Snoop Dogg makes peace with Spotify, releases new album on service

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Snoop Dogg, the legendary rapper who has been one of Spotify Technology SA’s most vocal critics, made peace with the company and released his newest album on the service.

The Stockholm-based music streaming giant spent the last few weeks in discussions with Snoop, outlining the economics of its business. It ultimately partnered with him to support his new record, Iz It a Crime?, which debuted Thursday in a surprise to fans.

“They offered me understanding and clarity,” Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr., said in a statement. “We had a meeting of the minds.”

The support of Snoop is a win for Spotify, a company that has long been vilified by artists. While the music industry has grown for more than a decade thanks largely to subscription-based streaming services, artists have attacked the company for not paying them enough.

Spotify’s current market capitalization of $130 billion is more than the record labels Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group combined, while Spotify Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek has a net worth of $8.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, more than any artist in the world.

Snoop criticized Spotify at Bloomberg’s Screentime conference last year and the Milken Institute’s annual conference in 2023.  He has said he received less than $45,000 for music streamed more than 1 billion times on the service, and removed some of his songs. The company contested his claim, saying its royalties would have amounted to far more.

As the rapper prepared to release his latest album, his business partner Larry Jackson helped facilitate meetings with Spotify executives to explain the complexity of music royalties. Snoop is often one of several credited writers on a song. Royalties are split between performers, writers, labels, publishers, performing rights organizations and the streaming services.

“There was some misinformation out there so we reached out to his team to have an open conversation,” Joe Hadley, Spotify’s global head of music partnerships and audience, said in a statement. “It was a great, productive dialogue, where he asked us some really sharp questions about how the money flows from Spotify. Going forward, the door’s open.”

Snoop said his frustration wasn’t with Spotify but the streaming industry in general. He still doesn’t like the model, but he no longer blames Spotify itself.

Snoop is no longer just an artist, but also a label owner. In 2022, he acquired Death Row Records, the iconic West Coast rap label where he started his career.