Spotify a November 2012 report suggested strong momentum for the company. In 2011, it reported a near US$60 million net loss from revenue of $244 million, while it was expected to generate a net loss of $40 million from revenue of $500 million in 2012. Another source of income was music purchases from within the app. This service was removed in January 2013. In May 2016, Spotify announced "Sponsored Playlists", a monetisation opportunity in which brands are able to specify the audiences they have in mind, with Spotify matching the marketer with suitable music in a playlist. That September, Spotify announced
Criticism of Spotify time the artist removed his albums from competing services, following the release of his debut album "Reasonable Doubt", and later "The Blueprint". In August 2015, Spotify changed its privacy policy. The change included the following paragraph: With your permission, we may collect information stored on your mobile device, such as contacts, photos, or media files. Local law may require that you seek the consent of your contacts to provide their personal information to Spotify, which may use that information for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy. Gordon Gottsegen of "Wired" wrote that the changes were "ridiculous", and compared Spotify