Spotify chief economist Will Page to exit: Report

Will Page, Spotify’s chief economist for nearly seven years, is said to be leaving the company.

A former economic analyst for the Scottish government, Page has been a force for Spotify at a policy and lobbying level and he’s one of the streaming giant’s most recognisable executives, thanks to his regular and insightful presentations at conferences around the globe, including Bigsound, for which he delivered a keynote presentation in 2014.

At Spotify, Page has presented numerous publications on the tech firm's role in the global music economy and its impact on piracy, and he has shared new insights on the "Anatomy of a Hit" for artists including Lorde and Meghan Trainor.

He’s also credited for being the first person to assign a global value for music copyright.

Prior to joining the streaming giant in 2012, Page served with U.K. collecting society PRS For Music (then MCPS-PRS Alliance) for six years, where he published reports drilling deep into issues of revenues, rights and relationships across the music sector.

Spotify

Page, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, also presented analysis which, in 2010, played a pivotal role in saving BBC 6Music from the axe.

According to MBW, which broke the story, a contributing factor in Page’s departure from Spotify is that he has been offered a book deal. The streaming giant has yet to comment on the development.

To date, Spotify has launched in 79 markets, and has over 217 million active users of which 100 million are paying subscribers.

For the first quarter, the company posted revenue of 1.5 billion euros ($2.38 billion) in the first quarter this year. It’s service went live in India in February, and now boasts over two million users.