Spotify Q2 operating profit outlook disappoints, overshadowing a solid first quarter
The biggest music streaming business in the world just reported its first batch of earnings for the 2026 fiscal year, and shares have slumped nearly 12% in early trading as investors react to a more disappointing operating profit outlook for Q2.
In an otherwise solid Q1, Spotify reported:
Total revenue of €4.53 billion ($5.3 billion), which was broadly in line with the company’s guidance and analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Operating income of €715 million ($836 million), beating the €686 million ($802 million) consensus expectation from analysts.
761 million monthly active users, 2 million ahead of analyst forecasts at the headline level, though the number of Premium subscribers came in exactly where analysts were expecting, at 293 million.
The streamer, which raised US prices for the third time in three years at the start of 2026, has instead suffered this morning on its second-quarter guidance. For Q2, Spotify is now expecting operating income of €630 million — some way off the €674 million that analysts were forecasting before today’s print.