Spotify is a global music and entertainment streaming service based in Sweden. Whether you’re a die-hard Spotify user or you only use Apple Music (or YouTube music), working at Spotify can be a fun and rewarding experience. The company offers internships and programs for students and recent graduates across more than a dozen departments, so there are ample opportunities for growth and development for nearly every career interest.
But what is working at Spotify like? In this guide, we’ll go over:
- What Is Spotify?
- Spotify Internships and New Grad Opportunities
- Spotify Careers and Salaries
- Spotify Benefits
- Spotify Culture
- Spotify vs. Other Top Companies
- Interviewing With Spotify
- Takeaways
What Is Spotify?
Spotify is a music streaming service provider founded in 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden, by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. As of January 2023, Spotify has 489 million total monthly active users listening to more than 100 million tracks and over 5 million podcasts. Additionally, Spotify has around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring artists on its platform, uploading music from over 100 countries every day.
Spotify has over 8,600 full-time employees working remotely or in offices across the globe in 43 cities, including Stockholm, New York, and Sydney. The company has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 2018 through the Spotify Technology S.A. holding company.
Spotify Internships and New Grad Opportunities
Spotify offers a range of paid internships and professional (or associate) programs to recent graduates and current college students. Students pursuing any level of education, from associate degrees to Ph.D.s, are eligible to apply. Spotify reviews applications for all internships and programs on a rolling basis, with applications typically opening in the spring for professional programs and the winter for internships.
Global Summer Internship
Spotify’s summer internships are available in Europe, the U.S., and Asia, with positions on business and technical teams across the company. Some internships may have remote work options, too. The program lasts 10 to 13 weeks, depending on location, and applications open every winter. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and interviews take place throughout the winter and spring months.
Internships at Spotify are paid. According to a recent internship posting, the hourly rate depends on your level of education: $33.00 per hour for first and second-year college students, $42.00 for juniors and seniors, $49.00 for masters students, and $58.00 for Ph.D. students. Interns also receive a one-time stipend of around $2,200. These pay rates are subject to change, though, so check the job posting or contact your recruiter for specific internship pay details.
Aspiring Marketing Professionals Program
The marketing professionals program allows students and recent graduates to explore marketing strategies across several teams. This New York City-based program involves three rotational projects, giving students an in-depth experience of the company’s culture, brand, and business. The program lasts 15 months, and applications open every other summer.
Technology Fellowship Program
The technology fellowship with Spotify gives inexperienced software engineers an opportunity to work on real projects alongside mentors and managers. The program lasts 18 weeks and sources candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, specifically students who are self-taught, learned to code through a coding bootcamp, or have a degree from a community college.
The fellowship is a paid program with locations in New York City, London, and Stockholm. According to Spotify, 93% of participants get hired for full-time roles after completing the program. Applications open in the spring or summer.
>>MORE: See our picks for the best online coding bootcamps and the best free coding bootcamps for 2024.
Financial Analyst Rotation
Recent finance graduates from underserved and underrepresented groups can gain relevant experience outside of a bank or financial institution through Spotify’s financial analyst rotation program. This 18-month, NYC-based intensive offers roles in the accounting department, internal audit team, and financial planning and analysis group.
Analysts earn a base salary ($52,000 to $75,000) with health insurance benefits, meal stipends, and paid time off. Relocation support may be available, too. Applications open in the spring, and programs start in June.
The Opening Act Innovation Challenge
Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are eligible to compete in the Opening Act Innovation Challenge, where students pitch solutions to real business problems Spotify is facing. Challenge winners can fully test and pursue their solutions during a summer internship.
Various teams at Spotify participate, including the social media team, advertising sales, and artist and label partnerships. Applications typically open in the spring, and prospective applicants can attend a Spotify-hosted conference, the Opening Act Roadshow, in the fall.
A rotational program in product management is also available for students and recent graduates in London and Stockholm. This program allows students to work on real-world projects alongside mentors and coaches across different areas of the company.
>>MORE: Learn where, when, and how to apply for internships.
Spotify Careers and Salaries
Spotify splits its roles and responsibilities across more than a dozen teams, but there’s some overlap between each since collaboration is a core value of the company. We’ve compiled some common job titles within several teams with salary estimates from Glassdoor. Salaries represent an average in the U.S. for those with less than a year of experience under that specific job title.
Sales
The sales team at Spotify connects the company’s partner brands and advertisers to relevant listener and creator communities, maximizing results for the company and its partners. Some types of jobs and salaries on the Spotify sales team include:
- Campaign manager: $71,600
- Account manager: $96,400
- Client partner: $215,300
Engineering
Spotify’s engineering team handles development and security for the company’s web and mobile applications and implements innovations to the product, like Spotify’s new artificial intelligence-driven DJ. Typical roles and salaries on the engineering team are:
- Web engineer: $132,400
- Backend engineer: $162,100
- Software engineer: $145,000
>>MORE: Experience a career in engineering with our free engineering job simulations.
