depends on a number of factors, including:

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increasing the number of hours our Ad-Supported Users spend listening to music or otherwise engaging with content on our Ad-Supported Service;

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increasing the number of Ad-Supported Users;

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keeping pace with changes in technology and our competitors;

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competing effectively for advertising dollars from other online and mobile marketing and media companies;

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maintaining and growing our relationships with marketers, agencies, and other demand sources who purchase advertising inventory from us; and

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continuing to develop and diversify our advertisement platform, which currently includes delivery of advertising products through multiple delivery channels, including traditional computers, mobile, and other connected devices.

We may not succeed in capturing a greater share of our advertisers’ core marketing budgets, particularly if we are unable to achieve the scale, reach, products, and market penetration necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of our advertising solutions, or if our advertising model proves ineffective or not competitive when compared to other alternatives and platforms through which advertisers choose to invest their budgets.

Failure to grow the Ad-Supported User base and to effectively demonstrate the value of our Ad-Supported Service to advertisers could result in loss of, or reduced spending by, existing or potential future advertisers, which would materially harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Selling advertisements requires that we demonstrate to advertisers that our Ad-Supported Service has substantial reach and engagement by relevant demographic audiences. Some of our demographic data may be incomplete or inaccurate. For example, because Ad-Supported Users self-report their names and dates of birth,

the personal data we have may differ from our Ad-Supported Users’ actual names and ages. If our Ad-Supported Users provide us with incorrect or incomplete information regarding their name, age, or other attributes, then we may fail to target the correct demographic with our advertising. Advertisers often rely on third parties to quantify the reach and usage of our Ad-Supported Service. These third-party measurement services may not reflect our true audience, and their underlying methodologies are subject to change at any time. In addition, the methodologies we apply to measure the key performance indicators that we use to monitor and manage our business may differ from the methodologies used by third-party measurement service providers, who may not integrate effectively with our Ad-Supported Service. Measurement technologies for mobile devices may be even less reliable in quantifying the reach and usage of our Ad-Supported Service, and it is not clear whether such technologies will integrate with our systems or uniformly and comprehensively reflect the reach, usage, or overall audience composition of our Ad-Supported Service. If such third-party measurement providers report lower metrics than we do, there is wide variance among reported metrics, or we cannot adequately integrate with such services that advertisers require, our ability to convince advertisers of the benefits of our Ad-Supported Service could be adversely affected. See “—Our User metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business.”

Negative media coverage could adversely affect our business.

We receive a high degree of media coverage around the world. Unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, payments to music labels, publishers, artists, and other copyright owners, our privacy practices, terms of service, service changes, service quality, litigation or regulatory activity, government surveillance, the actions of our advertisers, the actions of our developers whose services are integrated with our Service, the use of our Service for illicit, objectionable, or illegal ends, the actions of our Users, the quality and integrity of content shared on our Service, or the actions of other companies that provide similar services to us, could materially adversely affect our reputation. Such negative publicity also could have an adverse effect on the size, engagement, and loyalty of our User base and result in decreased revenue, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our business depends on a strong brand, and any failure to maintain, protect, and enhance our brand would hurt our ability to retain or expand our base of Ad-Supported Users, Premium Subscribers, and advertisers.

We have developed a strong brand that we believe has contributed significantly to the success of our business. Maintaining, protecting, and enhancing the “Spotify” brand is critical to expanding our base of Ad-Supported Users, Premium Subscribers, and advertisers, and will depend largely on our ability to continue to develop and provide an innovative and high-quality experience for our Users and to attract advertisers, content owners, mobile device manufacturers, and other consumer electronic product manufacturers to work with us, which we may not do successfully. If we do not successfully maintain a strong brand, our business could be harmed.

Our brand may be impaired by a number of other factors, including any failure to keep pace with technological advances on our platform or with our Service, slower load times for our Service, a decline in the quality or quantity of the content available on our Service, a failure to protect our intellectual property rights, or any alleged violations of law, regulations, or public policy. Additionally, the actions of our developers, advertisers, and content partners may affect our brand if Users do not have a positive experience using third-party applications or websites integrated with Spotify or that make use of Spotify content. Further, if our partners fail to maintain high standards for products that are integrated into our Service, fail to display our trademarks on their products in breach of our agreements with them, or use our trademarks incorrectly or in an unauthorized manner, or if we partner with manufacturers of products that our Users reject, the strength of our brand could be adversely affected.

We have not historically been required to spend considerable resources to establish and maintain our brand. However, if we are unable to maintain the growth rate in the number of our Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers, we may be required to expend greater resources on advertising, marketing, and other brand-building efforts to preserve and enhance consumer awareness of our brand, which would adversely affect our operating results and may not be effective.

Our trademarks, trade dress, and other designations of origin are important elements of our brand. We have registered “Spotify” and other marks as trademarks in the United States and certain other jurisdictions around the world. Nevertheless, competitors or other companies may adopt marks similar to ours, or use our marks and confusingly similar terms as keywords in internet search engine advertising programs, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to confusion among our Users. We cannot assure you that our trademark applications, even for key marks, will be approved. We may face opposition from third parties to our applications to register key trademarks in foreign jurisdictions in which we have expanded or may expand our presence. If we are unsuccessful in defending against these oppositions, our trademark applications may be denied. Whether or not our trademark applications are denied, third parties may claim that our trademarks infringe upon their rights. As a result, we could be forced to pay significant settlement costs or cease the use of these trademarks and associated elements of our brand in those or other jurisdictions. Doing so could harm our brand or brand recognition and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operation.

Various regulations as well as self-regulation related to privacy and data security concerns pose the threat of lawsuits and other liability, require us to expend significant resources, and may harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

We collect and utilize personal and other information from and about our Users as they interact with our Service. Various laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing, and security of the data we receive from and about our Users. Privacy groups and government bodies have increasingly scrutinized the ways in which companies link personal identities and data associated with particular users or devices with data collected through the internet, and we expect such scrutiny to continue to increase. Alleged violations of laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security, and any relevant claims, may expose us to potential liability and may require us to expend significant resources in responding to and defending such allegations and claims. Claims or allegations that we have violated laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security could in the future result in negative publicity and a loss of confidence in us by our Users and our partners. Such claims or allegations also may subject us to fines, including by data protection authorities and credit card companies, and could result in the loss of our ability to accept credit and debit card payments.

Existing privacy-related laws and regulations in the United States and other countries are evolving and are subject to potentially differing interpretations, and various U.S. federal and state or other international legislative and regulatory bodies may expand or enact laws regarding privacy and data security-related matters. For example, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) will come into effect on May 25, 2018, and may require us to change our privacy and data security practices. The GDPR will implement more stringent operational requirements for processors and controllers of personal data, including, for example, requiring expanded disclosures about how personal information is to be used, limitations on retention of information, mandatory data breach notification requirements, and higher standards for data controllers to demonstrate that they have obtained valid consent or have another legal basis in place to justify their data processing activities. The GDPR provides that EU member states may make their own additional laws and regulations in relation to certain data processing activities, which could limit our ability to use and share personal data or could require localized changes to our operating model. Under the GDPR, fines of up to €20 million or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher, may be assessed for non-compliance. These new laws also could cause our costs to increase and result in further administrative costs to providing our Service.

We also are subject to evolving EU laws on data export, as we may at times transfer personal data from the EU to other jurisdictions. For example, in 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union invalidated the U.S.-

EU Safe Harbor framework regarding the transfer of personal data from the EU to the United States. EU and U.S. negotiators agreed in February 2016 to a new framework, the Privacy Shield, which would replace the Safe Harbor framework. However, there is currently litigation challenging this framework as well as litigation challenging other EU mechanisms for adequate data transfers (for example, the standard contractual clauses), and it is uncertain whether the Privacy Shield framework and/or the standard contractual clauses similarly will be invalidated by the EU courts in the future. We rely on a mixture of mechanisms to transfer data to and from our EU business to the United States and could be impacted by changes in law as a result of the current challenges to these mechanisms in the European courts.

In recent years, U.S. and European lawmakers and regulators have expressed concern over electronic marketing and the use of third-party cookies, web beacons, and similar technology for online behavioral advertising. In the EU, under the current Directive 2002/58 on Privacy and Electronic Communications (the “ePrivacy Directive”), informed and freely given consent is required for the placement of certain cookies on a user’s device. Once the GDPR comes into force, the higher standard required for valid consent under the GDPR will equally apply to consent required under the ePrivacy Directive. The ePrivacy Directive is also under reform. A draft of the new Regulation (EC) 2017/0003 concerning the respect for private life and the protection of personal data in electronic communications and repealing Directive 2002/58/EC (the “draft ePrivacy Regulation”) was announced on January 10, 2017. While it was originally intended to become applicable on May 25, 2018 (alongside the GDPR), the current draft ePrivacy Regulation is still going through the European legislative process. Unlike the current ePrivacy Directive, the draft ePrivacy Regulation will be implemented directly into the laws of each of the EU member states, without the need for further enactment. When implemented, the ePrivacy Regulation may impose a requirement for opt-in consent for the collection of information from Users’ equipment as well as the use of third-party cookies, web beacons, and similar technology for tracking users for online behavioral advertising. The current provisions of the draft ePrivacy Regulation extend the strict opt-in marketing rules with limited exceptions to business to business communications and significantly increase penalties which can reach up to €20 million or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher, for non-compliance.

We may find it necessary or desirable to join self-regulatory bodies or other privacy-related organizations that require compliance with their rules pertaining to privacy and data security. We also may be bound by contractual obligations that limit our ability to collect, use, disclose, share, and leverage User data and to derive economic value from it. New laws, amendments to, or reinterpretations of existing laws, rules of self-regulatory bodies, industry standards, and contractual obligations, as well as changes in our Users’ expectations and demands regarding privacy and data security, may limit our ability to collect, use, and disclose, and to leverage and derive economic value from User data. Restrictions on our ability to collect, access and harness User data, or to use or disclose User data or any profiles that we develop using such data, may require us to expend significant resources to adapt to these changes, and would in turn limit our ability to stream personalized music content to our Users and offer targeted advertising opportunities to our Ad-Supported Users.

In addition, any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with privacy or security laws, policies, legal obligations, industry standards, or any security incident that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personal data may result in governmental enforcement actions and investigations, including fines and penalties, enforcement orders requiring us to cease processing or operate in a certain way, litigation and/or adverse publicity, including by consumer advocacy groups, and could cause our customers to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation and business. Such failures could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations. If the third parties we work with (for example, cloud-based vendors) violate applicable laws or contractual obligations or suffer a security breach, such violations also may put us in breach of our obligations under privacy laws and regulations and/or could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business.

We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses to comply with privacy and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, self-regulatory bodies, industry standards, and contractual obligations.

Increased regulation of data capture, analysis, and utilization and distribution practices, including self-regulation and industry standards, could increase our cost of operation, limit our ability to grow our operations, or otherwise adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Changes in regulations or User concerns regarding privacy and protection of User data, or any failure or appearance of failure to comply with such laws, could diminish the value of our Service and cause us to lose Users and revenue.

The regulatory framework for privacy issues worldwide is currently in flux and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Practices regarding the collection, use, storage, transmission, and security of personal information by companies operating over the internet have recently come under increased public scrutiny. The U.S. government, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, may continue to review the need for greater regulation over the collection of information concerning consumer behavior on the internet, including regulation aimed at restricting certain targeted advertising practices. In addition, the EU may continue to review the need for greater regulation or reform to its existing data protection legal framework, which may result in a greater compliance burden for companies with users in Europe. Various government and consumer agencies also have called for new regulation and changes in industry practices. Our business, including our ability to operate and expand internationally, could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations are adopted, interpreted, or implemented in a manner that is inconsistent with our current business practices and that require changes to these practices, the design of our website, services, features, or our privacy policy. In particular, the success of our business has been, and we expect will continue to be, driven by our ability to responsibly use the personal data that our Users share with us. Therefore, our business could be harmed by any significant change to applicable laws, regulations, or industry practices regarding the use of our Users’ personal data, for example regarding the manner in which disclosures are made and how the express or implied consent of Users for the use of personal data is obtained. Such changes may require us to modify our services and features, possibly in a material manner, and may limit our ability to develop new services and features that make use of the data that our Users voluntarily share with us. In addition, some of our developers or other partners, such as those that help us measure the effectiveness of ads, may receive or store information provided by us or by our Users through mobile or web applications integrated with our Service. We provide limited information to such third parties based on the scope of services provided to us. However, if these third parties or developers fail to adopt or adhere to adequate data security practices, or in the event of a breach of their networks, our data or our Users’ data may be improperly accessed, used, or disclosed.

We are subject to a number of risks related to credit card and debit card payments we accept.

We accept payments mainly through credit and debit card transactions. For credit and debit card payments, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time. An increase in those fees would require us to either increase the prices we charge for our Premium Service, which could cause us to lose Premium Subscribers and subscription revenue, or suffer an increase in our costs without a corresponding increase in the price we charge for our Premium Service, either of which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Additionally, we rely on third-party service providers for payment processing services, including the processing of credit and debit cards. In particular, we rely on one third-party service provider, Adyen, for approximately 70% of our payment processing. Our business could be materially disrupted if these third-party service providers become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us.

If we or our service providers for payment processing services have problems with our billing software, or the billing software malfunctions, it could have a material adverse effect on our User satisfaction and could cause one or more of the major credit card companies to disallow our continued use of their payment products. In addition, if our billing software fails to work properly and, as a result, we do not automatically charge our Premium Subscribers’ credit cards on a timely basis or at all, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We also are subject to payment card association operating rules, certification requirements, and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it more difficult for us to comply. Currently, we are fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard v3.2 (“PCI DSS”), a security standard with which companies that collect, store, or transmit certain data regarding credit and debit cards, credit and debit card holders, and credit and debit card transactions are required to comply. This is an annual certification exercise, and if we fail to comply, we may violate payment card association operating rules, U.S. federal and state laws and regulations, and the terms of our contracts with payment processors and merchant banks. Such failure to comply fully also may subject us to fines, penalties, damages, and civil liability, and may result in the loss of our ability to accept credit and debit card payments. Further, there is no guarantee that, even if we are in compliance with PCI DSS, we will maintain PCI DSS compliance or that such compliance will prevent illegal or improper use of our payment systems or the theft, loss, or misuse of data pertaining to credit and debit cards, credit and debit card holders, and credit and debit card transactions.

If we fail to adequately control fraudulent credit card transactions, we may face civil liability, diminished public perception of our security measures, and significantly higher credit card-related costs, each of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. If we are unable to maintain our chargeback rate or refund rates at acceptable levels, credit card and debit card companies may increase our transaction fees or terminate their relationships with us. Any increases in our credit card and debit card fees could adversely affect our results of operations, particularly if we elect not to raise our rates for our Premium Service to offset the increase. The termination of our ability to process payments on any major credit or debit card would significantly impair our ability to operate our business.

We are subject to a number of risks related to other payment solution providers.

We accept payments through various payment solution providers, such as telco integrated billings and prepaid codes vendors. These payment solution providers provide services to us in exchange for a fee, which may be subject to change. Furthermore, we rely on their accurate and timely reports on sales and redemptions. If such accurate and timely reports are not being provided, it will affect the accuracy of our reports to our licensors, and also affect the accuracy of our financial reporting.

We face many risks associated with our international expansion, including difficulties obtaining rights to stream music on favorable terms.

We are continuing to expand our operations into additional international markets. However, offering our Service in a new geographical area involves numerous risks and challenges. For example, the licensing terms offered by rights organizations and individual copyright owners in countries around the world are currently expensive. Addressing licensing structure and royalty rate issues in any new geographic market requires us to make very substantial investments of time, capital, and other resources, and our business could fail if such investments do not succeed. There can be no assurance that we will succeed or achieve any return on these investments.

In addition to the above, continued expansion around the world exposes us to other risks such as:

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lack of well-functioning copyright collective management organizations that are able to grant us music licenses, process reports, and distribute royalties in markets;

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fragmentation of rights ownership in various markets causing lack of transparency of rights coverage and overpayment or underpayment to record labels, music publishers, artists, performing rights organizations, and other copyright owners;

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difficulties in obtaining license rights to local repertoire;

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difficulties in achieving market acceptance of our Service in different geographic markets with different tastes and interests;

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difficulties in achieving viral marketing growth in certain other countries where we commit fewer sales and marketing resources;

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difficulties in managing operations due to language barriers, distance, staffing, user behavior and spending capability, cultural differences, business infrastructure constraints, and laws regulating corporations that operate internationally;

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application of different laws and regulations of other jurisdictions, including privacy, censorship and liability standards and regulations, as well as intellectual property laws;

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potential adverse tax consequences associated with foreign operations and revenue;

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complex foreign exchange fluctuation and associated issues;

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increased competition from local websites and music content providers, some with financial power and resources to undercut the market or enter into exclusive deals with local content providers to decrease competition;

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credit risk and higher levels of payment fraud;

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political and economic instability in some countries;

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restrictions on international monetary flows; and

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reduced or ineffective protection of our intellectual property rights in some countries.

As a result of these obstacles, we may find it impossible or prohibitively expensive to enter additional markets, or entry into foreign markets could be delayed, which could hinder our ability to grow our business.

Emerging industry trends in digital advertising may pose challenges for our ability to forecast or optimize our advertising inventory, which may adversely impact our Ad-Supported revenue.

The digital advertising industry is introducing new ways to measure and price advertising inventory. For example, a significant portion of advertisers are in the process of moving from purchasing advertisement impressions based on the number of advertisements served by the applicable ad server to a new “viewable” impression standard (based on number of pixels in view and duration) for select products. In the absence of a uniform industry standard, agencies and advertisers have adopted several different measurement methodologies and standards. In addition, measurement services may require technological integrations, which are still being evaluated by the advertising industry without an agreed-upon industry standard metric. As these trends in the industry continue to evolve, our advertising revenue may be adversely affected by the availability, accuracy, and utility of the available analytics and measurement technologies as well as our ability to successfully implement and operationalize such technologies and standards.

Further, the digital advertising industry is shifting to data-driven technologies and advertising products, such as automated buying. These data-driven advertising products and automated buying technologies allow publishers and advertisers to use data to target advertising toward specific groups of users who are more likely to be interested in the advertising message delivered to them. These advertising products and programmatic technologies are currently more developed in terms of advertising technology and industry adoption on the web than they are on mobile or on other software applications, and may not integrate with our desktop software version of the Ad-Supported Service. Because the majority of our Ad-Supported User hours occur on mobile devices, if we are unable to deploy effective solutions to monetize the mobile device usage by our Ad-Supported User base, our ability to attract advertising spend, and ultimately our advertising revenue, may be adversely affected by this shift. In addition, we rely on third-party advertising technology platforms to participate in automated buying, and if these platforms cease to operate or experience instability in their business models, it also may adversely affect our ability to capture advertising spend.

We have acquired, and may continue to acquire, other companies or technologies, which could divert management’s attention and otherwise disrupt our operations and harm our operating results. We may fail to acquire companies whose market power or technology could be important to the future success of our business.

We have recently acquired and may in the future seek to acquire or invest in other companies or technologies that we believe could complement or expand our Service, enhance our technical capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. Pursuit of future potential acquisitions may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating, and pursuing suitable acquisitions, whether or not they are consummated. In addition, we have limited experience acquiring and integrating other businesses. We may be unsuccessful in integrating our recently acquired businesses or any additional business we may acquire in the future, and we may fail to acquire companies whose market power or technology could be important to the future success of our business.

