The Verge
10 months agoTech industry
A secret Google deal let Spotify completely bypass Android's app store fees
Spotify paid a 0 percent commission to Google for Android-based payments when users chose to buy subscriptions through Spotify's own system.
Google's User Choice Billing program typically offers a 4 percent reduction in Google's Play Store commission if developers use their own payment system, bringing the fee down to 11 percent.
Spotify's popularity justified a unique and more generous deal with Google, including a commitment of $50 million each to a success fund. [ more ]