Baker McKenzie has advised audio streaming service Spotify on its launch in 13 new markets — Albania, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine — giving it a presence in 92 markets worldwide.
Spotify, which launched in 2008, now reports a community of more than 299 million users. According to Baker McKenzie, “as the leading platform driving music discovery on more types of devices than any other service, Spotify’s expansion in Europe comes as consumers in the region embrace streaming. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Russia is the 17th-biggest streaming market in the world and on pace to be the 10th-biggest streaming market by 2030. More than 87 percent of fans in Russia now access music through streaming, compared to 61 percent adoption globally, and 68 percent adoption in the U.S., according to IFPI.”
“Today’s launch opens the door for nearly 250 million fans to start discovering new music from around the world on Spotify, and for artists in the region to reach the increasingly connected global audience of fans,” said Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify VP, Markets and Subscriber Growth. “Launching in these 13 markets is an important moment in Spotify’s journey, especially as we welcome fans and artists in growing music markets like Russia, where streaming is being widely adopted and where we see a significant opportunity for Spotify.”
Baker McKenzie’s team was led by Stockholm-based Partner Anna Orlander and Moscow-based Partners Ed Bekeschenko, Denis Khabarov, Konstantin Kouzine, and Vladimir Efremov, and included Associates Vadim Perevalov, Anna Bazhenova, Denis Ezhov, Valeriya Eystrakh, and Lilia Badretdinova.
Editor's Note: After this article was published Semenov & Pevzner reported that it had advised Spotify on intellectual property issues related to its launch in the Russian market, as well as in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. The firm's team was led by Managing Partner Roman Lukyanov.