We also may not achieve the anticipated benefits from any acquired business due to a number of factors, including:

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unanticipated costs or liabilities associated with the acquisition, including costs or liabilities arising from the acquired companies’ failure to comply with intellectual property laws and licensing obligations they are subject to;

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incurrence of acquisition-related costs;

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diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns;

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regulatory uncertainties;

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harm to our existing business relationships with business partners and advertisers as a result of the acquisition;

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harm to our brand and reputation;

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the potential loss of key employees;

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use of resources that are needed in other parts of our business; and

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use of substantial portions of our available cash to consummate the acquisition.

In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire may be allocated to acquired goodwill, which must be assessed for impairment at least annually. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take charges to our operating results based on this impairment assessment process. Acquisitions also could result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, which could adversely affect our operating results. In addition, if an acquired business fails to meet our expectations, our operating results, business, and financial condition may suffer.

Our operating results may fluctuate, which makes our results difficult to predict.

Our revenue and operating results could vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year because of a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. In addition to other risk factors discussed herein, factors that may contribute to the variability of our quarterly and annual results include:

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our ability to retain our current User base, increase our number of Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers, and increase Users’ time spent streaming content on our Service;

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our ability to more effectively monetize mobile Users of our Service, particularly as the number of our Users on mobile and other connected devices grow;

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our ability to effectively manage our growth;

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our ability to attract and retain existing advertisers and prove that our advertising products are effective enough to justify a pricing structure that is profitable for us;

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the effects of increased competition in our business;

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our ability to keep pace with changes in technology and our competitors;

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lack of accurate and timely reports and invoices from our rights holders and partners;

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interruptions in service, whether or not we are responsible for such interruptions, and any related impact on our reputation;

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our ability to pursue and appropriately time our entry into new geographic or content markets and, if pursued, our management of this expansion;

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costs associated with defending any litigation, including intellectual property infringement litigation;

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the impact of general economic conditions on our revenue and expenses; and

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changes in regulations affecting our business.

Seasonal variations in User and marketing behavior also may cause fluctuations in our financial results. We expect to experience some effects of seasonal trends in User behavior due to increased internet usage and sales of streaming service subscriptions and devices during holiday periods. We also may experience higher advertising sales during the fourth quarter of each calendar year due to greater advertiser demand during the holiday season, but also incur greater marketing expenses as we attempt to attract new Users to our Service and convert our Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers. In addition, expenditures by advertisers tend to be cyclical and are often discretionary in nature, reflecting overall economic conditions, the economic prospects of specific advertisers or industries, budgeting constraints and buying patterns, and a variety of other factors, many of which are outside our control.

We may require additional capital to support business growth and objectives, and this capital might not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.

We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new features or enhance our existing Service, expand into additional markets around the world, improve our infrastructure, or acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage, and have engaged, in equity and debt financings to secure additional funds. For example, on April 1, 2016, we issued the Convertible Notes that were subsequently exchanged to ordinary shares as described under “Summary—Recent Developments—Exchange of Convertible Notes.” Pursuant to the exchange agreement we entered into in January 2018, subject to certain conditions, if we fail to list our ordinary shares on or prior to July 2, 2018, we have agreed to offer to each noteholder the option to unwind the transaction such that we purchase back the ordinary shares that were issued to such noteholder pursuant to the exchange and we will issue such noteholder a new note that is materially identical to its note prior to the exchange. See “Summary—Recent Developments—Exchange of Convertible Notes.” If we raise additional funds through future issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing shareholders could suffer additional significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences, and privileges superior to those of holders of our ordinary shares. Any debt financing we secure in the future, including pursuant to the unwind described above, also could contain restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. We may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth, acquire or retain Users, and to respond to business challenges could be significantly impaired, and our business may be harmed.

If currency exchange rates fluctuate substantially in the future, the results of our operations, which are reported in Euros, could be adversely affected.

As we continue to expand our international operations, we become increasingly exposed to the effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates. We incur expenses for employee compensation, rental fees, and other operating expenses in the local currency, and an increasing percentage of our international revenue is from Users who pay us in currencies other than U.S. dollars and Euros, including the Swedish Krona, the Australian dollar, and the British Pound Sterling. We also incur royalty expenses primarily in U.S. dollars and Euros, but the corresponding revenues are being generated in local currencies and, as such, the multiple currency conversions will be affected by currency fluctuations, which may result in losses to us. Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the Euro and other currencies may impact expenses as well as revenue, and consequently have an impact on margin and the reported operating results. This could have a negative impact on our reported operating results. To date, we have engaged in limited hedging strategies related to foreign exchange risk stemming from our operations. These strategies may include instruments such as foreign exchange forward contracts and options. However, these strategies should not be expected to fully eliminate the foreign exchange rate risk that we are exposed to.

The impact of worldwide economic conditions may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our financial performance is subject to worldwide economic conditions and their impact on levels of advertising spending. Expenditures by advertisers generally tend to reflect overall economic conditions, and to the extent that the economy continues to stagnate, reductions in spending by advertisers could have a material adverse impact on our business. Historically, economic downturns have resulted in overall reductions in advertising spending. Economic conditions may adversely impact levels of consumer spending, which could adversely impact the number of Users who purchase our Premium Services on our website and mobile application.

Consumer purchases of discretionary items generally decline during recessionary periods and other periods in which disposable income is adversely affected. To the extent that overall economic conditions reduce spending on discretionary activities, our ability to retain current and obtain new Premium Subscribers could be hindered, which could reduce our subscription revenue and negatively impact our business. For example, on June 23, 2016, a referendum was held on the United Kingdom’s membership in the EU, the outcome of which was a vote in favor of leaving the EU. The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU creates an uncertain political and economic environment in the United Kingdom and potentially across other EU member states, which may last for a number of months or years.

We are a multinational company that faces complex taxation regimes in various jurisdictions. Audits, investigations, and tax proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We are subject to income and non-income taxes in numerous jurisdictions. Income tax accounting often involves complex issues, and judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. In particular, most of the jurisdictions in which we conduct business have detailed transfer pricing rules, which require that all transactions with non-resident related parties be priced using arm’s length pricing principles within the meaning of such rules. We are subject to ongoing tax audits in several jurisdictions, and most of such audits involve transfer pricing issues. We regularly assess the likely outcomes of these audits in order to determine the appropriateness of our tax reserves as well as tax liabilities going forward. In addition, the application of withholding tax, value added tax, goods and services tax, sales taxes and other non-income taxes is not always clear and we may be subject to tax audits relating to such withholding or non-income taxes. We believe that our tax positions are reasonable and our tax reserves are adequate to cover any potential liability. However, tax authorities in certain jurisdictions may disagree with our position, including the propriety of our related party arm’s length transfer pricing policies and the tax treatment of corresponding expenses and income.

If any of these tax authorities were successful in challenging our positions, we may be liable for additional income tax and penalties and interest related thereto in excess of any reserves established therefor, which may have a significant impact on our results and operations and future cash flow.

We may not be able to utilize all, or any, of our net operating loss carry-forwards.

We have significant net operating loss carry-forwards in Luxembourg, Sweden, and the United States. As of December 31, 2017, we had net operating loss carry-forwards of €62 million in Luxembourg, €843 million in Sweden, €257 million in the United States relating to federal taxes, and €182 million in the United States relating to state taxes. In certain jurisdictions, if we are unable to earn sufficient income or profits to utilize such carry-forwards before they expire, they will no longer be available to offset future income or profits.

In Sweden, utilization of these net operating loss carry-forwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation if there is an ownership change within the meaning of Chapter 40, paragraphs 10-14 of the Swedish Income Tax Act (the “Swedish Income Tax Act”). In general, an ownership change, as defined by the Income Tax Act results from a transaction or series of transactions over a five-year period resulting in an ownership change of more than 50% of the outstanding stock of a company by certain categories or individuals, businesses or organizations.

In addition, in the United States, utilization of these net operating loss carry-forwards may be subject to a substantial annual limitation if there is an ownership change within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 382”). In general, an ownership change, as defined by Section 382, results from a transaction or series of transactions over a three-year period resulting in an ownership change of more than 50% of the outstanding stock of a company by certain stockholders or public groups. Since our formation, we have raised capital through the issuance of capital stock on several occasions, and we may continue to do so after our registration, which, combined with current or future shareholders’ disposition of ordinary shares, may or may not have resulted in such an ownership change. Such an ownership change may limit the amount of net operating loss carry-forwards that can be utilized to offset future taxable income.

If the fair market value of our ordinary shares fluctuates unpredictably and significantly on a quarterly basis, the social costs we accrue for share-based compensation may fluctuate unpredictably and significantly, which could result in our failing to meet our expectations or investor expectations for quarterly financial performance. This could negatively impact investor sentiment for the Company, and as a result, adversely impact the price of our ordinary shares.

Social costs are payroll taxes associated with employee salaries and benefits, including share-based compensation that we are subject to in various countries in which we operate. This is not a withholding tax. For the quarter ended December 31, 2017, we recorded a social cost expense related to share-based compensation of €38 million compared to €2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016.

When the fair market value of our ordinary shares increases on a quarter to quarter basis, the accrued expense for social costs will increase, and when the fair market value of ordinary shares falls, the accrued expense will become a reduction in social costs expense, all other things being equal, including the number of vested stock options and exercise price remains constant. After our initial listing on the NYSE, we expect the fair market value of our ordinary shares to be more volatile than the fair market value of our ordinary shares as a private company, largely due to the possible volatility of the trading price for our ordinary shares immediately after listing. See “—Risks Related to Owning Our Ordinary Shares—The trading price of our ordinary shares may be volatile, and could, upon listing on the NYSE, decline significantly and rapidly.” As a result, the accrued expense for social costs may fluctuate unpredictably and significantly, from quarter to quarter, which could result in our failing to meet our expectations or investor expectations for quarterly financial performance. This could negatively impact investor sentiment for the company, and as a result, the price for our ordinary shares.

Additionally, approximately 37% of our employees are in Sweden. With respect to our employees in Sweden, we are required to pay a 31.42% tax to the Swedish government on the profit an employee realizes on the exercise of our stock options. They accounted for a total of 1,938,960 in vested options as of December 31, 2017 compared to a total of 1,145,400 in vested options as of December 31, 2016. We cannot accurately predict how many of their vested options will remain outstanding after our listing on the NYSE. As a result, the cash payments to the Swedish government upon the exercise of vested stock options may vary significantly from quarter to quarter.

Changes to tax laws in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate or plan to operate in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. New proposals within the EU on taxing of digital companies could have an adverse effect on our business.

We are a multinational company that is subject to complex taxation regimes in numerous jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be affected by changes in tax laws or their interpretation in any of those jurisdictions. Tax laws, including tax rates, in the jurisdictions in which we operate may change as a result of macroeconomic or other factors outside of our control. For example, on September 21, 2017, the EU released the Communication “A Fair and Efficient Tax System in the European Union for the Digital Single Market,” which proposes taxation of the digital economy and references a possible proposal in 2018.

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, “An Act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018” (informally titled the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”). Among a number of significant changes to the current U.S. federal income tax rules, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would reduce the marginal U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, limit the deduction for net interest expense, shift the United States toward a more territorial tax system, and impose new taxes to combat erosion of the U.S. federal income tax base. The impact that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will have on our business is uncertain at this time.

Changes in tax laws, treaties, or regulations or their interpretation or enforcement are unpredictable. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to Owning Our Ordinary Shares

Our listing differs significantly from an underwritten initial public offering.

This is not an underwritten initial public offering. This listing differs from an underwritten initial public offering in several significant ways, which include, but are not limited to, the following:

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There are no underwriters. Consequently, prior to the opening of trading on the NYSE, there will be no book building process and no price at which underwriters initially sold shares to the public to help inform efficient price discovery with respect to the opening trades on the NYSE. Therefore, buy and sell orders submitted prior to and at the opening of trading of our ordinary shares on the NYSE will not have the benefit of being informed by a published price range or a price at which the underwriters initially sold shares to the public. Moreover, there will be no underwriters assuming risk in connection with the initial resale of our ordinary shares. Additionally, because there are no underwriters, there is no underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares to help stabilize, maintain, or affect the public price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE immediately after the listing. In an underwritten initial public offering, the underwriters may engage in “covered” short sales in an amount of shares representing the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. To close a covered short position, the underwriters purchase shares in the open market or exercise the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. In determining the source of shares to close the covered short position, the underwriters typically consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. Purchases in the open market to cover short positions, as well as other purchases underwriters

may undertake for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing a decline in the market price of shares. Given that there will be no underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares or otherwise underwriters in engaging in stabilizing transactions, there could be greater volatility in the public price of our ordinary shares during the period immediately following the listing. See also “—The public price of our ordinary shares may be volatile, and could, upon listing on the NYSE, decline significantly and rapidly.”

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There is not a fixed number of securities available for sale. Therefore, there can be no assurance that any Registered Shareholders or other existing shareholders will sell any or all of their ordinary shares and there may initially be a lack of supply of, or demand for, ordinary shares on the NYSE. Alternatively, we may have a large number of Registered Shareholders or other existing shareholders who choose to sell their ordinary shares in the near-term resulting in oversupply of our ordinary shares, which could adversely impact the public price of our ordinary shares once listed on the NYSE.

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None of our Registered Shareholders or other existing shareholders have entered into contractual lock-up agreements or other contractual restrictions on transfer, except for TME and Tencent. In an underwritten initial public offering, it is customary for an issuer’s officers, directors, and most of its other shareholders to enter into a 180 day contractual lock-up arrangement with the underwriters to help promote orderly trading immediately after listing. Consequently, any of our shareholders, including our directors and officers who own our ordinary shares and other significant shareholders, may sell any or all of their ordinary shares at any time (subject to any restrictions under applicable law), including immediately upon listing. If such sales were to occur in a significant quantum, it may result in an oversupply of our ordinary shares in the market, which could adversely impact the public price of our ordinary shares. See “—With the exception of TME and Tencent, none of our shareholders are party to any contractual lock-up agreement or other contractual restrictions on transfer. Sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares in the public markets by our founders, affiliates, or non-affiliates, or the perception that such sales might occur, could reduce the price that our ordinary shares might otherwise attain and may dilute your voting power and your ownership interest in us.”

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We will not conduct a traditional “roadshow” with underwriters prior to the opening of trading on the NYSE. Instead, we intend to host an investor day, as well as engage in certain other investor education meetings. In advance of the investor day, we will announce the date for such day over financial news outlets in a manner consistent with typical corporate outreach to investors. We will prepare an electronic presentation for this investor day, which will have content similar to a traditional roadshow presentation, and make one version of the presentation publicly available, without restriction, on a website. There can be no guarantees that the investor day and other investor education meetings will have the same impact on investor education as a traditional “roadshow” conducted in connection with an underwritten initial public offering. As a result, there may not be efficient price discovery with respect to our ordinary shares or sufficient demand among investors immediately after our listing, which could result in a more volatile public price of our ordinary shares.

Such differences from an underwritten initial public offering could result in a volatile market price for our ordinary shares and uncertain trading volume and may adversely affect your ability to sell your ordinary shares.

The public price of our ordinary shares, upon listing on the NYSE, may have little or no relationship to the historical sales prices of our ordinary shares in private transactions.

Prior to listing on the NYSE, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. In the section titled “Sale Price History of Ordinary Shares,” we have provided the historical sales prices of our ordinary shares in private transactions. However, this information may have little or no relation to broader market demand for our ordinary shares and thus the initial public price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE once trading begins. As a result, you should not place undue reliance on these historical sales prices as they may differ materially from the opening public prices and subsequent public prices of our ordinary shares on the NYSE. For more information about how the initial listing price on the NYSE will be determined, see “Plan of Distribution.”

The public price of our ordinary shares may be volatile, and could, upon listing on the NYSE, decline significantly and rapidly.

As this listing is taking place via a novel process that is not an underwritten initial public offering, there will be no book building process and no price at which underwriters initially sold shares to the public to help inform efficient price discovery with respect to the opening trades on the NYSE. Pursuant to NYSE Rules, we have engaged Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) as a financial advisor to be available to consult with the designated market maker (the “DMM”) in setting the opening public price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE. Based on information provided by the NYSE, the opening public price of our ordinary shares on the NYSE will be determined by buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from broker-dealers and the NYSE is where buy orders can be matched with sell orders at a single price. Based on such orders, the DMM will determine an opening price for our ordinary shares in consultation with Morgan Stanley pursuant to NYSE rules. For more information, see “Plan of Distribution.”

However, because Morgan Stanley will not have engaged in a book building process, they will not be able to provide input to the DMM that is based on or informed by that process. Moreover, prior to the opening trade, there will not be a price at which underwriters initially sold ordinary shares to the public as there would be in an underwritten initial public offering. This lack of an initial public offering price could impact the range of buy and sell orders collected by the NYSE from various broker-dealers. Consequently, the public price of our ordinary shares may be more volatile than in an underwritten initial public offering and could, upon listing on the NYSE, decline significantly and rapidly.

Moreover, because of our listing process and the broad consumer awareness of Spotify, individual investors may have a greater influence in setting the opening public price and subsequent public prices of our ordinary shares on the NYSE and may have a higher participation in our listing than is typical for an underwritten initial public offering. This could result in a public price of our ordinary shares that is higher than other investors (such as institutional investors) are willing to pay. This could cause volatility in the trading price of our ordinary shares and an unsustainable trading price if the price of our ordinary shares significantly rises upon listing and institutional investors believe the ordinary shares are worth less than retail investors, in which case the price of our ordinary shares may decline over time. Further, if the public price of our ordinary shares is above the level that investors determine is reasonable for our ordinary shares, some investors may attempt to short the ordinary shares after trading begins, which would create additional downward pressure on the public price of our ordinary shares.

The public price of our ordinary shares following the initial listing also could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to the risk factors described in this prospectus and others beyond our control, including:

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the number of our ordinary shares publicly owned and available for trading;

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quarterly variations in our results of operations or those of our competitors;

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our actual or anticipated operating performance and the operating performance of similar companies in the internet, radio, or digital media spaces;

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our announcements or our competitors’ announcements regarding new services, enhancements, significant contracts, acquisitions, or strategic investments;

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general economic conditions and their impact on advertising spending;

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the overall performance of the equity markets;

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threatened or actual litigation;

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changes in laws or regulations relating to our Service;

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any major change in our board of directors or management;

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publication of research reports about us or our industry or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts; and

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sales or expected sales of our ordinary shares by us, and our officers, directors, and significant shareholders.

In addition, the stock market in general, and the market for technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These fluctuations may be even more pronounced in the trading market for our ordinary shares shortly following the initial listing (as a result of the supply and demand forces described above). Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources and harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

An active, liquid, and orderly market for our ordinary shares may not develop or be sustained. You may be unable to sell your ordinary shares at or above the price you bought them for.

We currently expect our ordinary shares to be listed and traded on the NYSE. Prior to listing on the NYSE, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. Moreover, consistent with the federal securities laws in connection with our direct listing, we have not consulted with Registered Shareholders or other existing shareholders regarding their desire to sell shares in a public market or discussed with potential investors their intentions to buy our ordinary shares in the open market. While, with the exception of shares owned by Tencent and TME, all of our ordinary shares may be sold after our initial listing on the NYSE either by the Registered Shareholders pursuant to this prospectus or by our other existing shareholders in accordance with Rule 144 of the Securities Act, unlike an initial public offering, there can be no assurance that any Registered Shareholders or other existing shareholders will sell any or all of their ordinary shares and there may initially be a lack of supply of, or demand for, ordinary shares on the NYSE. In the case of a lack of supply for our ordinary shares, the trading price of our ordinary shares may rise to an unsustainable level, particularly in instances where institutional investors may be discouraged from purchasing our ordinary shares because they are unable to purchase a block of our ordinary shares in the open market and individual investors have a greater influence in setting the trading price. In the case of a lack of demand for our ordinary shares, the trading price of our ordinary shares could decline significantly and rapidly after our listing. Therefore, an active, liquid, and orderly trading market for our ordinary shares may not initially develop or be sustained, which could significantly depress the public price of our ordinary shares and/or result in significant volatility, which could affect your ability to sell your ordinary shares.

