Launched 12 years ago, Spotify (SPOTIFY TECHNOLOGY S A SHSÂ SPOT: NYSE) currently has 157 million customers and is slated for continued growth making its stock debut today ($132.00). The company could be valued at 25 billion. The streaming service is avoiding the traditional path (IPO) to instead be a “listing.” Insiders say this will cause volatility since the actual valuation will be determined by the marketplace.
As stated in this blog several times many industries are headed towards eliminating the middleman and Spotify is no different in testing the concept. The company believes the service is currently the preferred service for listening to music and will continue to dominate in the future. They are avoiding investment bankers and fees in order to price the shares for what they deem as more stability.
A plethora of trusted stock companies have been discouraging buyers saying the stock is too risky but the unconventional approach, nevertheless, will be watched and of course scrutinized but moreover, it will be followed by many other tech companies in the future if all goes well which could have a huge effect on the current system. See more (video)
Expert: Here’s why Spotify’s listing isn’t an IPO from CNBC.