The NMPA has highlighted a striking disparity between Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's stock sales and songwriter royalties in 2024. According to the organization, Ek sold $376 million in Spotify stock, while U.S. songwriters collectively received an estimated $320 million in royalties from the platform during the same period.

NMPA CEO David Israelite emphasized this comparison on LinkedIn, calling it "one of the craziest stats" in the music industry. The criticism comes amid ongoing disputes over Spotify's audiobook bundling strategy and its impact on music royalties.

Since February 2024, Ek has sold approximately $560 million in company stock, with $127 million in trades reported during February and March 2025 alone.

The controversy extends beyond stock sales, as Spotify faces multiple challenges:

• Licensing hurdles for planned remix and mashup offerings in their upcoming "Super-Premium" tier
• NMPA's crackdown on alleged infringement in Spotify-hosted podcasts
• Legal challenges from the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) regarding subscription reclassifications

A federal judge recently revived parts of the MLC's dismissed lawsuit, giving them until April 1st to submit an amended complaint focusing on:

• Proper royalty payments for the audiobook plan
• Questions about pricing structure in the standalone audiobook tier
• Concerns over the royalty calculation model

The NMPA maintains that "songwriters and publishers need the freedom to negotiate rates in a free market," highlighting the ongoing tension between streaming platforms and content creators.

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