Because of their significant ownership of our ordinary shares and beneficiary certificates, our founders have substantial control over our business, and their interests may differ from our interests or those of our other shareholders.

As of February 22, 2018, our founders, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, beneficially owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, ordinary shares and beneficiary certificates representing 37.3% and 43.1% of the combined voting power of all of our outstanding voting securities, respectively (or 80.4% in the aggregate). See “Description of Share Capital and Articles of Association—Share Capital.” Additionally, our shareholders have authorized the issuance of up to 1,400,000,000 beneficiary certificates to shareholders of the Company. We may issue additional beneficiary certificates under the total authorized amount at the discretion of our board of directors, of which our founders are members. The beneficiary certificates may be issued at a ratio of between one and 20 beneficiary certificates per ordinary share as determined by our board of directors or its delegate at the time of issuance. For example, in the future, we may issue to our founders up to 20 beneficiary certificates for each ordinary share they receive upon the exercise of outstanding warrants, of which they currently hold 6,720,000 in the aggregate.

As a result of this ownership or control of our voting securities, if our founders act together, they will have control over the outcome of substantially all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election of directors. This may delay or prevent an acquisition or cause the public price of our ordinary shares to decline. Our founders may have interests different from yours. Therefore, the concentration of voting power among our founders may have an adverse effect on the price of our ordinary shares.

With the exception of TME and Tencent, none of our shareholders are party to any contractual lock-up agreement or other contractual restrictions on transfer. Sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares in the public markets by our founders, affiliates, or non-affiliates, or the perception that such sales might occur, could reduce the price that our ordinary shares might otherwise attain and may dilute your voting power and your ownership interest in us.

Sales of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares in the public market by our founders, affiliates, or non-affiliates following our listing, or the perception that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the public price of our ordinary shares and may make it more difficult for you to sell your ordinary shares at a time and price that you deem appropriate. We have 176,976,280 ordinary shares outstanding as of February 22, 2018, all of which will be “restricted securities” as that term is defined under Rule 144 of the Securities Act. Of these ordinary shares, other than the ordinary shares held by TME and Tencent, substantially all may be immediately sold either by the Registered Shareholders pursuant to this prospectus or by our other existing shareholders under Rule 144 since such ordinary shares will have been beneficially owned by non-affiliates who beneficially owned such ordinary shares for at least one year. Moreover, once we have been a reporting company subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) for 90 days and assuming the availability of certain public information about us, (i) a non-affiliate who has beneficially owned ordinary shares for at least six months may rely on Rule 144 to sell their ordinary shares, and (ii) an affiliate who has beneficially owned ordinary shares for at least six months, including certain of the ordinary shares covered by this prospectus to the extent not sold hereunder, would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of ordinary shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following: (a) 1% of the number of ordinary shares then outstanding, and (b) the average weekly reported volume of trading of our ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. With the exception of TME and Tencent, who each agreed pursuant to the Tencent Transactions not to transfer our ordinary shares for a period of three years subject to limited exceptions as described in “Summary—Recent Developments—Tencent Transactions,” none of our shareholders prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement will be subject to any contractual lock-up or other contractual restriction on the transfer or sale of their ordinary shares. As of February 22, 2018, approximately 7.5% of our outstanding ordinary shares are subject to restrictions on transfer or sale pursuant to the Tencent Transactions.

We also may issue our share capital or securities convertible into our share capital from time to time in connection with a financing, acquisition, investments, or otherwise. Any such issuance could result in substantial dilution to our existing shareholders and cause the public price of our ordinary shares to decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ordinary shares will be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about our Company or us. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research focused on our Company. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our Company, the price and trading volume of our ordinary shares likely would be negatively impacted. If securities or industry analysts initiate coverage and one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our ordinary shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our Company, our ordinary share price would likely decline. Additionally, although we are providing the historical sales prices of our ordinary shares in private transactions, such information may have little or no relationship to the price determined using traditional valuation methods, but we believe that securities and industry analysts will rely upon these methods to establish

target prices for our ordinary shares. If these analysts publish target prices for our ordinary shares that are below our historical sales prices for our ordinary shares or the then-current public price of our ordinary shares, it could cause our stock price to decline significantly. Further, if one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our ordinary shares could decrease, which might cause our ordinary share price and trading volume to decline.

In making your investment decision, you should understand that we have not authorized any other party to provide you with information concerning this registration or us.

You should carefully evaluate all of the information in this prospectus. We have in the past received, and may continue to receive, a high degree of media coverage, including coverage that is not directly attributable to statements made by our officers or employees, that incorrectly reports on statements made by our officers or employees or that is misleading as a result of omitting information provided by us, our officers, or our employees. We have not authorized any other party to provide you with information concerning this registration or us.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention, and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board of director members.

As a public company, we will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE, on which we will trade, and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming, or costly, and increase demand on our systems and resources. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could harm our business and operating results. Although we have already hired additional employees to comply with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future, which will increase our costs and expenses.

In addition, changing laws, regulations, and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations, and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations, and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations, and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be harmed.

We also expect that being a public company combined with these new rules and regulations will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors also could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified senior management and members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation committee.

As a result of disclosure of information in this prospectus and in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which we believe may result in threatened or actual

litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful, our business and operating results could be harmed, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and materially harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

As a result of becoming a public company, we will be obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our assessment of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may be determined to be ineffective, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our ordinary shares.

We will be required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for the first fiscal year beginning after the effective date of the Registration Statement. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting, as well as a statement that our auditors have issued an attestation report on our management’s assessment of our internal controls.

We are in the very early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and processing documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing, and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. We have in the past identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and we cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses in our internal controls in the future. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting are effective, or if our auditors are unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which would cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline. See “—Risks Related to our Business—Our royalty scheme is complex and it is difficult to estimate the amount payable under our license agreements.”

Provisions in our articles of association, the issuance of beneficiary certificates, and the existence of certain voting agreements may delay or prevent our acquisition by a third party.

Our articles of association, which will become effective prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, will contain provisions that may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire control of us without the approval of our board of directors and, if required, our shareholders. These provisions also may delay, prevent, or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest, or other transaction that might otherwise result in our shareholders receiving a premium over the market price for their ordinary shares. The provisions include, among others, the authorization granted by the general meeting of shareholders to our board of directors to issue ordinary shares within the limits of the authorized share capital at such times and on such terms as our board of directors may decide for a maximum period of five years after the date of publication in the Luxembourg official gazette (Recueil électronique des Sociétés et Associations, as applicable) of the minutes of the relevant general meeting approving such authorization. The general meeting may amend, renew, or extend such authorized share capital and such authorization to the board of directors to issue ordinary shares.

For more information, see “Description of Share Capital and Articles of Association—Articles of Association.” The provisions of our articles of association could discourage potential takeover attempts and reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for our ordinary shares in the future, which could reduce the public price of our ordinary shares.

Additionally, the issuance of beneficiary certificates also may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire control of us without the approval of our founders. Our shareholders have authorized the

issuance of up to 1,400,000,000 beneficiary certificates to shareholders of the Company without reserving to our existing shareholders a preemptive right to subscribe for the beneficiary certificates issued in the future. Our beneficiary certificates may be issued at a ratio of between one and 20 beneficiary certificates per ordinary share as determined by our board of directors or its delegate at the time of issuance. We have issued ten beneficiary certificates per ordinary share held of record (excluding warrants, options, and RSUs, as applicable) to entities beneficially owned by our founders, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, for a total of 379,201,200 beneficiary certificates. Our ordinary shares provide the holders of such ordinary shares economic rights in addition to voting rights. The beneficiary certificates carry no economic rights and are issued to provide the holders of such beneficiary certificates additional voting rights without granting additional economic rights. The beneficiary certificates, subject to certain exceptions, may not be transferred and will automatically be canceled for no consideration in the case of sale or transfer of the ordinary share to which they are linked. See “—Because of their significant ownership of our ordinary shares and beneficiary certificates, our founders have substantial control over our business, and their interests may differ from our interests or those of our other shareholders.”

Exchange rate fluctuations may reduce the amount of U.S. dollars you receive in respect of any dividends or other distributions we may pay in the future in connection with your ordinary shares.

Our ordinary shares will be quoted in U.S. dollars on the NYSE. Our financial statements are prepared in Euros. Under Luxembourg law, the determination of whether we have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends is made on the basis of our unconsolidated annual financial statements prepared under the Luxembourg Company Law in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in Luxembourg. Exchange rate fluctuations may affect the amount in Euro that we are able to distribute, and the amount in U.S. dollars that our shareholders receive upon the payment of cash dividends or other distributions we declare and pay in Euro, if any. Such fluctuations could adversely affect the value of our ordinary shares, and, in turn, the U.S. dollar proceeds that holders receive from the sale of our ordinary shares.

The issuance of beneficiary certificates to certain shareholders will limit your voting power and will limit your ability to influence the composition of the board of directors, strategy, or performance of the business. We cannot predict the impact that beneficiary certificates may have on our stock price.

Our shareholders have authorized the issuance of up to 1,400,000,000 beneficiary certificates to shareholders of the Company without reserving to our existing shareholders a preemptive right to subscribe for the beneficiary certificates issued in the future. We have issued 379,201,200 beneficiary certificates to entities beneficially owned by our founders, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. We may issue additional beneficiary certificates under the total authorized amount at the discretion of our board of directors, of which our founders are members. Our beneficiary certificates may be issued at a ratio of between one and 20 beneficiary certificates per ordinary share as determined by our board of directors or its delegate at the time of issuance. For example, in the future, we may issue to our founders up to 20 beneficiary certificates for each ordinary share they receive upon the exercise of outstanding warrants, of which they currently hold 6,720,000 in the aggregate. See “Management—Board of Directors Practices—Warrants.” Each beneficiary certificate entitles its holder to one vote. The beneficiary certificates carry no economic rights and are issued to provide the holders of such beneficiary certificates additional voting rights. The beneficiary certificates, subject to certain exceptions, may not be transferred and will automatically be canceled for no consideration in the case of sale or transfer of the ordinary share to which they are linked. As a result, the issuance of the beneficiary certificates and the voting power that they provide to the shareholders receiving those beneficiary certificates will limit the voting power of minority shareholders and the ability of minority shareholders to influence the composition of the board of directors, strategy, or performance of our business. See “—Because of their significant ownership of our ordinary shares and beneficiary certificates, our founders have substantial control over our business, and their interests may differ from our interests or those of our other shareholders,” “Description of Share Capital and Articles of Association—Articles of Association—Voting Rights” and “Registered Shareholders.”

Finally, we cannot predict whether the issuance of beneficiary certificates will result in a lower or more volatile public price of our ordinary shares or result in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For

example, in July 2017, FTSE Russell announced that it plans to require new constituents of its indexes to have greater than five percent of the company’s voting rights in the hands of public shareholders, and S&P Dow Jones announced that it will no longer admit companies with multiple-class share structures to certain of its indexes. While we do not have a multiple-class share structure, we cannot predict if we would be excluded from these indexes as a result of the issuance of beneficiary certificates and we cannot assure you that other stock indexes will not take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indexes, exclusion from stock indexes would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our ordinary shares less attractive to other investors. As a result, the public price of our ordinary shares could be adversely affected.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our ordinary shares.

We would be classified as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for any taxable year if, after the application of certain look-through rules, either: (i) 75% or more of our gross income for such year is “passive income” (as defined in the relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended), or (ii) 50% or more of the value of our assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. Based on the expected public price of our ordinary shares following the registration and the composition of our income, assets and operations, we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the current taxable year or in the foreseeable future. However, this is a factual determination that must be made annually after the close of each taxable year. Moreover, the value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC determination may be determined by reference to the public price of our ordinary shares, which could fluctuate significantly. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will not be classified as a PFIC in the future. Certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Certain Taxation Considerations—U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”) if we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which such U.S. Holder holds our ordinary shares.

Our ability to pay dividends is subject to restrictions in our indebtedness as well as the restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us. Our ordinary shares have no guaranteed dividends and holders of our ordinary shares have no recourse if dividends are not declared.

We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our direct and indirect ownership of ordinary shares in our subsidiaries. Additionally, we have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our share capital, and we do not expect to pay dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. Our ability to generate income and pay dividends is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends or lend funds to us. Future indebtedness of our subsidiaries may prohibit the payment of dividends or the making, or repayment, of loans or advances to the Company. In addition, the ability of any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries to make certain distributions may be limited by the laws of the relevant jurisdiction in which the subsidiaries are organized or located, including financial assistance rules, corporate benefit laws, liquidity requirements, requirements that dividends must be paid out of reserves available for distribution, and other legal restrictions which, if violated, might require the recipient to refund unlawful payments. As a consequence of these limitations and restrictions, we or our direct and indirect subsidiaries may not be able to make, or may have to reduce or eliminate, the payment of dividends. Accordingly, you may have to sell some or all of your ordinary shares after price appreciation in order to generate cash flow from your investment. You may not receive a gain on your investment when you sell your ordinary shares and you may lose the entire amount of the investment. Additionally, since we are expected to rely primarily on dividends from our direct and indirect subsidiaries to fund our financial and other obligations, restrictions on our ability to receive such funds may adversely impact our ability to fund our financial and other obligations. See “Dividend Policy.”

Risks Related to Investment in a Luxembourg Company and Our Status as a Foreign Private Issuer

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from a number of U.S. securities laws and rules promulgated thereunder and are permitted to publicly disclose less information than U.S. companies must. This may limit the information available to holders of the ordinary shares.

We currently qualify as a “foreign private issuer,” as defined in the SEC’s rules and regulations, and, consequently, we are not subject to all of the disclosure requirements applicable to companies organized within the United States. For example, we are exempt from certain rules under the Exchange Act, that regulate disclosure obligations and procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations applicable to a security registered under the Exchange Act. In addition, our officers and directors are exempt from the reporting and “short-swing” profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and related rules with respect to their purchases and sales of our securities. For example, some of our key executives may sell a significant amount of ordinary shares and such sales will not be required to be disclosed as promptly as companies organized within the United States would have to disclose. Accordingly, once such sales are eventually disclosed, our ordinary share price may decline significantly. Moreover, we are not required to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. public companies. We also are not subject to Regulation FD under the Exchange Act, which would prohibit us from selectively disclosing material nonpublic information to certain persons without concurrently making a widespread public disclosure of such information. Accordingly, there may be less publicly available information concerning our company than there is for U.S. public companies.

As a foreign private issuer, we will file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the close of each fiscal year ended December 31 and furnish reports on Form 6-K relating to certain material events promptly after we publicly announce these events. However, because of the above exemptions for foreign private issuers, which we intend to rely on, our shareholders will not be afforded the same information generally available to investors holding shares in public companies that are not foreign private issuers.

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses. This would make us subject to U.S. GAAP reporting requirements which may be difficult for us to comply with.

As a “foreign private issuer,” we are not required to comply with all of the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and related rules and regulations. Under those rules, the determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on June 30, 2018.

In the future, we would lose our foreign private issuer status if a majority of our shareholders, directors or management are U.S. citizens or residents and we fail to meet additional requirements necessary to avoid loss of foreign private issuer status. Although we intend to follow certain practices that are consistent with U.S. regulatory provisions applicable to U.S. companies, such as providing quarterly financial information to the SEC, our loss of foreign private issuer status would make such provisions mandatory. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher. If we are not a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic reports and prospectus on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. For example, we would become subject to the Regulation Fair Disclosure, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. We also may be required to modify certain of our policies to comply with good governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers. Such conversion and modifications will involve additional costs. In addition, we may lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on U.S. stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers. Also, we would be required to change our basis of accounting from IFRS as issued by the IASB to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which may be difficult and costly for us to comply with. If we

lose our foreign private issuer status and fail to comply with U.S. securities laws applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, we may have to de-list from the NYSE and could be subject to investigation by the SEC, NYSE, and other regulators, among other materially adverse consequences.

The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights they would have as shareholders of a U.S. corporation, which could adversely impact trading in our ordinary shares and our ability to conduct equity financings.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our articles of association and the laws of Luxembourg, including the Luxembourg Company Law (loi du 10 août 1915 concernant les sociétés commerciales, telle qu’elle a été modifiée). The rights of our shareholders and the responsibilities of our directors and officers under Luxembourg law are different from those applicable to a corporation incorporated in the United States. There may be less publicly available information about us than is regularly published by or about U.S. issuers. In addition, Luxembourg law governing the securities of Luxembourg companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in the United States, and Luxembourg law, and regulations in respect of corporate governance matters might not be as protective of minority shareholders as state corporation laws in the United States. Therefore, our shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in connection with actions taken by our directors and officers or our principal shareholders than they would as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in the United States. As a result of these differences, our shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests than they would as shareholders of a U.S. issuer.

We are organized under the laws of Luxembourg and a substantial amount of our assets are not located in the United States. It may be difficult for you to obtain or enforce judgments or bring original actions against us or the members of our board of directors in the United States.

We are organized under the laws of Luxembourg. In addition, a substantial amount of our assets are located outside the United States. Furthermore, many of the members of our board of directors and officers and some experts named in this prospectus reside outside the United States and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside the United States. Investors may not be able to effect service of process within the United States upon us or these persons or enforce judgments obtained against us or these persons in U.S. courts, including judgments in actions predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. Likewise, it also may be difficult for an investor to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained against us or these persons in courts located in jurisdictions outside the United States, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. Awards of punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere are generally not enforceable in Luxembourg.

As there is no treaty in force on the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters between the United States and Luxembourg, courts in Luxembourg will not automatically recognize and enforce a final judgment rendered by a U.S. court. A valid judgment obtained from a court of competent jurisdiction in the United States may be entered and enforced through a court of competent jurisdiction in Luxembourg, subject to compliance with the enforcement procedures (exequatur). The enforceability in Luxembourg courts of judgments rendered by U.S. courts will be subject, prior to any enforcement in Luxembourg, to the procedure and the conditions set forth in the Luxembourg procedural code, which conditions may include the following as of the date of this prospectus (which may change):

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the judgment of the U.S. court is final and enforceable (exécutoire) in the United States;

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the U.S. court had jurisdiction over the subject matter leading to the judgment (that is, its jurisdiction was in compliance both with Luxembourg private international law rules and with the applicable domestic U.S. federal or state jurisdictional rules);

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the U.S. court applied to the dispute the substantive law that would have been applied by Luxembourg courts (based on recent case law and legal doctrine, it is not certain that this condition would still be required for an exequatur to be granted by a Luxembourg court);

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the judgment was granted following proceedings where the counterparty had the opportunity to appear and, if it appeared, to present a defense, and the decision of the foreign court must not have been obtained by fraud, but in compliance with the rights of the defendant;

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the U.S. court acted in accordance with its own procedural laws; and

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the decisions and the considerations of the U.S. court must not be contrary to Luxembourg international public policy rules or have been given in proceedings of a tax or criminal nature or rendered subsequent to an evasion of Luxembourg law (fraude à la loi). Awards of damages made under civil liabilities provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, or other laws, which are classified by Luxembourg courts as being of a penal or punitive nature (for example, fines or punitive damages), might not be recognized by Luxembourg courts. Ordinarily, an award of monetary damages would not be considered as a penalty, but if the monetary damages include punitive damages, such punitive damages may be considered a penalty.

