Spotify Takes a 'Pause' from IAB Certification

Digital music pioneer Spotify has relinquished its membership of the IAB, according to reports. The company with the largest global audio ad-supported revenue is therefore no longer certified for podcast audience measurement, but says it is 'taking a pause' and 'remains committed to the IAB mission'.

The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) represents more than 700 media companies, brands, agencies and tech firms responsible for selling, delivering and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns, researching the sector, setting standards, training professionals and advocating for the sector. The association was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York City.

Podcasting publication podnews.net says Spotify 'quietly ceased its [IAB] membership in the last three months', with three of its services Megaphone, Chartable and S4P removed from the list of compliant companies, having last been through certification in 2020.

A spokesperson for the audio streaming giant told the publication all three of the above platforms remain compliant to the IAB v2.1 standard, and stressed: 'Spotify values our longstanding partnership with the IAB. For 2024, we're taking a pause to make sure that we can participate in an active way and will reevaluate a formal membership later this year. In the meantime, Spotify remains committed to the IAB mission. We champion its efforts and remain deeply connected to the work supporting digital advertising without direct membership this year'.

Spotify's ad-supported revenue in Q4 of 2023 was EUR 501m ($US 533m), just ahead of SiriusXM with $479m, with rivals iHeart behind on $317m and Cumulus $221m - apart from Spotify these all remain IAB members.

Web sites: www.spotify.com and www.iab.com .