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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what is working at Spotify like? In this guide, we’ll go over: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a> listening to more than 100 million tracks and over 5 million podcasts. Additionally, Spotify has around 200,000 professional or professionally aspiring artists<\/a> on its platform, uploading music from over 100 countries every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify has over 8,600 full-time employees<\/a> working remotely or in offices across the globe in 43 cities<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify offers a range of paid internships and professional (or associate) programs<\/a> 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<\/a> and programs on a rolling basis, with applications typically opening in the spring for professional programs and the winter for internships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Internships at Spotify are paid. According to a recent internship posting<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The technology fellowship<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n >>MORE:<\/strong> See our picks for the best online coding bootcamps<\/a> and the best free coding bootcamps<\/a> for 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>. This 18-month, NYC-based intensive offers roles in the accounting<\/a> department, internal audit team, and financial planning and analysis group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are eligible to compete in the Opening Act Innovation Challenge<\/a>, where students pitch solutions to real business problems Spotify is facing. Challenge winners can fully test and pursue their solutions during a summer internship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A rotational program in product management<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n >>MORE: <\/strong>Learn where, when, and how to apply for internships<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>. Salaries represent an average in the U.S. for those with less than a year of experience under that specific job title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>. Typical roles and salaries on the engineering team are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n >>MORE:<\/strong> Experience a career in engineering with our free <\/strong>software <\/strong>engineering job simulations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a> team include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify’s finance team includes positions in accounting, strategy, analysis, investor management, and global tax. Some of the roles and salaries on the finance<\/a> team are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n >>MORE:<\/strong> Explore different careers in finance with our free<\/strong> banking, finance, and accounting job simulations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n >>MORE:<\/strong> Experience a career in data with our free <\/strong>data job simulations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n >>MORE:<\/strong> Experience working on human-centered design with BCG’s Design job simulation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify is a distributed-first company with a “work from anywhere<\/a>” 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A key value of the company is mental health and well-being, and this value is reflected in its All The Feels<\/a> program, which provides free counseling, resources, and benefits for employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spotify refers to its company as a band and invites potential employees to “join the band<\/a>.” This branding aims to highlight one of Spotify’s main values \u2014 collaboration<\/a>. All five of Spotify’s values reflect what the company strives for and what it looks for in potential employees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These values, missions, and goals earned Spotify a top ten position on Comparably’s Top 100 Brands<\/a> and Top Brands for Gen Z lists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Employees rate Spotify’s company culture<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some highlights of Spotify’s culture from reviews on Comparably include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reviews on Indeed<\/a> are positive about flexibility and overall work happiness \u2014 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apple’s<\/a> digital music streaming service is called Apple Music. In addition to albums, playlists, and podcasts, Apple Music also offers video streaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The digital music streaming service from Google<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpotify Internships and New Grad Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Global Summer Internship<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Aspiring Marketing Professionals Program<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Technology Fellowship Program <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Financial Analyst Rotation <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Opening Act Innovation Challenge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Spotify Careers and Salaries <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sales<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Engineering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Marketing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Finance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Global Affairs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Data, Research, and Insights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Human Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Business Support and Operations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Spotify Benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Employee Reviews of Benefits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Spotify Culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Employee Reviews of Culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Spotify vs. Other Top Companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Apple \u2014 Apple Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Google \u2014 YouTube Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Amazon \u2014 Amazon Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
SoundCloud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n