In addition, actions brought in a Luxembourg court against us, the members of our board of directors, our officers, or the experts named herein to enforce liabilities based on U.S. federal securities laws may be subject to certain restrictions. In particular, Luxembourg courts generally do not award punitive damages. Litigation in Luxembourg also is subject to rules of procedure that differ from the U.S. rules, including, with respect to the taking and admissibility of evidence, the conduct of the proceedings and the allocation of costs. Proceedings in Luxembourg would have to be conducted in the French or German language, and all documents submitted to the court would, in principle, have to be translated into French or German. For these reasons, it may be difficult for a U.S. investor to bring an original action in a Luxembourg court predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us, the members of our board of directors, our officers, or the experts named in this prospectus. In addition, even if a judgment against the Company, the non-U.S. members of our board of directors, our officers, or the experts named in this prospectus based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws is obtained, a U.S. investor may not be able to enforce it in U.S. or Luxembourg courts.

Our articles of association, as they will become effective upon their amendment prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, will provide that directors and officers, past and present, will be entitled to indemnification from us to the fullest extent permitted by Luxembourg law against all liability and expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit, or proceeding in which he or she would be involved by virtue of his or her being or having been a director or officer and against amounts paid or incurred by him or her in the settlement thereof. However, no indemnification will be provided against any liability to our directors, officers, or shareholders (i) by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties of a director or officer, (ii) with respect to any matter as to which any director or officer shall have been finally adjudicated to have acted in bad faith and not in our interest, or (iii) in the event of a settlement, unless approved by a court or the board of directors. The rights and obligations among or between us and any of our current or former directors and officers are generally governed by the laws of Luxembourg and subject to the jurisdiction of the Luxembourg courts, unless such rights or obligations do not relate to or arise out of such persons’ capacities listed above. Although there is doubt as to whether U.S. courts would enforce this indemnification provision in an action brought in the United States under U.S. federal or state securities laws, this provision could make judgments obtained outside Luxembourg more difficult to enforce against our assets in Luxembourg or in jurisdictions that would apply Luxembourg law.

Luxembourg and European insolvency and bankruptcy laws are substantially different from U.S. insolvency laws and may offer our shareholders less protection than they would have under U.S. insolvency and bankruptcy laws.

As a company organized under the laws of Luxembourg and with its registered office in Luxembourg, we are subject to Luxembourg insolvency and bankruptcy laws in the event any insolvency proceedings are initiated against us including, among other things, Council and European Parliament Regulation (EU) 2015/848 of 20 May 2015 on insolvency proceedings (recast). Should courts in another European country determine that the insolvency and bankruptcy laws of that country apply to us in accordance with and subject to such EU regulations, the courts in that country could have jurisdiction over the insolvency proceedings initiated against us. Insolvency and bankruptcy laws in Luxembourg or the relevant other European country, if any, may offer our shareholders less protection than they would have under U.S. insolvency and bankruptcy laws and make it more difficult for them to recover the amount they could expect to recover in a liquidation under U.S. insolvency and bankruptcy laws.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Registered Shareholders may, or may not, elect to sell their ordinary shares covered by this prospectus. To the extent any Registered Shareholder chooses to sell their ordinary shares covered by this prospectus, we will not receive any proceeds from any such sales of our ordinary shares. See “Principal Shareholders” and “Registered Shareholders.”

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our share capital, and we do not expect to pay dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. There are no legislative or other legal provisions currently in force in Luxembourg or arising under our articles of association that restrict the payment of dividends or distributions to holders of our ordinary shares not resident in Luxembourg, except for regulations restricting the remittance of dividends, distributions, and other payments in compliance with United Nations and EU sanctions. We currently intend to retain any future earnings for working capital and general corporate purposes. Under Luxembourg law, the amount and payment of dividends or other distributions is determined by a simple majority vote at a general shareholders’ meeting based on the recommendation of our board of directors, except in certain limited circumstances. Pursuant to our articles of association, the board of directors has the power to pay interim dividends or make other distributions in accordance with applicable Luxembourg law. Distributions may be lawfully declared and paid if our net profits and/or distributable reserves are sufficient under Luxembourg law. All of our ordinary shares rank pari passu with respect to the payment of dividends or other distributions unless the right to dividends or other distributions has been suspended in accordance with our articles of association or applicable law. Holders of beneficiary certificates are not entitled to receive any dividend payments with respect to such beneficiary certificates.

Under Luxembourg law, at least 5% of our net profits per year must be allocated to the creation of a legal reserve until such reserve has reached an amount equal to 10% of our issued share capital. The allocation to the legal reserve becomes compulsory again when the legal reserve no longer represents 10% of our issued share capital. The legal reserve is not available for distribution.

We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our indirect ownership of ordinary shares in our operating subsidiaries. Our ability to generate income and pay dividends is dependent on the ability of our subsidiaries to declare and pay dividends or lend funds to us.

The registrar and transfer agent for Spotify’s ordinary shares will be Computershare Trust Company N.A.

CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents, short term investments, indebtedness, and capitalization as of December 31, 2017 on an actual basis and on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the exchange of all outstanding Convertible Notes into ordinary shares, assuming the exchange was consummated as of December 31, 2017. All information in the table below gives effect to the Share Split, which we expect to effectuate prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. This table should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.


	As of December 31, 2017
	Actual			Pro Forma
				(unaudited)
	(in € millions)
Cash and cash equivalents		477			477
Short term investments		1,032			1,032
Convertible Notes⁽¹⁾		944			—
Equity:
Other paid in capital		2,488			3,432
Other reserves		177			177
Accumulated deficit		(2,427	)		(2,427	)

Equity attributable to owners of the parent		238			1,182

Total capitalization		238			1,182

(1)	Our Convertible Notes were guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries and were unsecured. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Operating Results—Indebtedness—Description of Convertible Notes.”

CURRENCIES AND EXCHANGE RATES

Exchange Rates

Our functional and reporting currency is the Euro and a significant amount of our costs are denominated in Euros. In this prospectus, translations of Euro amounts into U.S. dollars are solely for the convenience of the reader. For all dates and periods, the exchange rate refers to the exchange rate as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The rates represent the noon buying rate in New York for wire transfers payable in foreign currencies. No representation is made that the Euro amounts referred to in this prospectus could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars at any particular rate or at all. On February 23, 2018 the exchange rate was $1.2295 to €1.00.

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the Euro and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated. These rates are provided solely for your convenience and are not necessarily the exchange rates that we used in this prospectus or will use in the preparation of our periodic reports or any other information to be provided to you.


(U.S. dollar per Euro)	Period-end		Average for period		Low		High
Year ended December 31:
2015		1.0862		1.1098		1.0496		1.2002
2016		1.0517		1.1070		1.0388		1.1534
2017		1.2005		1.1300		1.0406		1.2036
2018 (through February 23, 2018)		1.2295		1.2264		1.1937		1.2509
Month ended:
January 2018		1.2414		1.2201		1.1937		1.2427
February 2018 (through February 23, 2018)		1.2295		1.2361		1.2247		1.2509

SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND OTHER DATA

The following selected consolidated financial and other data should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the section of this prospectus entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.

The selected consolidated financial, pro forma, and other data for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and as of December 31, 2016 and 2017, have been derived from our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. We prepared our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017 in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. Please read Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected consolidated financial and other data for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014, and as of December 31, 2013, 2014, and 2015 are not included elsewhere in this prospectus and have been presented without the retrospective application of IFRS 15 and may not be comparable to the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Year ended December 31,
	2013			2014			2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions, except share and per share data)
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:
Revenue		746			1,085			1,940			2,952			4,090
Cost of revenue		618			911			1,714			2,551			3,241

Gross profit		128			174			226			401			849

Research and development		73			114			136			207			396
Sales and marketing		111			184			219			368			567
General and administrative		42			67			106			175			264

		226			365			461			750			1,227

Operating loss		(98	)		(191	)		(235	)		(349	)		(378	)
Finance income		39			28			36			152			118
Finance costs		(2	)		(19	)		(26	)		(336	)		(974	)
Share in (losses)/earnings of associates and joint ventures		—			—			—			(2	)		1

Finance income/(costs)—net		37			9			10			(186	)		(855	)

Loss before tax		(61	)		(182	)		(225	)		(535	)		(1,233	)

Income tax expense		2			6			5			4			2

Net loss attributable to owners the parent		(63	)		(188	)		(230	)		(539	)		(1,235	)

Net loss per share attributable to owners of the parent⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted	€	(0.51	)	€	(1.40	)	€	(1.62	)	€	(3.63	)	€	(8.14	)

Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted		123,860,920			134,408,240			141,946,600			148,368,720			151,668,769


	Year ended December 31,
	2013			2014			2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions, except share and per share data)
Pro Forma net loss per share attributable to owners of the parent⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted													€	(4.28	)

Pro Forma weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding⁽¹⁾
Basic and diluted														166,146,849

Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows Data:
Net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities		(25	)		(74	)		(38	)		101			179
Net cash flows used in investing activities		(41	)		(21	)		(67	)		(827	)		(435	)
Net cash flow from financing activities		123			65			476			916			34
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		57			(30	)		371			190			(222	)

Selected Other Data (unaudited):
EBITDA⁽²⁾		(88)			(172)			(205	)		(311	)		(324	)
Free Cash Flow⁽²⁾		(59)			(94)			(92	)		73			109

	As of December 31,
	2013			2014			2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions)
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents		218			206			597			755			477
Short term investments		—			—			—			830			1,032
Working capital		47			73			73			689			38
Total assets		373			474			1,051			2,100			3,107
Convertible Notes		—			—			—			1,106			944
Total equity/(deficit) attributable to owners of the parent		94			36			229			(240	)		238

⁽¹⁾

⁽²⁾

We define EBITDA as net loss attributable to owners of the parent before finance income/(costs)—net, income tax expense, and depreciation and amortization. We believe EBITDA is useful to our management and investors as a measure of comparative operating performance from period to period and among companies as it is reflective of changes in pricing decisions, cost controls, and other factors that affect operating performance, and it removes the effect of items not directly resulting from our core operations. We believe that EBITDA also is useful to investors because this metric is frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties in their evaluation of the operating performance of companies in the technology industry and other industries similar to ours. Our management also uses EBITDA for planning purposes, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and financial projections. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool. EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Additionally, EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of discretionary cash to invest in the growth of our business, as it does not reflect tax payments, debt service requirements, capital expenditures, and certain other cash costs that may recur in the future. Management compensates for these limitations by relying on our results reported under IFRS as issued by IASB in addition to using EBITDA supplementally.

EBITDA:


	Year ended December 31,
	2013			2014			2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions)
Net loss attributable to owners of the parent		(63	)		(188	)		(230	)		(539	)		(1,235	)
Finance income/(costs)—net		(37	)		(9	)		(10	)		186			855
Income tax expense		2			6			5			4			2
Depreciation and amortization		10			19			30			38			54

EBITDA		(88	)		(172	)		(205	)		(311	)		(324	)


Free Cash Flow:

	Year ended December 31,
	2013			2014			2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions)
Net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities		(25	)		(74	)		(38	)		101			179
Capital expenditures		(34	)		(16	)		(44	)		(27	)		(36	)
Change in restricted cash		—			(4	)		(10	)		(1	)		(34	)

Free Cash Flow		(59	)		(94	)		(92	)		73			109

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with “Selected Historical Financial Information and Other Data” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and analysis reflects our historical results of operations and financial position, and, except as otherwise indicated below, does not give effect to the completion of this registration. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans, expectations, and beliefs involving risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and in other parts of this prospectus.

Overview

We are the largest global music streaming subscription service. With a presence in 61 countries and territories and growing, our platform includes 159 million MAUs and 71 million Premium Subscribers as of December 31, 2017, which we believe is nearly double the scale of our closest competitor, Apple Music.

Our Users are highly engaged. We currently monetize our Service through both subscriptions and advertising. Our Premium Subscribers have grown 46% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017 to 71 million. Our 159 million MAUs have grown 29% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017. The Premium Service and Ad-Supported Service live independently, but thrive together. Our Ad-Supported Service serves as a funnel, driving more than 60% of our total gross added Premium Subscribers since we began tracking this data in February 2014. With a 51% increase in revenue from our Ad-Supported Service from 2015 to 2016 and 41% increase in revenue from our Ad-Supported Service from 2016 to 2017, we believe our Ad-Supported Service is a strong and viable stand-alone product with considerable long-term opportunity for growth in Ad-Supported Users and revenue. Ad-Supported Users, Premium Subscribers, and revenue have continued to grow since inception. Along with this growth, gross margin has fluctuated with an upward trend, but we have had increases in our operating losses. However, our operating losses have been decreasing as a percentage of revenue over time as revenue growth has outpaced operating losses. We plan to continue to invest in adding both Premium Subscribers and Ad-Supported Users in order to increase our revenues, decrease our operating losses, and eventually reach profitability. However, there can be no guarantee as to when we will eventually reach profitability, if at all.

How We Generate Revenue

We operate and manage our business in two reportable segments—Premium and Ad-Supported. We identify our reportable segments based on the organizational units used by management to monitor performance and make operating decisions. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional information regarding our reportable segments.

Premium

Our Premium Service provides Premium Subscribers with unlimited online and offline high-quality streaming access to our catalog. In addition to accessing our catalog on computers, tablets, and mobile devices, Users can connect through speakers, receivers, televisions, cars, game consoles, and smart watches. The Premium Service offers a commercial-free music experience.

We generate revenue for our Premium segment through the sale of Premium Services. Premium Services are sold directly to end Users and through partners who are generally telecommunications companies that bundle the subscription with their own services or collect payment for the stand-alone subscriptions from the end User.

We offer a variety of subscription pricing plans for our Premium Service, including our standard plan, Family Plan, and Student Plan, to appeal to Users with different lifestyles and across various demographics and age groups. Our pricing varies by plan and is adapted to each local market to align with consumer purchasing power, general cost levels, and willingness to pay for a music service. Our Family Plan consists of one primary Premium Subscriber and up to five additional sub-accounts, allowing up to six Premium Subscribers per Family Plan subscription.

In addition, as we have entered into new markets where recurring subscription services are less common, we have expanded our subscription products to include prepaid options and durations other than monthly (both longer and shorter durations), as well as expanded both online and offline payment options.

Premium partner services are priced on a per-subscriber rate in a negotiated agreement and may include minimum guarantees for the number of subscriptions that will be purchased from us.

Revenue for our Premium segment also is a function of the number of Premium Subscribers who use our Premium Service. As of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, we had approximately 28 million, 48 million, and 71 million Premium Subscribers, respectively. New Premium Subscribers are sourced primarily from the conversion of our Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers. Through both our online platform and external marketing efforts, we engage our Ad-Supported Users by highlighting key features that encourage conversion to our subscription offerings. These efforts include product links, campaigns targeting existing Users, and performance marketing across leading social media platforms. Additionally, new Premium Subscriber growth is driven by the success of converting Users from our bi-annual trial campaigns to full-time Premium Subscribers. These bi-annual trial campaigns typically offer our Premium Service free or at a discounted price for a period of time and accounted for approximately 27%, 23%, and 20% of total gross added Premium Subscribers for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively.

The rate of net growth in Premium Subscribers also is affected by our ability to retain our existing Premium Subscribers and the mix of subscription pricing plans. We have increased retention over time, as new features and functionality have led to increased User engagement and satisfaction. From a product perspective, while the launches of our Family Plan and our Student Plan have decreased Premium ARPU (as further described below) due to the lower price points per Premium Subscriber for these Premium pricing plans, each of these Plans has helped improve retention across the Premium Service. As a result, while Premium ARPU declined by 9% from 2015 to 2016 and 14% from 2016 to 2017, in part due to the launch of the Family Plan in 2016, Premium Churn declined by 1.1% from 7.7% in 2015 to 6.6% in 2016 and declined by an additional 1.1% from 6.6% in 2016 to 5.5% in 2017. With the growth in higher retention products, such as our Family Plan and Student Plan, we believe these trends will continue in the future.

Our platform is built to work across multiple devices, including smartphones, desktops, cars, game consoles, and in-home devices. We have found that Premium Subscribers who access our Service over multiple devices have higher engagement and lower Premium Churn, which increases their expected lifetime value to Spotify.

Ad-Supported

Our Ad-Supported Service has no subscription fees and provides Ad-Supported Users with limited on-demand online access to our catalog on their computers and tablets and shuffle-only access (i.e., without being able to specifically select a track) on compatible mobile devices. It serves as both a Premium Subscriber acquisition channel and a robust option for Users who are unable or unwilling to pay a monthly subscription fee but still want to enjoy access to a wide variety of high-quality music and other content. We generate revenue for our Ad-Supported segment from the sale of display, audio, and video advertising delivered through advertising impressions. We generally enter into arrangements with advertising agencies that purchase advertising on our platform on behalf of the agencies’ clients. These advertising arrangements typically specify the type of advertising product, pricing, insertion dates, and number of impressions in a stated period. Revenue for our Ad-Supported segment is comprised primarily of the number and hours of engagement of our Ad-Supported Users and our ability to provide innovative advertising products that are relevant to our Ad-Supported Users and enhance returns for our advertising partners. Our advertising strategy centers on the belief that advertising products that are based in music and are relevant to the Ad-Supported User can enhance Ad-Supported Users’ experiences and provide even greater returns for advertisers. Offering advertisers additional ways to purchase advertising on a programmatic basis is a key way that we intend to expand our portfolio of advertising products and enhance advertising revenue. Furthermore, we continue to focus on analytics and measurement tools to evaluate, demonstrate, and improve the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on our platform.

Revenue from our Ad-Supported segment also will be impacted by the demographic profile of our Ad-Supported Users, our ability to enable advertisers to reach their target audience with relevant advertising and in the geographic markets in which we operate. A large percentage of our Ad-Supported Users are between 18 and 34 years old. This is a highly sought-after demographic that has traditionally been difficult for advertisers to reach. By offering advertisers increased “self-serve options,” we expect to improve the efficiency and scalability of our advertising platform. Additionally, we believe that our largest markets, including Europe and North America, are among the top advertising markets globally. We believe there is a large opportunity to grow Users and gain market share from traditional terrestrial radio. In the United States alone, traditional terrestrial radio is a $14 billion market, according to BIA/Kelsey. The total global radio advertising market is approximately $28 billion in revenue, according to Magna Global. However, our continuing expansion into new geographic markets will present monetization challenges. Monetizing our Ad-Supported User base has historically been, and is expected to remain, more challenging in our two fastest growing regions, Latin America and the rest of the world, compared to Europe and North America.

Components of our Operating Results

Cost of Revenue. Cost of revenue consists predominantly of royalty and distribution costs related to content streaming. We incur royalty costs, which we pay to certain music record labels, publishers, and other rights holders, for the right to stream music to our Users. Royalties are typically calculated monthly based on the combination of a number of different elements. Generally, Premium Service royalties are based on the greater of a percentage of revenue and a per User amount, while royalties for the Ad-Supported Service are based on the greater of a percentage of revenue and an amount for each time a sound recording and musical composition is streamed. We have negotiated lower per User amounts for our lower priced subscription plans such as Family Plan and Student Plan Users. In our agreements with certain record labels, the percentage of revenue used in the calculation of royalties is generally dependent upon certain targets being met. The targets can include measures such as the number of Premium Subscribers, the ratio of Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers, and/or the rates of Premium Subscriber churn. We are effectively currently meeting the targets and consequently we are generally paying the lowest percentage of revenue possible per the agreements. In addition, royalty rates vary by country. Some of our royalty agreements require that royalty costs be paid in advance or are subject to minimum guaranteed amounts. For the majority of royalty agreements incremental costs incurred due to un-recouped advances and minimum guarantees have not been significant to date. We also have certain so-called most favored nation royalty agreements, which require us to record additional costs if certain material contract terms are not as favorable as the terms we have agreed to with similar licensors.