Marketing
The marketing team at Spotify works across many areas of the company, ensuring all content, products, and features are advertised to the right audience. Common jobs and salaries on the marketing team include:
- Marketing coordinator: $61,700
- Marketing manager: $78,800
- Product marketing manager: $131,100
Finance
Spotify’s finance team includes positions in accounting, strategy, analysis, investor management, and global tax. Some of the roles and salaries on the finance team are:
- Accounting analyst: $76,200
- Financial analyst: $87,400
- Senior accountant: $95,900
>>MORE: Explore different careers in finance with our free banking, finance, and accounting job simulations.
Product
The product team seeks to build high-quality products and features that users love, using innovative technology to constantly improve user experience. Some of the jobs and salaries on Spotify’s product team are:
- Project manager: $91,000
- Product manager: $134,100
Content
The content team at Spotify is responsible for developing original music and podcast content, content production, and curation. Content roles at Spotify, and their estimated pay, include:
- Podcast producer: $73,500
- Producer: $86,700
- Senior editor: $92,500
Global Affairs
Spotify’s global affairs team ensures the company stays up-to-date with laws and regulations, the platform is a safe and welcoming space for all users, and global stakeholder relationships are stable. Some of the positions on this team, and salary estimates, are:
- Legal counsel: $212,300
- Associate general counsel: $220,300
Data, Research, and Insights
Spotify’s data, research, and insights team drives business decisions through careful research, forecasting, and analytics. Roles and salaries on this data-driven team include:
- Data analyst: $87,300
- Data scientist: $138,000
- User researcher: $116,200
Human Resources
Human resources at Spotify involves adapting company policies to evolve with the ever-changing workforce and world and implementing benefits to employees that keep them at the top of their game. Typical roles and salaries in the human resources department include:
- Human resources specialist: $69,500
- Recruiting coordinator: $76,000
- Recruiter: $98,800
Design
Spotify’s design team includes a range of collaborative efforts to offer the best experience for artists and listeners. Roles and salary estimates on the design team include:
- UI/UX designer: $87,600
- Product designer: $111,300
>>MORE: Experience working on human-centered design with BCG’s Design job simulation.
Business Support and Operations
The business support and operations team ensures the business runs smoothly, handling tasks like strategy operations and vendor management. The types of roles and estimated salaries on this team include:
- Operations analyst: $80,300
- Business analyst: $95,600
- Operations manager: $115,800
Spotify Benefits
The benefits package at Spotify is available to all employees across the company, regardless of their level of seniority or where they work. Some of the benefits offered are:
- Online growth and learning opportunities through GreenHouse
- Six months of paid parental leave for all parents
- Adjustable holidays — switch days of public holidays to best fit your beliefs and lifestyle
- Stock share options
- Employee assistance program
- Online self-care hub for support
- Work-from-home office equipment stipend
Spotify is a distributed-first company with a “work from anywhere” program. This program allows employees to choose where they want to work, giving them flexibility on where they live and work globally and options to work in an office, coworking space, at home, or in a hybrid capacity.
A key value of the company is mental health and well-being, and this value is reflected in its All The Feels program, which provides free counseling, resources, and benefits for employees.
Employee Reviews of Benefits
Reviews from employees on Glassdoor rate Spotify’s benefits a 4.7 out of 5, highlighting ample paid time off, a great 401(k) match, and a generous parental leave policy. Additionally, reviews note free snacks in the offices and meal stipends for remote employees. On Comparably, employees rate Spotify’s perks and benefits 82/100 or an A score on a letter scale, with 81% of employees surveyed reporting they are satisfied with their benefits package.
Spotify Culture
Spotify refers to its company as a band and invites potential employees to “join the band.” This branding aims to highlight one of Spotify’s main values — collaboration. All five of Spotify’s values reflect what the company strives for and what it looks for in potential employees:
- Innovative
- Sincere
- Passionate
- Collaborative
- Playful
The company’s mission centers on giving a million creators the chance to thrive off their art and billions of users the opportunity to be inspired by that art. To achieve this mission, Spotify believes in taking risks, dreaming big, and evolving rapidly.
Spotify also prioritizes diversity, equity, and impact through challenging mental health stigmas, creating an inclusive and equitable work culture, elevating voices from underrepresented communities, and striving for net zero emissions by 2030.
These values, missions, and goals earned Spotify a top ten position on Comparably’s Top 100 Brands and Top Brands for Gen Z lists.
