Spotify Gives Artists Another Way to Circumvent Record Labels

  • Musicians can upload music directly to the streaming service
  • Streaming now accounts for 75 percent of U.S. music business

A man checks his smartphone whilst standing amongst illuminated screens bearing the Spotify Technology SA logo.

Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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Spotify Technology SA is giving musicians new tools to release music without a record label.

The company said in a blog post Thursday it has invited a few hundred U.S.-based independent artists to upload their songs directly to the world’s most popular paid streaming service. A handful, including Chicago rapper Noname and Haitian DJ Michael Brun, have already tested the feature.