In 2017, we entered into licensing agreements with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and with Merlin, among others. Our cost of revenue and gross margins have benefited from the terms of the new licensing agreements.

Cost of revenue also includes credit card and payment processing fees for subscription revenue, customer service, certain employee compensation and benefits, cloud computing, streaming, facility, and equipment costs, as well as amounts incurred to produce content for our Service.

Additionally, cost of revenue includes discounted trial costs related to our bi-annual trial programs. While we believe our trial programs help drive incremental revenue and gross margins as Users convert to full-time Premium Subscribers, these trial programs, which typically begin in the last month of the second and fourth quarters of each year, lead to decreases in gross margins in the first and third quarter of each year as we absorb the promotional expenses of the discounted trial offers.

Research and Development. We invest heavily in research and development in order to drive User engagement and customer satisfaction on our platform, which we believe helps to drive organic growth in new MAUs, which in turn drives additional growth in, and better retention of, Premium Subscribers, as well as increased advertising opportunities to Ad-Supported Users. We aim to design products and features that create and enhance User experiences, and new technologies are at the core of many of these opportunities. Research and development expenses were 7%, 7%, and 10% of our total revenue in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, and are expected to continue to increase as a percentage of revenue. Expenses primarily comprise costs incurred for development of products related to our platform and Service, as well as new advertising products and improvements to our mobile application and desktop application, and streaming services. The costs incurred include related facility costs, consulting costs, and employee compensation and benefits costs. We expect engineers to represent a significant portion of our employees over the foreseeable future.

Many of our new products and improvements to our platform require large investments and involve substantial time and risks to develop and launch. Some of these products may not be well received or may take a long time for Users to adopt. As a result, the benefits of our research and development investments may be difficult to forecast.

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses primarily comprise employee compensation and benefits, events and trade shows, public relations, branding, consulting expenses, customer acquisition costs, advertising, the cost of working with music record labels, publishers, songwriters, and artists to promote the availability of new releases on our platform, and the costs of providing free trials of Premium Services. Expenses included in the cost of providing free trials are derived primarily from per User royalty fees determined in accordance with the rights holder agreements.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses are comprised primarily of employee compensation and benefits for functions such as finance, accounting, analytics, legal, human resources, consulting fees, and other costs including facility and equipment costs. After this registration, we will be implementing additional procedures and processes for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to public companies. We expect to incur additional annual expenses related to these steps and, among other things, additional directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, reporting requirements of the SEC, transfer agent fees, NYSE listing fees, hiring additional accounting, legal and administrative personnel, increased auditing and legal fees, and similar expenses. We also expect to recognize certain non-recurring costs as part of our transition to a publicly traded company, consisting of professional fees and other expenses. As part of our direct listing, these fees will be expensed in the period incurred and not deducted from net proceeds to the issuer as they would be in an initial public offering. We expect to incur €2 million in auditors’ fees and €3 million in legal fees and expenses. In the quarter that our direct listing becomes effective, we expect to incur approximately €29 million in fees from the financial advisers for our direct listing.

Key Performance Indicators

MAUs

We track MAUs as an indicator of the size of the audience engaged with our Service. We define MAUs as the total count of Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers that have consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds in the last thirty days from the period-end indicated. Reported MAUs may overstate the number of unique individuals who actively use our Service within a thirty-day period as one individual may register for, and use, multiple accounts. Additionally, fraud and unauthorized access to our Service may contribute, from time to time, to an overstatement of MAUs, if undetected. Fraudulent accounts typically are created by bots to inflate content licensing payments to individual rights holders. We strive to detect and minimize these fraudulent accounts. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our User metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business,” “—We are at risk of artificial manipulation of stream counts and failure to effectively manage and remediate such fraudulent streams could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Fraudulent streams and potentially associated fraudulent User accounts or artists may cause us to overstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly,” and “—We are at risk of attempts at unauthorized access to our Service, and failure to effectively prevent and remediate such attempts could have an adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Unauthorized access to our Service may cause us to misstate key performance indicators, which once discovered, corrected, and disclosed, could undermine investor confidence in the integrity of our key performance indicators and could cause our stock price to drop significantly.”

The table below sets forth our MAUs as of December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	As of December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in millions, except percentages)
MAUs		91		123		159		32	36	%		36	29	%

MAUs were 159 million as of December 31, 2017 and 123 million as of December 31, 2016. This represented an increase of 29% and 36% from the preceding fiscal year, respectively. The increase in MAUs benefited from our continued investment in driving the rapid growth of our Service, both through geographic expansion and consumer marketing. The increase also benefited from continued investment in content and features on our platform, including featured playlists, artist marketing campaigns, and original content to drive increased User engagement and customer satisfaction. MAUs were positively impacted by an increase in Premium Subscribers, as noted below.

Premium Subscribers

We define Premium Subscribers as Users that have completed registration with Spotify and have activated a payment method for Premium Service. Our Premium Subscribers include all registered accounts in our Family Plan. Our Family Plan consists of one primary subscriber and up to five additional sub-accounts, allowing up to six Premium Subscribers per Family Plan Subscription. Premium Subscribers includes subscribers in a grace period of up to 30 days after failing to pay their subscription fee.

The table below sets forth our Premium Subscribers as of December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	As of December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in millions, except percentages)
Premium Subscribers		28		48		71		20	71	%		23	46	%

Premium Subscribers were 71 million as of December 31, 2017 and 48 million as of December 31, 2016. This represented an increase of 46% and 71% from the preceding fiscal year, respectively. Our bi-annual global summer and holiday campaigns contributed 20% and 23% of gross added Premium Subscribers during 2017 and 2016, respectively. Further, the launch of the revamped Family Plan in 2016 resulted in another 31% and 22% of total gross added Premium Subscribers during 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Ad-Supported MAUs

We define Ad-Supported MAUs as the total count of Ad-Supported monthly active users that have consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds in the last thirty days from the period-end indicated.

The table below sets forth our Ad-Supported MAUs as of December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	As of December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in millions, except percentages)
Ad-Supported MAUs		64		77		92		13	21	%		15	19	%

Ad-Supported MAUs were 92 million as of December 31, 2017 and 77 million as of December 31, 2016. This represented an increase of 19% and 21% from the preceding fiscal year, respectively. Growth in Ad-Supported MAUs benefited from our continued investment in driving the rapid growth of our Ad-Supported Service, both through geographic expansion and consumer marketing. The increase also benefited from continued investment in content and features on our platform, including featured playlists, artist marketing campaigns, and original content to drive increased Ad-Supported User engagement and customer satisfaction.

Premium ARPU

Premium ARPU is a monthly measure defined as Premium revenue recognized in the quarter indicated divided by the average daily Premium Subscribers in such quarter, which is then divided by three months. Annual figures are calculated by averaging Premium ARPU for the four quarters in such fiscal year.

The table below sets forth our average Premium ARPU for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Year ended December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016					2016 to 2017
Premium ARPU	€	6.84	€	6.20	€	5.32		(0.64	)	(9	)%		(0.88	)	(14	)%

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, Premium ARPU was €5.32 and €6.20, respectively. This represented a decrease of 14% and 9% from the preceding fiscal years. The decreases were due principally to growth of the Family Plan and movements in foreign exchange rates.

The table below sets forth our average Premium ARPU for the quarters ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Three months ended December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016					2016 to 2017
Premium ARPU	€	7.06	€	6.00	€	5.24		(1.06	)	(15	)%		(0.76	)	(13	)%

For the quarters ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, Premium ARPU was €5.24 and €6.00, respectively. This represented a decrease of 13% and 15% from the preceding fiscal year quarters ended December 31. The decreases were due principally to growth of the Family Plan and movements in foreign exchange rates.

Premium Churn

Premium Churn is a monthly measure defined as Premium Subscriber cancellations in the quarter indicated divided by the average number of daily Premium Subscribers in such quarter, which is then divided by three months. Annual figures are calculated by averaging Premium Churn for the four quarters in such fiscal year.

The table below sets forth our Premium Churn for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016			2016 to 2017
Premium Churn		7.7	%		6.6	%		5.5	%		(1.1	)		(1.1	)

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, our Premium Churn was 5.5% and 6.6%, respectively. This represented a 1.1% decrease from each of the preceding fiscal years. The decreases were due principally to the increase in Family and Student Plan subscribers, who have higher retention rates, and increasing maturity of the Premium Subscriber base.

The table below sets forth our Premium Churn for the quarters ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Three months ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016			2016 to 2017
Premium Churn		7.5	%		6.0	%		5.1	%		(1.5	)		(0.9	)

For the quarters ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, our Premium Churn was 5.1% and 6.0%, respectively. This represented a 0.9% and 1.5% decrease from the preceding fiscal year quarters ended December 31. The decreases were due principally to the increase in Family and Student Plan subscribers, who have higher retention rates, and increasing maturity of the Premium Subscriber base.

Content Hours

Content Hours are the aggregate number of hours Users spent consuming audio and video content on Spotify for the period indicated.

The table below sets forth our content hours (in billions) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Year ended December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
Content Hours		17.4		26.7		40.3		9.3	53	%		13.6	51	%

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, our Users streamed 40.3 billion and 26.7 billion hours of Spotify content, respectively. This represented an increase of 51% and 53% as compared to the preceding fiscal years. The increases were due principally to an increase in our User base as a result of our continued investment in driving the rapid growth of our Service, both through geographic expansion and consumer marketing.

The table below sets forth our content hours (in billions) for the quarters ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017.


	Three months ended December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
Content Hours		5.1		7.7		11.4		2.6	51	%		3.7	48	%

For the quarters ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, our Users streamed 11.4 billion and 7.7 billion hours of Spotify content, respectively. This represented an increase of 48% and 51% as compared to the preceding fiscal year quarters ended December 31. The increases were due principally to an increase in our User base as a result of our continued investment in driving the rapid growth of our service, both through geographic expansion and consumer marketing.

Results of Operations

Revenue


	Year ended December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Premium		1,744		2,657		3,674		913	52	%		1,017	38	%
Ad-Supported		196		295		416		99	51	%		121	41	%

Total		1,940		2,952		4,090		1,012	52	%		1,138	39	%

Premium revenue

For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, Premium revenue comprised 90% of our total revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, Premium revenue increased €1,017 million or 38%. The increase was attributable primarily to a 46% increase in Premium Subscribers, partially offset by a decrease in Premium ARPU of 14% in each case, as noted above.

For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, Premium revenue comprised 90% of our total revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, Premium revenue increased €913 million or 52%. The increase was attributable primarily to a 71% increase in Premium Subscribers, partially offset by a decrease in Premium ARPU of 9% in each case, as noted above.

Ad-Supported revenue

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, Ad-Supported revenue increased €121 million or 41%. This increase was due primarily to a 31% increase in the number of impressions sold, driven largely by the growth in our programmatic channel (i.e., impressions sold using an automated online platform), which accounted for 49% of sold impressions and grew revenue 100% year over year, accounting for 18% of our Ad-Supported revenue. Ad-Supported revenue growth also was driven by a 7% increase in the average rate per impression, as our premium video offerings outpaced overall growth, growing 74% and reaching 29% of Ad-Supported revenue.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, Ad-Supported revenue increased €99 million or 51%. This increase was due primarily to a 50% increase in average rate per impression based on the product mix sold during the year, as the number of impressions sold was approximately flat with the previous year. We curtailed the number of desktop impressions in order to promote mobile formats (which account for nearly 50% of Ad-Supported revenue) and higher value desktop placements. Growth of programmatic impressions offset the decline in desktop impressions.

Cost of revenue


	Year ended December 31,						Change
	2015		2016		2017		2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Premium		1,487		2,221		2,868		734	49	%		647	29	%
Ad-Supported		227		330		373		103	45	%		43	13	%

Total		1,714		2,551		3,241		837	49	%		690	27	%

Premium cost of revenue

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, Premium cost of revenue increased €647 million, or 29%, and Premium cost of revenue as a percentage of Premium revenue decreased from 84% to 78%. This decrease in cost of revenue as a percentage of Premium revenue was driven largely by a reduction in content costs pursuant to new licensing agreements. The increase in cost of revenue was driven primarily by the increase in new Premium Subscribers, which led to higher royalty and streaming delivery costs of €632 million and €35 million, respectively. Additionally, there was an increase of €9 million related to discounted trial costs. These increases were partially offset by a reduction in payment fees of €26 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, Premium cost of revenue increased €734 million, or 49%, and Premium cost of revenue as a percentage of Premium revenue decreased from 85% to 84%. This decrease in cost of revenue as a percentage of Premium revenue was driven largely by a higher proportion of discounted trial costs in the prior year. The increase in cost of revenue was driven primarily by the increase in content costs related to the increase in new Premium Subscribers, a €27 million provision for legal disputes with certain rights holders, and an increase of €18 million related to discounted trial costs. In addition, we had an increase of €11 million in other costs of revenue, such as payment processing fees and customer service centers, due to our growing Premium Subscriber base.

Ad-Supported cost of revenue

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, Ad-Supported cost of revenue increased €43 million, or 13%, and Ad-Supported cost of revenue as a percentage of Ad-Supported revenue decreased from 112% to 90%. This decreased percentage was driven largely by a reduction in content costs pursuant to new licensing agreements. The increase in cost of revenue was driven primarily by the increase in new Ad-Supported MAUs, which led to higher royalty and streaming delivery costs of €30 million and €5 million, respectively.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, Ad-Supported cost of revenue increased €103 million, or 45%, and Ad-Supported cost of revenue as a percentage of Ad-Supported revenue decreased from 116% to 112%. The decreased percentage was driven largely by the impact of reduced streaming delivery costs as a percentage of revenue. The increase in cost of revenue was driven primarily by the increase in content cost of €68 million related to the increase in new Ad-Supported MAUs and a €18 million provision for legal disputes with certain rights holders. In addition, we had an increase of €10 million in other costs of revenue, which include the costs of our customer service centers due to our growing Ad-Supported User base.

Gross profit/(loss) and gross margin


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016					2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Gross profit/(loss)
Premium		257			436			806			179		70	%		370	85	%
Ad-Supported		(31	)		(35	)		43			(4	)	13	%		78	223	%

Consolidated		226			401			849			175		77	%		448	112	%

Gross margin
Premium		15	%		16	%		22	%
Ad-Supported		(16	)%		(12	)%		10	%
Consolidated		12	%		14	%		21	%

Premium gross profit/(loss) and gross margin

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, Premium gross profit increased by €370 million and Premium gross margin increased from 16% to 22%. The increase was due to growth in revenue that outpaced the growth in content costs, due primarily to a decrease in content costs pursuant to new licensing agreements.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, Premium gross profit increased by €179 million and Premium gross margin increased from 15% to 16%. The increase was driven largely by a reduction in discounted trial costs as a percentage of revenue.

Ad-Supported gross profit/(loss) and gross margin

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, Ad-Supported gross loss changed by €78 million to a gross profit of €43 million, and Ad-Supported gross margin improved from (12)% to 10%. The increase was due to growth in revenue that outpaced the growth in content costs, due primarily to a decrease in content costs pursuant to new licensing agreements.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, Ad-Supported gross loss increased by €4 million, and Ad-Supported gross margin improved from (16)% to (12)%. The increase was due primarily to reduced streaming delivery costs as a percentage of revenue.

Consolidated operating expenses

Research and development


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Research and development		136			207			396			71	52	%		189	91	%
As a percentage of revenue		7	%		7	%		10	%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, research and development costs increased €189 million, or 91%, as we continually enhance our platform in order to retain and grow our User base. The increase was due primarily to an increase in personnel-related costs of €131 million and facilities costs of €27 million, resulting from an increased headcount and leased office space to support our growth as compared to the prior fiscal year. The increase in personnel-related costs was due primarily to increased salaries of €68 million, social costs of €48 million, and share-based payments of €5 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, research and development costs increased €71 million, or 52%. The increase was due primarily to an increase in personnel-related costs of €46 million and facilities costs of €14 million, resulting from an increased headcount and leased office space to support our growth as compared to the prior fiscal year.

Sales and marketing


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Sales and marketing		219			368			567			149	68	%		199	54	%
As a percentage of revenue		11	%		12	%		14	%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, sales and marketing expense increased €199 million, or 54%. The increase was due primarily to incremental advertising costs of €120 million for campaigns in existing markets, as well as new markets related to our continued international expansion. There also was an increase in personnel-related costs of €48 million and facilities costs of €39 million, each resulting from increased headcount and leased office space compared to the prior fiscal year to support our growth. The increase in personnel-related costs was due primarily to increased salaries of €25 million, social costs of €15 million, and share-based payments of €5 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, sales and marketing expense increased €149 million, or 68%. The increase was due primarily to incremental advertising costs of €53 million for marketing spend and promotional campaigns in existing markets, as well as new markets related to our continued international expansion. Further, there was an increase in the cost of providing free trials of €15 million. There also was an increase in personnel-related costs of €32 million and facilities costs of €7 million, each resulting from increased headcount and leased office space compared to the prior fiscal year to support our growth.

General and administrative


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
General and administrative		106			175			264			69	65	%		89	51	%
As a percentage of revenue		5	%		6	%		6	%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, general and administrative expense increased €89 million or 51%. The increase was due primarily to an increase in personnel-related costs of €63 million and facilities costs of €20 million, each resulting from increased headcount and leased office space compared to the prior fiscal year to support our growth. The increase in personnel-related costs was due primarily to increased social costs of €40 million and salaries of €19 million. We also experienced an increase in legal and other administrative costs of €15 million compared to the prior fiscal year due to increased litigation, consulting costs related to public company readiness objectives, and new systems implementations. These costs were offset by a decrease in bad debt expense of €15 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, general and administrative expense increased €69 million or 65%. The increase was due primarily to an increase in personnel-related costs of €20 million resulting from an increased headcount compared to the prior fiscal year. We also experienced an increase in legal and other administrative costs of €22 million compared to the prior fiscal year due to increased litigation and consulting costs related to public company readiness objectives. Further, we had an increase in bad debt expense of €15 million.

Finance income

Finance income consists of fair value adjustment gains on financial instruments, interest income earned on our cash and cash equivalents, short term investments, and foreign currency gains.


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Finance income		36			152			118			116	322	%		(34	)	(22	)%
As a percentage of revenue		2	%		5	%		3	%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, finance income decreased by €34 million. The decrease in finance income was due primarily to lower foreign exchange gains on the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities in a transaction currency other than the functional currency of €124 million. This was partially offset by an increase in fair value gains on our contingent options of €74 million and interest income of €14 million due to the full-year effect on our short term investments.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, finance income increased by €116 million. The increase in finance income was due primarily to foreign exchange gains on the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities in a transaction currency other than the functional currency of €116 million, due principally to investing the proceeds of the Convertible Notes in U.S. Dollar denominated short term investments.

Finance costs

Finance costs consist of fair value adjustment losses on financial instruments, interest on our lease financing obligations, and foreign currency losses.