Employee Reviews of Culture
Reviews on Glassdoor give Spotify an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, with 78% of reviewers saying they’d recommend working at Spotify to a friend. Additionally, 75% of respondents say they approve of the CEO, Daniel Ek.
Employees rate Spotify’s company culture a 74/100 on Comparably, or a B+ rating on a letter scale, with women rating it slightly lower on average, at 63 out of 100. Generally, the CEO, work environment, and work culture have high ratings, while the company could improve office culture, professional development, and compensation.
Some highlights of Spotify’s culture from reviews on Comparably include:
- 60% of employees say they’re satisfied with their work-life balance
- Employees typically receive relevant feedback once per quarter
- 91% describe their work environment as positive
- The pace of Spotify’s workload is described as comfortably fast
- 89% of employees report looking forward to interacting with coworkers every day
Reviews on Indeed are positive about flexibility and overall work happiness — Spotify has a 70 out of 100 rating on Indeed for work happiness, which is above average. However, reviewers also suggest that the work can be stressful, and there isn’t a strong sense of belonging.
>>MORE: Find out how you can tell if a company values diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Spotify vs. Other Top Companies
Some major companies, like Apple and Google, have subsidiaries or subdivisions that focus on digital music and podcast streaming services. Other companies, like SoundCloud, also offer similar audio streaming services as Spotify, but with slightly different features or focuses.
Apple — Apple Music
Apple’s digital music streaming service is called Apple Music. In addition to albums, playlists, and podcasts, Apple Music also offers video streaming.
Google — YouTube Music
The digital music streaming service from Google is YouTube Music, developed by YouTube. Those who use YouTube Premium have access to YouTube Music, but users can also purchase subscriptions independently. Since a video streaming service created it, YouTube Music users have access to music video streaming alongside music, podcasts, and playlists.
Amazon — Amazon Music
Amazon Music is a digital audio streaming service created by Amazon. Users can download and purchase music from web browsers and the Amazon Music app. Amazon Prime subscribers also have access to a limited version of Amazon Music as part of their Prime subscription.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an artist-first streaming service that allows users to upload and share their audio and art. Users can also promote their music through SoundCloud, and listeners have both free and paid subscription options.
| Company | Glassdoor Overall Rating | Comparably Overall Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | 4.0 out of 5 | 4.2 out of 5 |
| Apple | 4.2 out of 5 | 4.2 out of 5 |
| 4.4 out of 5 | 4.7 out of 5 | |
| Amazon | 3.8 out of 5 | 4.3 out of 5 |
| SoundCloud | 3.1 out of 5 | 4.2 out of 5 |
Interviewing With Spotify
Applications
Spotify looks for applicants who embody the company values and show high growth potential through core factors like adaptability, drive, and ability. While most interviewees submit applications online, and much of the interview process is virtual, 15% of interviews come directly from recruitment efforts, according to Glassdoor.
The company recommends applicants show some personality in their applications. For example, adding portfolios, personal websites, and cover letters detailing why you want to join the band are great ways to make your application stand out.
Interview Process
Reviewers on Glassdoor rate Spotify interviews a 2.9 out of 5 for difficulty, which is slightly more challenging than average. However, 43% of reviewers say they had a positive experience throughout the interview process, and 16% report having a neutral experience.
Interviews for full-time positions generally follow this format:
- Video or phone call with a recruiter: This interview is to get to know you and your background and to give you more information about the role.
- Interview with one or two team members: This stage is to dig deeper into your skills and qualifications and allow you to begin meeting your potential coworkers.
- Final interview with multiple people across the company: This is a panel interview, allowing more people in the company to get involved in the hiring process and giving you the opportunity to meet more potential coworkers.
Internship interviews may follow a similar structure depending on the department and location. Many interviews also include assessments, like personality or logic tests. These tests can boost an applicant who may not be great in interviews but has the fundamental skills to make them a great employee. Additionally, these assessments help to measure candidates’ reasoning abilities and potential. However, remember that these tests are just one part of the hiring process — they aren’t make-or-break for your interview.
After your interviews, you can follow up with your recruiter if you haven’t heard anything in a few days. Learn how to get the job with our interview tips guide.
Takeaways
- Spotify is a music and audio streaming service founded in 2006 in Stockholm, Sweden.
- For current students and recent graduates, Spotify offers summer internships across several areas of business and longer-term programs in technology, finance, and marketing.
- Spotify’s “work from anywhere” policy allows many employees to choose where they want to live geographically and gives them the freedom to work in an office, coworking space, or at home.
- When compared to other audio streaming companies, Spotify has similar ratings and reviews from employees as those working at Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music.
- Most interviews at Spotify come from online applications, and the process typically involves three rounds of interviews and some assessments, like a personality test.
Explore what working at other top companies is like with our company guides!
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