Spotify stock plummets after earnings beat expectations as guidance disappoints

Cnbc · Apr 28, 2026 · 201 words · By Elsa Ohlen

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What to know about Spotify stock plummets after earnings beat expectations as guidance disappoints

Shares of Swedish audio-streamer Spotify fell over 13% after the market opened Tuesday, as soft guidance overshadowed an earnings beat.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Shares of Swedish audio-streamer Spotify fell over 13% after the market opened Tuesday, as soft guidance overshadowed an earnings beat.

Why it matters

The company said first-quarter revenue rose 8% from last year to 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), while monthly active users (MAUs) rose 12% year-on-year to 761 million, both slightly above FactSet estimates.

Common ground

Premium subscribers grew 9% to 293 million, reflecting 3 million quarterly net adds, Spotify said.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Spotify stock plummets after earnings beat expectations as guidance disappoints?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The company said first-quarter revenue rose 8% from last year to 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion)?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/28/spotify-stock-spot-earnings-beat-guidance.html

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 2

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “The company said first-quarter revenue rose 8% from last year to 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion)”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Q1 revenue of 4.5 billion euros. While one source mentions 14% growth and another 8%, the figure of 4.5 billion euros is consistent across reports.

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify reported its first profitable year in fiscal 2024.[159] The key trends for Spotify Technology are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):[160].In recent years, Spotify has awarded plaqu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify

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web search NEUTRAL — Revenue: 4.53 billion euros vs. 4.52 billion euros expected. Fourth-quarter revenue increased 7% from a year earlier, reflecting steady demand across global markets.The company anticipates revenue of …
https://forbesamerica.com/spotify-surges-16-after-reporting-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify business figures year-on-year.For the fourth quarter, Spotify expects sales of 4.5 billion euros, 745 million monthly active users and 289 million premium subscribers. While user numbers are a…
https://researchsnipers.com/spotifys-user-base-soars-beyond-…

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Claim 2: “Premium subscribers grew 9% to 293 million”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm premium subscribers grew to 293 million, with some specifying the 9% growth rate.

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming and media service provider founded in April 2006 by the businessmen Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. As of March 2026, it was one of the largest providers of music …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotify

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify is no longer a music streaming app. It is a global audio platform with 761 million users, genuine pricing power, and a margin model that is finally working at scale. Three price hikes in four …
https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/spotifys-profit-outlook-…

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web search NEUTRAL — How To Fix You Discovered A Premium Feature On Spotify Problem 2026 (Solved!)I hope this complete step-by-step tutorial helped you. For business inquiries:...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVvkAmzsZW0

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Claim 3: “Shares of Swedish audio-streamer Spotify fell over 13% after the market opened Tuesday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including CNBC and a news report on shares plunging, confirm that Spotify shares fell approximately 13% due to weak guidance.

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs.
https://open.spotify.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — In this video, we'll show you how to play your favorite Spotify tracks on Discord.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFf2ETdOJbI

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web search NEUTRAL — Big losses in technology shares sent the broader market tumbling from its record high on Thursday. The Dow dropped more than 500 points, weighed down by a 5% decline in Apple, which is on track for th…
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/03/stock-market-today-live.html

schedule

Claim 4: “At Monday's close, the stock was down 14% year-to-date”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “monthly active users (MAUs) rose 12% year-on-year to 761 million”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and news reports) confirm MAUs rose 12% year-on-year to 761 million.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs.
https://www.spotify.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Preview of Spotify Sign up to get unlimited songs and podcasts with occasional ads. No credit card needed.
https://open.spotify.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify gives you access to a world of free music, curated playlists, artists, and podcasts you love. Discover podcasts, new music, top songs or listen to your favorite artists and albums.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spotify.mu…

info

Claim 6: “net premium subscribers had been expected to grow to just over 300.4 million, according to analysts polled by FactSet”

SINGLE SOURCE

While sources mention that guidance fell short of analyst expectations, the specific FactSet figure of 300.4 million is not present in the provided evidence.

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify has forecasted second-quarter earnings and premium subscriber numbers that fell short of analysts’ expectations, prompting a significant drop in its share prices.
https://news.ssbcrack.com/spotifys-second-quarter-earnings-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify is growing faster than expected.Premium subscribers increased by twelve percent to 281 million and were therefore in line with forecasts. Sales increased by seven percent to 4.27 billion euros…
https://researchsnipers.com/spotifys-user-base-soars-beyond-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — For the current quarter, Spotify expects monthly active users to grow by 8 million to 759 million. That surpasses the FactSet estimate of 752.4 million. Total premium subscribers are forecast to hit 2…
https://parameter.io/spotify-spot-stock-surges-15-on-record-…

schedule

Claim 7: “In February, the company increased the subscription price from $11.99 to $12.99 a month in the U.S.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 8: “the Street was expecting closer to 680 million euros, per FactSet estimates”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding the 680 million euros FactSet estimate for operating income.

info

Claim 9: “It expects to grow its premium subscribers by 6 million to 299 million”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only one specific news result ('Spotify shares plunge 13%...') mentions the expectation to grow premium subscribers by 6 million to 299 million. Other sources mention the 293m current figure but not the specific 299m target.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs.
https://www.spotify.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Preview of Spotify Sign up to get unlimited songs and podcasts with occasional ads. No credit card needed.
https://open.spotify.com/

travel_explore

help

Claim 10: “Operating income was guided to 630 million euros”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding the 630 million euros operating income guidance.

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Claim 11: “reflecting 3 million quarterly net adds”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly state that Spotify added 3 million net premium subscribers in the quarter.

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify reported results for the first quarter of 2026 that were in line or slightly ahead of expectations across all key metrics -- gaining 3 million Premium subscribers in the period to reach ...
https://variety.com/2026/music/news/spotify-q1-2026-earnings…

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify's Q1 earnings showed that the streamer had gained 3 million Premium subscribers in the quarter, rising to 293 million overall. Total monthly active users — including free and paid listeners — …
https://thestreamable.com/spotify-q1-2026-earnings

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web search NEUTRAL — Premium Subscribers -- 293 million, an increase of 3 million in the quarter, in line with company guidance. Total Revenue -- €4.5 billion, reflecting 14% year-over-year growth and an ...
https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2026/04/28/sp…

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Claim 12: “For the current quarter, Spotify expects to add 17 million net users to reach 778 million MAUs”

CORROBORATED

CNBC and other news reports confirm the guidance of adding 17 million net users to reach 778 million MAUs.

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web search NEUTRAL — Spotify's soft guidance overshadowed a first-quarter earnings beat and the stock plummeted. The company expects to add 17 million net users to reach 778 million MAUs this quarter and to grow its ...
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/28/spotify-stock-spot-earnings-…

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web search NEUTRAL — In terms of guidance for Q2, Spotify forecasts reaching 778 million MAUs at the close of June, an addition of approximately 17 million net new MAUs in the quarter.
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-subscriber-ba…

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web search NEUTRAL — Premium subscribers increased 9% to 293 million, reflecting 3 million quarterly net ads, Spotify stated. For the current quarter, Spotify expects to add 17 million net users to reach 778 million MAUs.…
https://jang.com.pk/en/64648-spotify-shares-plunge-13-as-wea…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.