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016				2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Finance costs		(26	)		(336	)		(974	)		(310	)	NM		(638	)	190	%
As a percentage of revenue		(1	)%		(11	)%		(24	)%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, finance costs increased by €638 million due primarily to the issuance of the Convertible Notes in April 2016, which are accounted for at fair value with any changes in fair value recorded in the statement of operations. Due to the implicit interest rate and an increase in the value of ordinary shares, the expense recorded for the Convertible Notes increased by €279 million as compared to 2016. The expense recorded for outstanding warrants increased by €255 million due to the increase in the value of ordinary shares and the issuance of additional warrants in July 2017. Additionally, foreign exchange losses on the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities in a transaction currency other than the functional currency increased by €105 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, finance costs increased by €310 million due primarily to the issuance of the Convertible Notes in April 2016, which were accounted for at fair value with any changes in fair value recorded in the statement of operations. Due to the implicit interest rate and an increase in the value of ordinary shares, the expense recorded for the Convertible Notes was €245 million. The expense recorded for the warrants issued in October 2016 was €7 million due to the increase in the value of ordinary shares. We also experienced an increase of €27 million in expense on our contingent options due to the quarterly movement in the fair value of our ordinary shares during the period. Additionally, foreign exchange losses on the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities in a transaction currency other than the functional currency increased by €27 million.

Net loss attributable to owners of the parent


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016					2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
Net loss attributable to owners of the parent		(230	)		(539	)		(1,235	)		(309	)	134	%		(696	)	129	%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, net loss attributable to owners of the parent increased by €696 million, an increase of 129%, due to the factors stated above.

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, net loss attributable to owners of the parent increased by €309 million, an increase of 134%, due to the factors stated above.

EBITDA


	Year ended December 31,									Change
	2015			2016			2017			2015 to 2016					2016 to 2017
	(in € millions, except percentages)
EBITDA		(205	)		(311	)		(324	)		(106	)	52	%		(13	)	4	%
As a percentage of revenue		(11	)%		(11	)%		(8	)%

For the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, EBITDA loss increased by €13 million or 4%. This increase was due primarily to an increase in our operating losses of €29 million offset by an increase in depreciation and amortization of €16 million. For a discussion of the limitations associated with using EBITDA rather than IFRS measures and a reconciliation of EBITDA to net loss, see “Selected Historical Financial Information and Other Data.”

For the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, EBITDA loss increased by €106 million or 52%. This increase was due primarily to an increase in our operating losses of €114 million. For a discussion of the limitations associated with using EBITDA rather than IFRS measures and a reconciliation of EBITDA to net loss, see “Selected Historical Financial Information and Other Data.”

Seasonality

Our results reflect the effects of our bi-annual trial programs, in addition to seasonal trends in User behavior and, with respect to our Ad-Supported Service, advertising behavior. Historically, Premium Subscriber growth accelerates when we run bi-annual trial programs in the summer and winter, which typically begin in the last month of the second and fourth quarters. This leads to decreases in gross margin in the first and third quarter of each year, as we absorb the promotional expenses of discounted trial offers.

For our Ad-Supported Service, we experience higher advertising revenues in the fourth quarter of each calendar year due to greater advertising demand during the holiday season. However, in the first quarter of each calendar year, we typically experience a seasonal decline in advertising revenue due to reduced advertiser demand. The rapid growth in our business to date has somewhat masked these trends. In the future, we expect these trends to become more pronounced.

Other than as disclosed here and elsewhere in this prospectus, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments, or events since December 31, 2017 that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our revenues, income, profitability, liquidity, or capital resources, or that would cause the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial conditions.

Quarterly Results of Operations

The following unaudited quarterly consolidated statements of operations for the eight quarters in the period ended December 31, 2017 have been prepared on a basis consistent with our audited annual consolidated financial statements and include, in the opinion of management, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair statement of the financial information contained in those statements. The following unaudited consolidated quarterly financial data should be read in conjunction with our annual consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.


	Three months ended
	March 31, 2016			June 30, 2016			September 30, 2016			December 31, 2016			March 31, 2017			June 30, 2017			September 30, 2017			December 31, 2017
	(in € millions, except share and per share amounts)
	(unaudited)
Revenue		619			714			747			872			902			1,007			1,032			1,149
Premium		566			643			673			775			828			904			923			1,019
Ad-Supported		53			71			74			97			74			103			109			130
Cost of revenue		588			610			634			719			797			775			802			867
Premium		508			531			560			622			710			686			711			761
Ad-Supported		80			79			74			97			87			89			91			106

Gross profit		31			104			113			153			105			232			230			282
Research and development		42			52			51			62			80			95			98			123
Sales and marketing		63			95			84			126			110			146			138			173
General and administrative		31			48			44			52			54			70			67			73

		136			195			179			240			244			311			303			369

Operating loss		(105	)		(91	)		(66	)		(87	)		(139	)		(79	)		(73	)		(87	)
Finance income		—			31			3			118			27			41			14			36
Finance costs		(31	)		(125	)		(64	)		(116	)		(62	)		(148	)		(219	)		(545	)
Share in (losses)/earnings of associates and joint ventures		(1	)		( 1	)		—			—			2			(1	)		—			—

Finance income/(costs)—net		(32	)		(95	)		(61	)		2			(33	)		(108	)		(205	)		(509	)

Loss before tax		(137	)		(186	)		(127	)		(85	)		(172	)		(187	)		(278	)		(596	)
Income tax expense/(benefit)		2			(1	)		3			—			1			1			—			—

Net loss attributable to owners of the parent		(139	)		(185	)		(130	)		(85	)		(173	)		(188	)		(278	)		(596	)

Net loss per share attributable to owners of the parent Basic and diluted	€	(0.95)		€	(1.25)		€	(0.87)		€	(0.57)		€	(1.15)		€	(1.24)		€	(1.84)		€	(3.87)

Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding Basic and diluted		146,274,795			147,673,648			149,669,252			149,826,818			150,149,327			151,069,953			151,289,732			154,126,524

Quarterly Trends

Revenue

Premium business revenue

Premium revenue has represented approximately 90% of total revenue for all of the periods presented. Our total revenues increased sequentially in each of the quarters presented. The continued increase was driven by the significant growth in our Premium Subscribers, as further described below. This was partially offset by a decline in Premium ARPU, as further described below.

Ad-Supported business revenue

Our Ad-Supported revenues increased in each of the quarters presented with the exception of a decrease in the quarter ended March 31, 2017 due to seasonality. Ad-Supported revenue was typically the highest in the fourth quarter of each year due to greater advertising demand during the holiday season. The increase in Ad-Supported revenue throughout the year ended December 31, 2017 was due primarily to increases in the number of impressions sold, driven largely by the growth in our programmatic channel. In the year ended December 31, 2016, there were quarterly increases in Ad-Supported revenue due primarily to increases in average rates per impression based on the product mix sold during the year. The number of impressions sold was consistent with the previous year. We curtailed the number of desktop impressions in order to promote mobile formats and higher value desktop placements.

Cost of revenue

Premium cost of revenue

Similar to our total revenues, our total cost of revenues increased in each of the quarters presented with the exception of the quarter ended June 30, 2017. The quarter ended June 30, 2017 decreased in comparison to the quarter ended March 31, 2017 due to charges of €32 million recorded in the first quarter of 2017 related to disputes with certain rights holders. The increase in cost of revenue in the year ended December 31, 2017 was less than the increase in Premium revenue as we entered into new licensing agreements with rights holders throughout the year. The increase in cost of revenue in the year ended December 31, 2016 was less than the increase in Premium revenue due to a reduction in discounted trial costs as a percentage of revenue. The quarter ended March 31, 2016 included charges of €16 million related to disputes with certain rights holders. The amount of discounted trial costs included in Premium cost of revenue for the quarters ending March 31, 2016, June 30, 2016, September 30, 2016, December 31, 2016, March 31, 2017, June 30, 2017, September 30, 2017, and December 31, 2017, was €24 million, €8 million, €27 million, €9 million, €33 million, €10 million, €27 million, and €7 million, respectively.

Ad-Supported cost of revenue

Since the quarter ended September 30, 2016, we have seen an increase in Ad-Supported cost of revenue resulting from Ad-Supported MAU growth in all periods presented. The increase in Ad-Supported MAUs has led to higher royalty and streaming delivery costs. The quarter ended June 30, 2017 was relatively flat in comparison to the quarter ended March 31, 2017 due to charges of €8 million recorded in the first quarter of 2017 related to disputes with certain rights holders. The quarter ended March 31, 2017 decreased in comparison to the quarter ended December 31, 2016 due to the seasonality of Ad-Supported revenue. The quarter ended September 30, 2016 decreased in comparison to the quarter ended June 30, 2016 due to a reduction in the amortization of certain non-music content as well as changes in the allocation of costs between Premium and Ad-Supported due to an increase in the content hours consumed by Premium Subscribers relative to Ad-Supported Users. The quarter ended March 31, 2016 included charges of €10 million related to disputes with certain rights holders.

Gross profit

Our gross profit increased in each of the quarters presented with the exception of each of the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and September 30, 2017. The increases in the other quarters were due principally to growth in revenue that outpaced the growth in content costs, due primarily to a decrease in content costs pursuant to new licensing agreements. Premium Subscriber growth accelerated due to bi-annual trial programs in the summer and winter, which began in the last month of the second and fourth quarters. This led to decreases in gross margin in the first and third quarters of each year, as we absorbed the promotional expenses of discounted trial offers. The quarters ended March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016 were affected by charges of €40 million and €26 million related to disputes with certain rights holders respectively.

Research and development

Research and development expenses increased in each period presented, due to our continual enhancement of our platform in order to retain and grow our User base, with an exception for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, which remained relatively flat. The increases in all other quarterly periods were due principally to increases in personnel-related and facilities costs resulting from increased headcount and leased office space to support our growth.

Sales and marketing

Our sales and marketing spend increased in the second and fourth quarter of each year in line with our seasonal campaign offerings. The quarterly periods presented increased year over year due principally to incremental advertising and marketing spend and promotional campaigns in existing markets as well as new markets. There also were increases in personnel-related and facilities costs, each resulting from increased headcount and leased office space to support our growth for each of the quarterly periods presented.

General and administrative

Except for a decrease in the quarters ended September 30, 2016 and 2017, general and administrative expenses increased throughout the periods presented. The increases in all other quarterly periods were due principally to increases in personnel-related and facilities costs, resulting from increased headcount and leased office space to support our growth. We also experienced an increase in legal and other administrative costs due to increased litigation, consulting costs related to public company readiness objectives, new systems implementations, and commissions paid for new leases.

Finance income

There were no significant unusual movements in finance income, with the exception of the fourth quarter of 2016. In the fourth quarter of 2016, we recognized foreign exchange gains of €96 million on the remeasurement of monetary assets, principally our short term investments, due to advantageous movements between the U.S. Dollar and Euro exchange rate. The fair value gains recorded on our contingent options increased throughout the periods in line with the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares. Additionally, there was an increase in interest income reflecting our increase in short term investments.

Finance costs

Finance costs trended higher over the periods presented due principally to the issuance of the Convertible Notes in second quarter of 2016 and the issuance of warrants in the fourth quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of 2017. These financial liabilities were accounted for at fair value with any changes in fair value recorded in the statement of operations. The fair value adjustments recorded on our Convertible Notes and warrants have increased throughout the periods in line with the increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares and the implicit interest of the Convertible Notes. Additionally, foreign exchange losses on the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities in a transaction currency other than the functional currency increased, related principally to our U.S. Dollar short term investments.

Key Performance Indicators


	Three months ended
	March 31, 2016			June 30, 2016			September 30, 2016			December 31, 2016			March 31, 2017			June 30, 2017			September 30, 2017			December 31, 2017
	(Unaudited)
Key Performance Indicators:
MAUs, in millions		96			104			113			123			132			138			149			159
Premium Subscribers, in millions		30			36			40			48			52			59			62			71
Ad-Supported MAUs, in millions		67			70			75			77			83			82			91			92
Premium ARPU	€	6.38		€	6.67		€	5.76		€	6.00		€	5.46		€	5.53		€	5.06		€	5.24
Content Hours, in billions		5.7			6.4			6.9			7.7			8.8			9.8			10.4			11.4
Premium Churn		6.9	%		7.0	%		6.4	%		6.0	%		5.5	%		5.9	%		5.7	%		5.1	%

Non-IFRS Financial Measures


	Three months ended
	March 31, 2016			June 30, 2016			September 30, 2016			December 31, 2016			March 31, 2017			June 30, 2017			September 30, 2017			December 31, 2017
	(unaudited)
EBITDA:
Net loss attributable to owners of the parent		(139	)		(185	)		(130	)		(85	)		(173	)		(188	)		(278	)		(596	)
Finance (income)/costs—net		32			95			61			(2	)		33			108			205			509
Income tax expense/(benefit)		2			(1	)		3			—			1			1			—			—
Depreciation and amortization		9			10			9			10			14			12			15			13

EBITDA		(96	)		(81	)		(57	)		(77	)		(125	)		(67	)		(58	)		(74	)

Free Cash Flow:
Net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities		10			90			4			(3	)		93			72			(81	)		95
Capital expenditures		(9	)		(1	)		(11	)		(6	)		(1	)		(5	)		(9	)		(21	)
Change in restricted cash		—			—			—			(1	)		(28	)		(8	)		1			1

Free Cash Flow		1			89			(7	)		(10	)		64			59			(89	)		75

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. Preparing these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results may differ from these estimates.

The critical accounting estimates, assumptions, and judgments that we believe to have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.

Revenue Recognition

Premium Revenue

We generate revenue for our Premium segment from the sale of Premium Services. Premium Services are sold directly to end users and through partners who are generally telecommunications companies that bundle the subscription with their own services or collect payment for the stand-alone subscriptions from their end customers.

Premium Services sold directly to end users are typically paid in advance. We satisfy our performance obligation, and revenue from these services is recognized, on a straight-line basis over the subscription period.

We periodically provide discounted trial periods for Premium Services. Consideration received for the discounted trial periods is recognized in revenue on a straight-line basis over the term of the discounted trial period.

Premium Services sold through partners are recognized as revenue based on a per-subscriber rate in a negotiated partner agreement and may include minimum guarantees for the minimum amount that will be purchased from us. Under these arrangements, a Premium partner may bundle the Premium Service with its existing product offerings or offer the Premium Service as an add-on. We satisfy our performance obligation, and revenue from these services is recognized, on a straight-line basis over the subscription period. For partner agreements where the minimum guarantee is not met, revenue is constrained to the revenue amounts for the actual subscriptions sold in a given period. We therefore only recognize the associated revenue when it is highly probable that this will not result in a significant reversal of revenue when the uncertainty is resolved. We assess the facts and circumstances, including whether the partner is acting as a principal or agent, of all partner revenue arrangements and then recognizes revenues either gross or net. Premium partner services, whether recognized gross or net, have one material performance obligation being the delivery of our Premium Service.

Ad-Supported Revenue

We generate revenue for our Ad-Supported segment primarily through display, audio, and video advertising delivered through advertising impressions. We enter into arrangements with advertising agencies that purchase advertising on our platform on behalf of the agencies’ clients and directly with some large advertisers. These advertising arrangements are typically sold on a cost-per-thousand basis and are evidenced by an Insertion Order (“IO”) that specifies the terms of the arrangement such as the type of advertising product, pricing, insertion dates, and number of impressions in a stated period. Ad-Supported revenue is recognized upon delivery of impressions. IOs may include multiple performance obligations as they generally contain several different advertising products that each represent a separately identifiable promise within the contract. For such arrangements, we allocate Ad-Supported revenue to each performance obligation on a relative stand-alone selling price basis. We determine stand-alone selling prices based on the prices charged to customers. We also may offer cash rebates to advertising agencies based on the volume of advertising inventory purchased. These rebates are estimated based on historical data and projected spend and result in a reduction of revenue recognized.

Additionally, we generate Ad-Supported revenue through arrangements with certain suppliers to distribute advertising inventory on their advertising exchange platforms for purchase on a cost-per-thousand basis. Ad-Supported revenue is recognized over time when impressions are delivered on the platform.

Share-based Payments

Our employees and members of our board of directors receive remuneration in the form of share-based payment transactions, whereby employees and directors render services in consideration for equity instruments.

The fair value of a stock option is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of an RSU or RSA is measured using the fair value of our ordinary shares on the date of the grant. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized, net of forfeitures, over the requisite service periods of the awards, which is generally less than five years.

Our use of the Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the fair value of our underlying ordinary shares, expected term of the option, expected volatility of the price of our ordinary shares, risk-free interest rates, and the expected dividend yield of our ordinary shares. The assumptions used in our option-pricing model represent management’s best estimates. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. If factors change and different assumptions are used, our stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future.

These assumptions and estimates are as follows:

•

Fair Value of Our Ordinary Shares. As our ordinary shares are not publicly traded, we estimate the fair value of our ordinary shares as discussed in “—Ordinary Share Valuations” below.

•

Expected Term. The expected term of employee stock options represents the weighted-average period that the stock options are expected to remain outstanding. The expected term of the share options is based on our historical data and current expectations.

•

Risk-Free Interest Rate. We base the risk-free interest rate on the yields of US Treasury zero coupon rates with maturities approximately equal to the term of employee stock option awards, as the exercise price is based on a fixed U.S. Dollar amount.

•

Expected Volatility. As we do not have a public market trading history for our ordinary shares, the expected volatility for our ordinary shares was estimated based on the historical volatility of public companies that are deemed to be comparable to us over the expected term of the award. Industry peers consist of several public companies in our industry which are either similar in size, stage of life cycle or financial leverage.

•

Dividend Rate. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the near future and therefore use an expected dividend yield of zero in the option valuation model.

We also must estimate a forfeiture rate to calculate the stock-based compensation expense for our awards. Our forfeiture rate is based on an analysis of our actual forfeitures. We will continue to evaluate the appropriateness of the forfeiture rate based on actual forfeiture experience, analysis of employee turnover, and other factors. Changes in the estimated forfeiture rate can have a significant impact on our stock-based compensation expense as the cumulative effect of adjusting the rate is recognized in the period the forfeiture estimate is changed. A higher revised forfeiture rate than previously estimated will result in an adjustment that will decrease the stock-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated statement of operations. A lower revised forfeiture rate than previously estimated will result in an adjustment that will increase the stock-based compensation expense recognized in the consolidated statement of operations.

We will continue to use judgment in evaluating the assumptions related to our stock-based compensation on a prospective basis. As we continue to accumulate additional data related to our ordinary shares, we may have refinements to our estimates, which could materially impact our future stock-based compensation expense.

Social costs are payroll taxes associated with employee salaries and benefits, including share-based compensation. Social costs in connection with granted options and RSUs are accrued over the vesting period based on the intrinsic value of the award that has been earned at the end of each reporting period. The amount of the liability reflects the amortization of the award and the impact of expected forfeitures. The social cost rate at which the accrual is made generally follows the tax domicile within which other compensation charges for a grantee are recognized.

Ordinary Share Valuations

The valuations of our ordinary shares were determined in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation.

We considered objective and subjective factors to determine our best estimate of the fair value of our ordinary shares, including but not limited to, the following factors:

•

recent private stock sale transactions;

•

our historical financial results and estimated trends and prospects for our future financial performance;

•

our performance and market position relative to our competitors and/or similar publicly traded companies;

•

the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an initial public offering, direct listing, or sale of our Company, given internal company and external market conditions;

•

the economic and competitive environment, including the industry in which we operate; and

•

third-party valuations of our ordinary shares.

