I think this had more to due with negotiations with the record labels[0]. All the major record labels have investments in Spotify[1] which I imagine lends more

I think this had more to due with negotiations with the record labels[0]. All the major record labels have investments in Spotify[1] which I imagine lends more credence to Spotify being able to negotiate good deals with the labels, since they can act more like partners [0]: https://www.cultofmac.com/325034/apples-music-streaming-negotiations-are-coming-down-to-the-wire/ https://www.cultofmac.com/325034/apples-music-streaming-nego... [1]: https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/spotify-at-days-close-what-are-sony-warner-and-universals-shares-worth-a-lot-1202743146/ https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/spotify-at-days-close-what...