(Yonhap Interview) Spotify committed to exporting K-culture, says APAC executive

This will let Google show Yonhap news articles that match or are related to your search

SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has become a cultural force for many movements today, and Spotify is committed to exporting K-culture globally, an executive from the music streaming platform said.

Gautam Talwar, the general manager for Asia-Pacific (APAC) at Spotify, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul on Wednesday.

"Korea is a home base for creative expression. It's a cultural force," the executive said during the interview. "We are seeing it in entertainment, in esports or webtoon ... Korea is punching above its weight."

The ex-Disney executive said K-pop holds a special place in the music streaming platform's history, noting it was an early investor in the genre. In 2014, Spotify unveiled the first-of-its-kind playlist that eventually became home to the K-pop genre on the platform.

Gautam Talwar, the general manager for Asia-Pacific at Spotify, poses for a photo at the streaming platform's pop-up venue in Seoul on Sept. 9, 2026, in this photo provided by the company. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Now K-pop has opened the door to the discovery of new artists and genres, he explained, as the platform is witnessing a breakout of music movements in genres like indie, rock and electronic music.

According to Spotify, K-rock streaming on the platform was up 58 percent on-year in 2025, while K-indie streaming rose 68 percent from a year earlier.

Listeners around the world discovered Korean artists' music for the first time more than 2 billion times. Royalties generated by Korean-language music grew 25 percent on-year, with 92 percent coming from outside of South Korea, the executive elaborated.

When asked about Spotify's focus for its South Korean operations next year, the executive pointed to creating "physical opportunities" that bring artists and their fans closer together.

"We are living in a very interesting time when users are spending more time than ever in the digital world," he said. "It's somewhat lonely, and fans are craving human connection. They are craving shared experiences, and that is what our mission is, helping create these physical opportunities."

One such opportunity is the Spotify House, a pop-up venue in Seoul featuring live performances, content and activities from Thursday to Sunday.

A staff member introduces Spotify House, a pop-up venue for live concerts, content and activities, in Seoul on Sept. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)

The Swedish music streaming service will also continue to find ways to grow businesses in the local music industry, as well as to help them invest in raising the profile of Korean music, the executive said.

As part of such efforts, the company has forged "culture-forward" partnerships with local companies. Spotify last year joined hands with Naver Corp., integrating music and podcasts streamed on the platform into the everyday digital ecosystem of the South Korean portal giant.

Since entering South Korea in 2021, Spotify has grown to become the second most-used music streaming app in the country as of June, with 6.22 million users, trailing only behind YouTube Music, which recorded 9.49 million users.

As of last year, Spotify recorded 777 million monthly active users and 300 million subscribers on its platform.

fairydust@yna.co.kr (END)

BTS concludes N. American tour with record-breaking LA shows

BTS' Jungkook hits 500 mln Spotify streams with self-written 'Still With You'

(LEAD) Philippine defense chief slams China over audience note on South China Sea at Seoul forum

N. Korea drops unification goal, cements Kim as sole leader in revised party charter

BLACKPINK's Lisa and Jisoo release solo singles on same day

(News Focus) S. Korea faces high-stakes decision on potential Hormuz Strait deployment

'The Odyssey' tops weekend box office for 5th week

Samsung Electronics union leaders under probe over 'union blacklist'

Son Ye-jin returns to historical drama in remake of 'The Scandal'

Badminton star An Se-young determined to enjoy herself in Asian Games title defense

N. Korea marks 78th anniv. of national founding day

(Yonhap Interview) Spotify committed to exporting K-culture, says APAC executive

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

首尔，9月10日（韩联社）——音乐流媒体平台Spotify的一位高管表示，韩国如今已成为许多运动的文化力量，Spotify致力于向全球输出韩国文化。

Spotify亚太区总经理Gautam Talwar周三在首尔接受韩联社独家专访时发表了上述言论。

“韩国是创意表达的大本营，是一股文化力量，”这位高管在采访中说道。“我们在娱乐、电子竞技或网络漫画等领域都能看到这一点……韩国的实力远超其体量。”

这位前迪士尼高管表示，K-pop在Spotify的音乐流媒体平台历史上占有特殊地位，并指出Spotify是该音乐类型的早期投资者。2014年，Spotify推出了首个K-pop歌单，最终成为该平台上K-pop音乐的专属频道。

2026年9月9日，Spotify亚太区总经理高塔姆·塔尔瓦尔在首尔Spotify快闪店拍摄了这张照片，照片由该公司提供。（照片不得出售）（韩联社）

他解释说，如今 K-pop 为发现新的艺术家和音乐流派打开了大门，因为该平台正在见证独立音乐、摇滚乐和电子音乐等流派的音乐运动的突破。

根据 Spotify 的数据，2025 年该平台上的 K-rock 流媒体播放量同比增长 58%，而 K-indie 流媒体播放量同比增长 68%。

全球听众首次聆听韩国歌手音乐的次数超过20亿次。这位高管详细解释说，韩语音乐产生的版税收入同比增长25%，其中92%来自韩国以外地区。

当被问及Spotify明年在韩国的业务重点时，这位高管指出，要创造“实际机会”，让艺术家和他们的粉丝更近距离地接触。

他说：“我们生活在一个非常有趣的时代，用户比以往任何时候都花更多的时间在数字世界里。这多少有些孤独，粉丝们渴望人与人之间的联系。他们渴望共同的体验，而这正是我们的使命——帮助创造这些线下的机会。”

Spotify House 就是这样一个机会，它是首尔的一个快闪场地，从周四到周日都会有现场表演、内容和活动。

2026年9月9日，一名工作人员在首尔介绍Spotify House，这是一个用于举办现场音乐会、发布内容和开展活动的快闪场地。（韩联社）

该高管表示，这家瑞典音乐流媒体服务公司还将继续寻找发展当地音乐产业企业的方法，并帮助他们投资提升韩国音乐的知名度。

作为这些努力的一部分，该公司与当地企业建立了“文化前沿”的合作伙伴关系。去年，Spotify与韩国门户网站巨头Naver携手合作，将平台上的音乐和播客内容整合到Naver的日常数字生态系统中。

自 2021 年进入韩国市场以来，Spotify 已发展成为韩国第二大最受欢迎的音乐流媒体应用（截至 6 月），拥有 622 万用户，仅次于拥有 949 万用户的 YouTube Music。

截至去年，Spotify 平台的月活跃用户数为 7.77 亿，订阅用户数为 3 亿。

fairydust@yna.co.kr (完)

BTS北美巡演圆满落幕，洛杉矶站演出打破多项纪录。

BTS成员柾国凭借自作曲《Still With You》在Spotify上的播放量突破5亿次。

（导语）菲律宾国防部长抨击中国在首尔论坛上就南海问题发表的发言。

朝鲜放弃统一目标，修订党章巩固金正恩的唯一领导人地位

BLACKPINK 的 Lisa 和 Jisoo 同一天发行个人单曲

（新闻焦点）韩国面临是否在霍尔木兹海峡部署武器的高风险决定。

《奥德赛》连续第五周蝉联周末票房冠军

三星电子工会领导人因“工会黑名单”接受调查

孙艺珍回归古装剧​​，翻拍《绯闻》

羽毛球明星安世荣决心在亚运会卫冕战中尽情享受比赛。

朝鲜庆祝建国78周年

（韩联社专访）Spotify亚太区高管表示，Spotify致力于输出韩国文化。