The fair value of our ordinary shares is determined using recent secondary market transactions in our ordinary shares and the Probability Weighted Expected Return Method (“PWERM”), which is one of the recommended valuation methods to measure fair value in privately held companies with complex equity structures in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Guide, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. We first used the Market Approach, Guideline Company Method, to determine the indicated equity value considering four scenarios: the High Case Public Company, the Low Case Public Company, the High Case Transaction, and the Low Case Transaction. The public company scenarios reflect the value of Spotify as a public company and encompass scenarios whereby Spotify becomes a public company through either a direct listing or an initial public offering. We then used the Market and Income Approaches to determine the indicated equity value of Spotify assuming a fifth scenario in which Spotify remains a private company. These five scenarios were used to allocate value to components of the capital structure. Under the PWERM methodology, for the High Case public company, the Low Case public company, the High Case Transaction, and the Low Case Transaction, Company exit values were determined and distributed to the shareholders in accordance with various shareholder agreements and then discounted to the valuation date. For the Private Company Case, the scenario-based current Company value was used as input into a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which allocated this value to the various components of the capital structure. Based on the weightings applied to the scenarios and methodologies utilized, we determined a value for the ordinary shares under the PWERM.

The valuations took into account the factors described above and used a combination of financial and market-based methodologies to determine our business enterprise value. The following details the ordinary share valuations during 2017.


	Fair market value
February	$	50.70
May	$	65.50
June	$	69.03
August	$	78.25
September	$	87.68
November	$	90.65
December	$	120.50

During the course of the year, we have shifted our scenario weightings to give higher weighting towards our public company scenarios given the progress towards our direct listing. See Note 22 to our consolidated financial statements. Further, in consideration of an increased volume in secondary market transactions, we increased the weighting of secondary market transactions from 20% to 50% of the fair value of our ordinary shares in December 2017.

Content

We incur royalty costs for the right to stream music to our Users, paid to certain music record labels and other rights holders. Royalties are calculated using negotiated rates in accordance with license agreements, or estimates of those rates in instances where rights holders are not identified. Calculations are based on either Premium and Ad-Supported revenue earned or User/usage measures or a combination of these. The rights holder agreements are complex and our determination of royalties payable involves certain significant judgments, assumptions, and estimates in addition to complex systems and a significant volume of data to be processed and analyzed. In particular, in certain jurisdictions rights holders have several years to claim royalties for works streamed each month. As such, the royalty costs incurred in a period might not be fully settled for a number of

years and are estimated. The estimate of royalty costs requires us to make assumptions about the rates to be recorded for streams where the rights holder is not identified and the potential incidence of duplicate claims. These estimates are subject to revision until settlement. Considering the number of variables impacting the amounts owed, the actual outcome could be different than our estimates, resulting in an additional accrual or release of previously recorded liabilities.

In addition, some rights holders have allowed the use of their content on our platform while negotiations of the terms and conditions of individual agreements are ongoing. In these instances, royalties are calculated based on our best estimate of the eventual payout.

Many of the rights holders agreements include the right to audit our royalty payments, and any such audit could result in disputes over whether we have paid the proper royalties. Given the complexity of the arrangements, if such a dispute were to occur, we could be required to pay additional royalties, and the amounts involved could be material.

The majority of our rights holder liabilities are settled on commercial payment terms shortly after they are incurred. However, certain of these liabilities are not settled for more significant periods of time due to uncertainties related to the reasons discussed above. Of the total accruals and provisions to rights holders at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2017, approximately €183 million and €181 million respectively relate to liabilities that were incurred more than twelve months prior to the date of the statement of financial position.

From time to time, we are involved in legal actions or other third-party assertions related to content on our platform. There can be no assurance these actions or other third-party assertions will be resolved without costly litigation in a manner that does not adversely impact our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, or without requiring higher royalty payments in the future, which may adversely impact gross margins. We record a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. In determining the probability of a loss and consequently, determining a reasonable estimate, management is required to use significant judgment. Given the uncertainties associated with any litigation, the actual outcome can be different than our estimates and could adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our royalty payment scheme is complex, and it is difficult to estimate the amount payable under our license agreements.”

We have certain arrangements whereby royalty costs are paid in advance or are subject to minimum guaranteed amounts. These minimum guarantee amounts have been disclosed in Note 23 of the consolidated financial statements, included elsewhere in this prospectus. An accrual is established when actual royalty costs to be incurred during a contractual period are expected to fall short of the minimum guaranteed amounts. For minimum guarantee arrangements for which we cannot reliably predict the underlying expense, we will expense the minimum guarantee on a straight-line basis over the term of the arrangement. We also have certain royalty arrangements where we would have to make additional payments if the royalty rates for specified periods were below those paid to certain other licensors (most favored nation clauses). For rights holders with this clause, we compare royalties incurred to date plus estimated royalties payable for the remainder of the period to estimates of the royalties payable to other appropriate rights holders, and the shortfall, if any, is recognized on a straight-line basis over the period of the applicable most favored nation clause. An accrual and expense is recognized when it is probable that we will make additional royalty payments under these terms. The expense related to these accruals is recognized in cost of revenue.

Convertible Notes, Warrants, and Contingent Options

Our Convertible Notes, warrants, and contingent options are remeasured at each reporting date using valuation models using input data, which includes the fair value of our ordinary shares, including the assumptions for probability scenarios and PWERM as determined above. The change in fair value of these financial liabilities are recognized in finance income or cost in the consolidated statement of operations. The fair value of our ordinary shares is a primary driver of the fair value of the warrants and contingent options.

At December 31, 2016, the fair value of the debt was determined based on consideration and weighting of two future scenarios, a Near Term Exit (where the debt is convertible into ordinary shares in the case of a qualifying event), and a Private Company Case. All components of the debt under the Near Term Exit and Private Company Case, with the exception of the share cap, which assumes a risk-free discount rate, were discounted at the implied rate on the date of issuance plus the chosen benchmark rate. The calculation under the Private Company Case, assumes the debt is repaid at maturity.

At December 31, 2017, the Convertible Notes were valued at the assumed exchange to ordinary shares based on the fair value of the Company’s ordinary share price. The key assumptions to the fair value of ordinary shares have been discussed in Note 22 to our consolidated financial statements.

If factors change and different assumptions are used, our finance costs, (net) could be materially different in the future. An increase in the fair value of our ordinary shares will negatively impact earnings as it increases the fair value of the Convertible Notes and warrants while the increase will positively impact earnings related to the contingent options.

See Notes 18 and 22 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for additional information on the valuation models used in for our Convertible Notes, warrants and contingent options.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in Luxembourg, Sweden, the United States, and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our uncertain tax positions.

Deferred tax assets are recognized for unused tax losses, unused tax credits, and deductible temporary differences to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available, against which they can be used. Unused tax loss carry-forwards are reviewed at each reporting date and have not been recorded when we believe we will not generate future taxable income to utilize the loss carry-forwards.

In determining the amount of current and deferred income tax, we take into account the impact of uncertain tax positions and whether additional taxes, interest, or penalties may be due. Although we believe that we have adequately reserved for our uncertain tax positions, we can provide no assurance that the final tax outcome of these matters will not be materially different. We make adjustments to these reserves when facts and circumstances change, such as the closing of a tax audit or the refinement of an estimate. To the extent that the final tax outcome of these matters is different than the amounts recorded, such differences will affect the provision for income taxes in the period in which such determination is made and could have a material impact on our financial condition and operating results.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for recently adopted accounting pronouncements and recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted as of the dates of the statement of financial position included in this prospectus.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity are our cash and cash equivalents, short term investments, and cash generated from operations. Cash and cash equivalents and short term investment securities consist mostly of cash on deposit with banks, investments in money market funds, and investments in government securities, corporate debt securities, and collateralized reverse purchase agreements. Cash and cash equivalents and short term investments decreased by €76 million from €1,585 million as of December 31, 2016 to €1,509 million as of December 31, 2017.

We believe our existing cash and cash equivalent balances and the cash flow we generate from our operations will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure needs for at least the next 12 months. However, our future capital requirements may be materially different than those currently planned in our budgeting and forecasting activities and depend on many factors, including our rate of revenue growth, the timing and extent of spending on content and research and development, the expansion of our sales and marketing activities, the timing of new product introductions, market acceptance of our products, our continued international expansion, competitive factors, and overall economic conditions, globally. To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and requirements, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. The sale of additional equity would result in additional dilution to our shareholders, while the incurrence of debt financing or additional convertible debt would result in debt service obligations. Such debt instruments also could introduce covenants that might restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that we could obtain additional financing on favorable terms or at all. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We may require additional capital to support business growth and objectives, and this capital might not be available on acceptable terms, if at all.”

Cash Flow


	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	(in € millions)
Net cash flows (used in)/from operating activities		(38	)		101			179
Net cash flows used in investing activities		(67	)		(827	)		(435	)
Net cash flow from financing activities		476			916			34

Operating activities.

Cash from operating activities increased by €78 million to €179 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016. The increase in net cash from operations was due primarily to an increase in content and social cost accruals.

Cash from operating activities increased by €139 million to €101 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015. The increase in net cash from operations was due primarily to more timely collection from customers and an increase in deferred subscription revenue, content accruals, and certain provisions.

Investing activities.

Cash used in investing activities decreased by €392 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016, due primarily to a reduction in net cash outflow for purchases and sales of short term investments of €482 million. This was offset by an increase of €42 million for business combinations and a €33 million increase in restricted cash principally related to securing property leases.

Cash used in investing activities increased by €760 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015, due primarily to our net cash outflow for purchases and sales of short term investments of €788 million, which included the proceeds from the issuance of our Convertible Notes. This was partially offset by a €17 million decrease in cash used for purchases of property and equipment.

Financing activities.

Cash from financing activities decreased €882 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016. The decrease in financing cash flows was due primarily to the net proceeds of €861 million received from the issuance of our $1,000 million Convertible Notes in 2016 and a decrease in the proceeds from the issuance of warrants of €18 million.

Cash from financing activities increased €440 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015. The increase in financing cash flows was due primarily to the net proceeds of €861 million received from the issuance of our $1,000 million Convertible Notes, an increase in proceeds from the exercise of share options of €27 million, and the issuance of warrants of €27 million. The increase was partially offset by €474 million of cash received from the issuance of additional shares in 2015.

Free Cash Flow


	Year ended December 31,
	2015			2016		2017
	(in € millions)
Free Cash Flow		(92	)		73		109

Free cash flow increased by €36 million to €109 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to 2016. The increase in free cash flow was due primarily to the improvement in cash from operations of €78 million due to an increase in content and social cost accruals.

Free cash flow increased by €165 million to €73 million for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to 2015. The increase in free cash flow was due primarily to the improvement in cash from operations of €139 million due to more timely collection from customers and an increase in deferred subscription revenue, content accruals, and certain provisions.

For a discussion of the limitations associated with using Free Cash Flow rather than IFRS measures and a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow to net cash flows from operating activities, see “Selected Historical Financial Information and Other Data.”

Restrictions on Subsidiaries to Transfer Funds

The payment of dividends and the making, or repayment, of loans and advances to the Company by the Company’s direct subsidiaries and such payments by its indirect subsidiaries to their respective parent entities are subject to various restrictions. Existing and future indebtedness of these subsidiaries may prohibit the payment of dividends or the making, or repayment, of loans or advances to the Company. In addition, the ability of any of the Company’s direct or indirect subsidiaries to make certain distributions may be limited by the laws of the relevant jurisdiction in which the subsidiaries are organized or located, including financial assistance rules, corporate benefit laws, liquidity requirements, requirements that dividends must be paid out of reserves available for distribution, and other legal restrictions which, if violated, might require the recipient to refund unlawful payments. Spotify AB, which, directly or indirectly through its subsidiaries, conducts much of the Spotify Group’s business, may only make dividends to the Company if there would continue to be full coverage of its restricted equity following such dividend, and only if doing so would be considered prudent under Swedish law given the needs of Spotify AB and its subsidiaries. Loans and other advances from Spotify AB to the Company may be subject to essentially the same restrictions as dividends. Since the Company is expected to rely primarily on dividends from its direct and indirect subsidiaries to fund its financial and other obligations, restrictions on its ability to receive such funds may adversely impact the Company’s ability to fund its financial and other obligations.

Indebtedness

As of December 31, 2017, our outstanding indebtedness consisted primarily of our Convertible Notes, as further described below. We may from time to time seek to incur additional indebtedness. Such indebtedness, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. The amounts involved may be material. For additional information regarding our interest rate risk and interest rate hedging instruments, see “—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” below.

Description of Convertible Notes

On March 24, 2016, we entered into a convertible note purchase agreement, pursuant to which, on April 1, 2016, we issued and sold Convertible Notes which were guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries to various “accredited investors” within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3), or (7) under the Securities Act. The Convertible Notes were issued without registration in reliance on the exemption afforded by Rule 144A and Regulation S of the Securities Act, and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder. The Convertible Notes were issued at par and bear interest of 5.0% payment-in-kind interest increasing by 100 basis points every six months after April 1, 2018. Since a specified conversion event did not occur within the first twelve months of the issue date, the original discount of 20.0% to the per share price of our ordinary shares increased by 250 basis points on April 1, 2017 and would have increased again every six months thereafter by 250 basis points until a specified conversion event had occurred.

The Convertible Notes also had change of control clauses where the noteholders had the option to convert the Convertible Notes into ordinary shares. On the maturity date, if the Convertible Notes had not been converted, exchanged, or repaid, noteholders would have received cash in an amount equal to the original principal amount plus 10% annualized return. The Convertible Notes included certain affirmative covenants typical for notes of this type, including the delivery of audited financial statements to the noteholders and certain negative covenants typical for notes of this type, including restrictions on declaring or paying dividends, redeeming, repurchasing or retiring for value equity interests, incurring additional indebtedness, entering into certain affiliate transactions, and incurring liens, among others. Certain events of default and covenants in the Convertible Notes were subject to certain thresholds and exceptions described in the agreement governing the Convertible Notes. We strived, to the extent possible, to mitigate our currency exposure in the U.S. dollar denominated Convertible Notes by matching the balance with U.S. dollar denominated cash equivalents and short term investments creating a natural hedge.

In connection with the Tencent Transactions, in December 2017, certain accredited investors in the Convertible Notes exchanged $301 million of Convertible Notes for 4,800,000 ordinary shares pursuant to an exchange agreement and subsequently sold such shares to an affiliate of Tencent. Additionally, pursuant to the December Exchange, certain accredited investors in the Convertible Notes exchanged an aggregate of $110 million of Convertible Notes, plus accrued interest, for an aggregate of 1,754,960 ordinary shares. In January 2018, we entered into an exchange agreement with accredited investors holding the remaining balance of our Convertible Notes, pursuant to which the remaining $628 million of Convertible Notes, plus accrued interest, was exchanged for 9,431,960 ordinary shares. Pursuant to this exchange agreement, subject to certain conditions, if we fail to list our ordinary shares on or prior to July 2, 2018, we have agreed to offer to each noteholder the option to unwind the transaction such that we purchase back the shares that were issued to such noteholder pursuant to the exchange and we will issue such noteholder a new note that is materially identical to its note prior to the exchange. At December 31, 2017, pro forma for the January Exchange, we had no outstanding indebtedness. See “Summary—Recent Developments—Exchange of Convertible Notes.

Off-balance sheet arrangements

As of December 31, 2017, we do not have transactions with unconsolidated entities, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, whereby we have financial guarantees, subordinated retained interests, derivative instruments, or other contingent arrangements that expose us to material continuing risks, contingent liabilities, or any other obligation under a variable interest in an unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk, or credit risk support to us.

Tabular disclosure of contractual obligations

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of December 31, 2017:


	Payments due by period
Contractual obligations:	Total		Less than 1 year		1-3 years		3-5 years		More than 5 years
	(in € millions)
Convertible Notes⁽¹⁾		790		—		—		790		—
Minimum guarantees⁽²⁾		1,695		1,060		635		—		—
Operating lease obligations⁽³⁾		769		47		120		124		478
Finance leases⁽⁴⁾		1		1		—		—		—

Total		3,255		1,108		755		914		478

⁽¹⁾	Convertible Notes amounts consist of principal and interest payments. See Note 18 of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further details.

⁽²⁾

We are subject to minimum royalty payments associated with our license agreements for the use of licensed content. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Minimum guarantees required under certain of our license agreements for sound recordings and underlying musical compositions may limit our operating flexibility and may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.”

⁽³⁾	Operating lease obligations relate to our office space. The lease terms are between one and seventeen years, and the majority of the lease agreements are renewable at the end of the lease period.

⁽⁴⁾	Finance leases relate to our obligations on certain leased data-servers. See Note 18 of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for further details.

Subsequent to year end, we entered into an exchange agreement with accredited investor holding the remaining balance of our Convertible Notes, pursuant to which the remaining $628 million of Convertible Notes, plus accrued interest, was exchanged for an aggregate of 9,431,960 ordinary shares. At December 31, 2017, pro forma for the January Exchange, we have no outstanding indebtedness. See “Summary—Recent Developments—Exchange of Convertible Notes.”

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Our activities expose us to a variety of market risks. Our primary market risk exposures relate to currency, interest rate, and share price risks. To manage these risks and our exposure to the unpredictability of financial markets, we seek to minimize potential adverse effects on our financial performance and capital.

Currency Risk

Currency risk manifests itself in transaction exposure, which relates to business transactions denominated in foreign currency required by operations (purchasing and selling) and/or financing (interest and amortization). Our general policy is to hedge transaction exposure on a case-by-case basis. In 2017, the Group began entering into multiple foreign exchange forward contracts. To the extent possible, we try to mitigate our currency exposure in the U.S. Dollar-denominated Convertible Notes by matching the balance with USD-denominated cash equivalents and short term investments creating a natural hedge. Translation exposure relates to net investments in foreign operations. We do not conduct translation risk hedging.

Transaction Exposure Sensitivity

In most cases, our customers are billed in their respective local currency. Major payments, such as salaries, consultancy fees, and rental fees are settled in local currencies. Royalty payments are primarily settled in Euros and U.S. dollars. Hence, the operational need to net purchase foreign currency is due primarily to a deficit from such settlements.

The tables below show the immediate impact on net income before tax of a 10% strengthening in the closing exchange rate of significant currencies to which we have exposure, at December 31, 2016 and 2017. The sensitivity associated with a 10% weakening of a particular currency would be equal and opposite. This assumes that each currency moves in isolation.


2016	SEK			AUD		EUR			GBP			USD
	(in € millions)
(Increase)/decrease in loss before tax		(20	)		6		(36	)		(22	)		(31	)


2017	SEK		AUD		EUR		GBP			USD
	(in € millions)
(Increase)/decrease in loss before tax		1		5		2		(2	)		9

For the notional amount of our foreign exchange forward contracts not designated for hedging, the immediate impact on net income before tax of a 10% strengthening in the closing exchange rate of the USD would be a negative impact of €26 million as of December 31, 2017.

Translation Exposure Sensitivity

The positive impact on our equity would be approximately €40 million and €27 million if the Euro weakened by 10% against all translation exposure currencies, based on the exposure at December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Interest Rate Risk

Interest rate risk is the risk that changes in interest rates will have a negative impact on earnings and cash flow. The fair value of the Convertible Notes was dependent on market interest rates, which could negatively impact earnings. The Convertible Notes were remeasured at each reporting date using valuation models using input data, which could include market interest rates. Changes in the fair value of the Convertible Notes were recognized in finance income or cost in the consolidated statement of operations.

At December 31, 2017, the Convertible Notes were valued at the assumed exchange to ordinary shares based on the fair value of the Company’s ordinary share price. The key assumptions to the fair value of ordinary shares has been discussed in Note 22 to our consolidated financial statements.

Our exposure to interest rate risk also is related to our interest-bearing assets, primarily our available for sale debt securities. Fluctuations in interest rates impact the yield of the investment. The sensitivity analysis considered the historical volatility of short term interest rates and determined that it was reasonably possible that a change of 100 basis points could be experienced in the near term. A hypothetical 100 basis points increase in interest rates would have impacted interest income by €8 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 and €6 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Share Price Risk Management

Share price risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate due to changes in the fair value of our ordinary share price. Our exposure to this risk relates primarily to the Convertible Notes and derivative liabilities arising from financing activities.

