He shares "Spotify has paid out more than $9 billion to the music industry in 2023," and over $48 billion in history. Ek also stated that Spotify distributes payments to record companies, publishers, and collecting societies, rather than individual artists. He compared the music industry to professional sports, where only a select few can make a sustainable income. Despite this, around $4.5 billion of Spotify's payouts in 2023 went to the independent sector. While Ek's remarks continued to show Spotify's efforts to improve conditions for artists, some critics still believe there is more work to be done surrounding this. As comments accross social channels express frustration, accusing Spotify of withholding fair compensation. Despite generating a 16% increase in revenue in 2023, Spotify remains one of the lowest-paying streaming platforms, second only to YouTube Music. Sharing his thoughts to his followers, Ek states: