Earlier this month, news broke that Spotify was cracking down on users running modded versions of the Spotify app to stream music for free while blocking ads. At the time, it sounded like it was only a few users, but it turns out, the number is a bit higher. Spotify’s IPO filing noted that roughly 2 million users are getting around ads on Spotify without paying, as noted by Reuters.
As of the end of 2017, Spotify reported that it had 157 million active users, of which 86 million were unpaid subscribers. Factor in the 2 million users pirating Premium-esque service by avoiding adds, and that’s roughly 2.3 percent of free Spotify users with modded apps or accounts.
That’s a big deal, as Spotify itself points out in its IPO filing. Free...