The impact on the fair value of the contingent options with an increase or decrease in our ordinary share price of 10% results in a range of €2 million to €4 million at December 31, 2017 and €80 million to €122 million at December 31, 2016.

The impact on the fair value of the warrants with an increase or decrease in our ordinary share price of 10% results in a range of €333 million to €361 million at December 31, 2017 and €21 million to €43 million at December 31, 2016.

The impact on the fair value of the Convertible Notes with an increase or decrease in our ordinary share price of 10% results in a range of €1,038 million to €849 million at December 31, 2017 and €1,115 million to €1,101 million at December 31, 2016.

LETTER FROM DANIEL EK

Our Path—A Note from Daniel Ek, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman

From the age of four, my life was about music and technology—never one without the other. Over time, I realized that by combining my two passions, I could create a new paradigm, one that helped fans and the creative community—singers, songwriters, bands, everyone in the creative process—chart a new course for an entire industry.

Spotify is the manifestation of those dreams. Music was too important to me to let piracy take down the industry. There had to be a way to give people access to the music they loved while allowing creators to get paid for their work, and to expand their creativity.

So I built a company based on a core set of values: innovation, passion, collaboration, transparency, and fairness. These values drive how we work with the creative community and how we treat our users. They’re why we’re committed to a diverse workforce in an open, trusting company culture.

Today, Spotify is one of the largest drivers of global music revenue. We’ve helped restore a rapidly shrinking industry to growth, and connected over a million artists with hundreds of millions of fans.

People constantly tell me how music has helped them through life’s biggest moments—birth and death, euphoria and heartbreak. At Spotify, we want to enrich, strengthen, and extend those moments and connections. So while some companies rely entirely on data, we take a different approach. We start with human creativity, augment it with our expertise and understanding, and then leverage with the efficiency of algorithms.

Music has just been the beginning. We’re an audio first platform—as a top provider of podcasts, we’re also connecting audiences to the conversations that we think will shape the future.

And we have even bigger aspirations. We envision a cultural platform where professional creators can break free of their medium’s constraints and where everyone can enjoy an immersive artistic experience that enables us to empathize with each other and to feel part of a greater whole. But to realize this vision, professional creators must be able to earn a fair living doing what they love, where monetization is at the core of a creative proposition and not an afterthought. We care deeply about our creators and our users and we believe Spotify is a win-win for both.

That’s our mission—to unlock the potential of human creativity—by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it.

Everyone who partners with us—employees, users, the creative community, brands, investors—should understand what our mission means to us, how we make decisions, and why.

We know that if we’re going to succeed as a company and as an industry, we have to think, build, plan, and imagine for the long-term.

To build a better world by unlocking human creativity, we are committed to creating a better experience for users—and to enabling more creators to live off their work. We firmly believe that in the long run, these priorities will provide greater returns to all of our stakeholders.

That’s because the future is markedly different from the past.

The old model favored certain gatekeepers. Artists had to be signed to a label. They needed access to a recording studio, and they had to be played on terrestrial radio to achieve success. Today, artists can produce and release their own music. Labels, studios, and radio still matter, but in a cluttered landscape, artists’ biggest challenge is navigating this complexity to get heard. We believe Spotify empowers them to break through.

With access to unprecedented amounts of data and insights, we’re building audiences for every kind of artist at every level of fame and exposing fans to a universe of songs. In this new world, music has no borders. Spotify enables someone in Miami to discover sounds from Madrid. It links immigrants in Boston to songs back home in Bangkok.

We’re working to democratize the industry and connect all of us, across the world, in a shared culture that expands our horizons.

With a catalog that grows by tens of thousands of new creative works every day, Spotify is like a flywheel. Creators and consumers engage and react to each other, building momentum. These reactions generate even more buzz, which we believe, in turn, fuels even more creativity. Now, we are going to take the lessons we’ve learned in music and apply them across culture. In the future, Spotify will strive to more meaningfully connect people to the cultural experiences they care about—or don’t yet know they care about—to fit the mood and moment they’re in.

Today’s creators can collaborate with audiences across time zones. They incorporate video and interactive technology to create new and inspiring art, and more. They release their own work and directly make and reach fans. As we evolve, Spotify will meet creators where they are and empower them with even more tools to do what they love in their own authentic way, and reach even more people. What started out as an application and grew into a platform must now become a global network—one that recognizes and nurtures the interdependent relationships between creators, producers, publishers, labels, fans, and everyone in between.

To get there, we need transparency. We need discovery. We need new tools of creativity.

Artists’ greatest barriers to success are achieving exposure and earning money. That’s why Spotify wants to create a fair and open market, where fans can support the artists they love and creators can understand how they’re paid and earn a living.

Musicians, for example, compete against the entire history of music and a daily flood of new content. The central paradox for fans is that access gives you everything—but everything isn’t enough. Discovery is hard without a compass. Unprecedented choice at an affordable price must come with effective personalization to help audiences navigate a sea of content, and to help artists directly reach a sea of listeners. With the right mix of data insights contextualized by human experts, Spotify reunites fans with old favorites, and lets them discover new ones.

We intend to give the creative community the data, technology, and connections to not only make a living but also accelerate the exposure of their work. We believe that these tools we’re building will go far beyond music, building bonds between creators and consumers across every genre and form.

And when we get there, the possibilities for culture will completely change. Again.

Today, art has an even greater opportunity to be a transformative cultural force. And culture is the force that binds us all—no matter who we are or where we’re from—in a shared human experience. It’s what helps us understand one another across differences. It’s what breaks us out of isolation and brings people together. That’s why, everywhere I go around the world, I see artists finding inspiration across oceans, drawing on sounds born in one part of the world and making them their own—from punk music in Myanmar to rap in Mongolia.

This is the future we envision; where artists cross genres and cultural boundaries, creating ideas that propel society forward; where fans can discover something they never would have otherwise; where we’re all part of a global network, building new connections, sharing new ideas, across cultures.

We really do believe that we can improve the world, one song at a time.

BUSINESS

Overview

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, we generated €1,940 million, €2,952 million, and €4,090 million in revenue, respectively, representing a CAGR of 45%. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, we incurred net losses of €230 million, €539 million, and €1,235 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our EBITDA was €(205) million, €(311) million, and €(324) million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our net cash flow (used in)/from operating activities was €(38) million, €101 million, and €179 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016, and 2017, our Free Cash Flow was €(92) million, €73 million, and €109 million, respectively. EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are non-IFRS financial measures. For a discussion of EBITDA and Free Cash Flow and a reconciliation of each to their most closely comparable IFRS measures, see “Selected Historical Financial Information and Other Data.”

Music Industry Returns to Growth Led by Streaming

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Return to Growth was Primarily Driven by Streaming. Streaming is the engine which has primarily restored the global recorded music industry to growth. Streaming revenues increased by 60% in 2016,

reaching $4.6 billion, while physical sales and digital download revenues continued to decline at 8% and 21% respectively, according to management estimates and industry reports.

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The Streaming Market is Still in its Infancy. While streaming has changed the way many people access music, we believe there is an untapped global audience with significant growth potential. Other internet platforms have shown that they can achieve global scale, including Facebook with an estimated 2.0 billion users and YouTube with an estimated 1.5 billion users, according to industry reports. We believe the universality of music gives us the opportunity to reach many of the over 3.6 billion internet users globally,according to the International Telecom Union ICT Facts and Figures 2017 Report.

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Increasing Penetration of Established Markets. There is opportunity for growth, even in more established markets. According to Nielsen, the average American listens to more than 32 hours of music each week, and we believe there is significant room to capture additional share of these content hours. Research from MIDiA indicates that listeners who pay for streaming subscription services tend to consume more content hours on average than ad-supported users. In addition, there are 30 million paid music subscribers in the U.S., according to RIAA, and 163 million users of paid subscription accounts globally, according to MIDiA. To put this in context, in the U.S. there are 115 million TV-enabled households according to Nielsen, and 51 million households viewing content over-the-top according to comScore.

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Growth in Smartphone Penetration. In the 61 countries and territories where we are present, there were an estimated 1.2 billion payment-enabled smartphone users in 2017. According to research from Ovum, the number of payment-enabled smartphone users in the countries where we are present is forecast to grow by 28% to approximately 1.6 billion by 2021. In a number of countries where we do not currently operate but may have the opportunity in which to expand in the future, we believe there will be an additional 1.4 billion payment-enabled smartphone users by 2021, excluding China. As a mobile-first platform, we believe we are well-positioned to benefit from the growth in global smartphone users.

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Spotify is the Largest Global Music Streaming Subscription Service

Spotify has transformed the way people access and enjoy music.

Today, millions of people around the world have access to over 35 million tracks through Spotify whenever and wherever they want. We are transforming the music industry by allowing Users to move from a “transaction-based” experience of buying and owning music to an “access-based” model which allows Users to stream music on demand. In contrast, traditional radio relies on a linear distribution model in which stations and channels are programmed to deliver a limited song selection with little freedom of choice.

share of approximately 41%, 42%, and 59% in the U.S., Brazil, and United Kingdom, our three largest markets by MAUs, respectively. In addition, we accounted for greater than 95% of the streaming market in our home country of Sweden. We made up almost half of global revenues from paid streaming to record labels in 2016, according to MIDiA. Through December 31, 2017, we have paid more than €8 billion in royalties to artists, music labels, and publishers since our launch. In 2017, our expenses for rights holders grew by 27% compared to the prior year, making us one of the largest engines for revenue growth to artists and labels in the music industry.

MAUs

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Premium Subscribers

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Ad-Supported MAUs

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Content Hours Consumed Quarterly

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How is Spotify Different?

Spotify is the largest global music streaming subscription service, with 159 million MAUs and 71 million Premium Subscribers as of December 31, 2017, which we believe is nearly double the scale of our closest competitor, Apple Music. Spotify’s streaming market share was approximately 42% in 2016 based on management estimates and industry reports.

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Our 159 million MAUs have grown 29% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017. Our Premium Subscribers have grown 46% year-over-year as of December 31, 2017 to 71 million. A portion of this growth is due to the popularity of our Family Plan, which allows up to six Premium Subscribers in a household for one fixed monthly rate. Our Premium Subscribers include both the master Family Plan account as well as any sub-accounts associated with each household.

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One prominent example of how Spotify enabled an aspiring artist to reach a global audience is international pop star Lorde. Lorde started out as a singer-songwriter from New Zealand looking to break out with her new single, “Royals,” when Sean Parker added her single to his popular playlist Hipster International. After approximately one month, Lorde had jumped past prominent artists such as Katy Perry, Drake, and Lady Gaga to land at the top of Spotify’s Viral Chart, and after eight months, she had reached over 100 million streams on Spotify and was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Another example is Lauv, who we identified as a talented new artist and helped succeed by helping Spotify Users discover his music. Prior to 2016, Lauv was an indie artist with a limited number of mainstream fans. In early 2017, Lauv’s track “The Other” was added to Today’s Top Hits. The song quickly grew in popularity, with average daily streams of the song increasing nearly threefold in the following three months, growing to approximately 750,000 streams per day. Approximately 70% of those streams came from our programmed playlists. In the middle of 2017, after the success of “The Other,” we were able to help Lauv build his brand identity and personal profile. His next song “I Like Me Better” was released in May 2017 and, after its subsequent inclusion into our curated playlists as well as our machine-generated playlists, it peaked at over 4 million streams per day. We believe that we are uniquely positioned to help artists reach their full potential.

Many of our Users also rely on Spotify to help soundtrack their day, through editorially-curated playlists like RapCaviar or personalized machine-generated playlists like Discover Weekly, Daily Mix, or Release Radar. Our machine-generated playlists have been made possible by our investments in artificial intelligence and machine learning, which power our music discovery engine. We now program approximately 31% of all listening on Spotify across these and other playlists, compared to less than 20% two years ago. As Users choose to let Spotify program more of their listening, all participants in the music ecosystem benefit. Users discover new music and are still able to listen to their favorite classics, while new and established artists are able to grow their exposure and gain fans. Using our artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, we are able to find, promote and program songs whether they are established hits or “hidden gems.” This enables Users to find great content that is personalized for them, but that may not be currently in their personal libraries or at the top of the charts.

Spotify—Building a Two-Sided Marketplace

We are building a two-sided music marketplace for Users and artists, which is powered by data, analytics, and software. We have been instrumental in reshaping the way in which our Users enjoy, discover, and share music. Spotify Users can choose exactly what they want to listen to, can allow our platform to create their music experience by listening to our personalized and curated playlists, or can choose a mix of the two. Spotify provides fans with a way to discover and enjoy music, and artists with an additional avenue to showcase and be compensated for their creative works. For artists, Spotify provides a platform from which they can reach and interact with their fans, as well as analytics which provide a better and more thorough understanding of their fan base.

Given Spotify’s large audience, we are able to provide artists with unique insights into their fan base. These insights enable artists to promote music their audiences are likely to enjoy, to plan concerts and events according to where their fans are, and to actively communicate with fans who are interested in their music. Because artists can target the Users who are most likely to enjoy their content, they are able to increase their royalty-based revenue and bolster revenue from ancillary services, such as concerts and merchandise. Providing this information to artists helps them to support themselves and to be able to live off of their creative work.

Benefits for Users

We are focused on enabling the discovery and curation of music for our Users through our range of products and services:

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Cross-Platform Flexibility. We strive to reach Users wherever they are in the world, which means that Spotify is built to be functional across multiple platforms—from smartphones to laptops to video game consoles to cars. The flexibility of our platform and the ability to access it via a single user ID across mobile, tablet, and other connected devices creates a seamless and integrated experience that is designed to fit a variety of lifestyles. In-home devices, such as Amazon’s Echo, Google’s Google Home and Chromecast, Sonos’ home theater systems, Sony’s PlayStation, and many smart TVs, all offer Spotify integrations. As an independent service, we are uniquely positioned to work with the broadest set of partners in the ecosystem. We continue to promote cross-platform engagement in order to make music accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Benefits for Creators

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Monetization. Through December 31, 2017, we have paid more than €8 billion in royalties to artists, music labels, and publishers since our launch. In 2017, our expenses for rights holders grew by 27% year-over-year. We believe that our number of Premium Subscribers is nearly double the size of our nearest competitor, Apple Music. We also believe our Ad-Supported model is advantageous to creators, particularly recording artists in the United States, as United States radio does not compensate them for their work while Spotify pays royalties to those artists on our Service.

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Analytics. We provide numerous analytics for artists through our Spotify for Artists service. Analytics that artists can access include the demographics of their listening audience, Users’ anonymized geographical locations, similar artists that their fans listen to, the number of real-time Users, song performance data, playlist data, and playlist notifications. We provide the analytical support that artists need to optimize their performance and focus on doing what they do best—creating unique, entertaining experiences to share with fans around the world. For example, many artists have used our analytics to inform tour locations in countries they otherwise would not have known.

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Our Business Model

We offer both Premium and Ad-Supported Services. Our Premium and Ad-Supported Services live independently, but thrive together. We believe this business model has allowed us to achieve scale with attractive unit economics and is a critical part of our success. Our Ad-Supported Service serves as a funnel, driving more than 60% of our total gross added Premium Subscribers since we began tracking this data in February 2014. With a 41% increase in revenue from our Ad-Supported Service from 2016 to 2017, we believe our Ad-Supported Service is a strong and viable stand-alone product with considerable long-term opportunity for growth in Ad-Supported Users and revenue. However, we face intense competition in growing both our Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers, as well as in keeping our Users highly engaged. If user engagement declines or if we fail to continue to grow our Ad-Supported User base or Premium Subscriber base, our revenue growth will be negatively impacted. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—If our efforts to attract prospective Users and to retain existing Users are not successful, our growth prospects and revenue will be adversely affected.”

Europe MAUs

North America MAUs

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Latin America MAUs		Rest of World MAUs

Our Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers are spending more time with the Service each year. From a content perspective, on average 25 Content Hours Per MAU were streamed in each month of the fourth quarter in 2017, up 13% from the fourth quarter in 2016 and up 26% from the fourth quarter in 2015. Historically, our Premium Subscribers have streamed more than three times the amount of content per month than Ad-Supported Users.

Ratio of Total Daily Active Users / MAUs⁽¹⁾

Content Hours Per MAU

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(1)

Daily active Users (“DAUs”) refers to the total count of Ad-Supported Users and Premium Subscribers that have consumed content for greater than zero milliseconds on a given day. DAU/MAU ratio is defined as average number of DAUs over the quarter divided by the average of the MAUs for each month in the quarter.

Premium Service

Our Premium Service provides Premium Subscribers with unlimited online and offline high-quality streaming access to our catalog. In addition to accessing our catalog on computers, tablets, and mobile devices, users can connect through speakers, receivers, televisions, cars, game consoles, and smart watches. The Premium Service offers a commercial-free music experience.

We generate revenue for our Premium segment through the sale of Premium Services. Premium Services are sold directly to end users and through partners who are generally telecommunications companies that bundle the subscription with their own services or collect payment for the stand-alone subscriptions from end customers.

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Premium partner services are priced on a per-subscriber rate in a negotiated agreement and may include minimum guarantees for the number of subscriptions that will be purchased from us.

Revenue for our Premium segment is a function of the number of Premium Subscribers who use our Premium Service. As of December 31, 2016 and 2017, we had approximately 48 million and 71 million Premium Subscribers, respectively. New Premium Subscribers primarily are sourced from the conversion of our Ad-Supported Users to Premium Subscribers. Through both our online platform and external marketing efforts, we engage our Ad-Supported Users by highlighting key features that encourage conversion to our subscription offerings. These efforts include product links, campaigns targeting existing users, and performance marketing across leading social media platforms. Additionally, new subscriber growth also is driven by the success of converting users from our bi-annual trial programs to full-time Premium Subscribers. These trial campaigns typically offer our Premium Service free or at a discounted price for a period of time and accounted for approximately 23% and 20% of total gross added Premium Subscribers for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively.


Premium Subscribers in Europe		Premium Subscribers in North America


Premium Subscribers in Latin America		Premium Subscribers in Rest of World

With engagement increasing, Premium Churn has continued to trend lower. In the fourth quarter of 2017, Premium Churn was 5.1%, down from 6.0% in the fourth quarter of 2016 and down from 7.5% in the fourth quarter of 2015. As our User base matures, and with the growth in higher retention products such as our Family Plan and Student Plan, we believe Premium Churn will continue to trend lower over time. The trend toward lower Premium Churn has had a positive impact on the lifetime value of a Premium Subscriber (“LTV”) and the ratio of LTV to the average cost of acquiring a Premium Subscriber (“SAC”). Excluding expenses associated with the Ad-Supported segment, LTV/SAC was 3.6x in the fourth quarter of 2017. Here, LTV is calculated by dividing one by the Premium Churn rate for the fourth quarter of 2017 multiplied by the Premium ARPU for the fourth quarter of 2017 and by gross margin for the Premium segment for the fourth quarter of 2017; and SAC is calculated by dividing sales and marketing expense for the Premium segment for the fourth quarter of 2017 by gross Premium Subscriber additions for the fourth quarter of 2017. Including expenses associated with the Ad-Supported segment, LTV/SAC was 2.7x. Here LTV is calculated by dividing one by the Premium Churn rate for

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the fourth quarter of 2017 multiplied by the Premium ARPU for the fourth quarter of 2017 and by gross margin for the consolidated Ad-Supported and Premium segments for the fourth quarter of 2017; and SAC is calculated by dividing the sales and marketing expense for the consolidated Ad-Supported and Premium segments for the fourth quarter of 2017 by gross Premium Subscriber additions for the fourth quarter of 2017.