# TIVP065: Spotify (SPOT):  Investing in Music in the Age of AI w/ Shawn O’Malley & Daniel Mahncke

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-intrinsic-value-podcast-the-investor-s-podcast-network-786362/tivp065-spotify-spot-investing-in-music-in-the-age-of-ai-w-shawn-o-malley-daniel-mahncke
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-intrinsic-value-podcast-the-investor-s-podcast-network-786362/tivp065-spotify-spot-investing-in-music-in-the-age-of-ai-w-shawn-o-malley-daniel-mahncke.md
Podcast: [The Intrinsic Value Podcast - The Investor’s Podcast Network](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-intrinsic-value-podcast-the-investor-s-podcast-network-786362)
Published: 2026-03-29T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/PPLLC6486960342.mp3
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/PPLLC6486960342.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-intrinsic-value-podcast-the-investor-s-podcast-network-786362/episodes/tivp065-spotify-spot-investing-in-music-in-the-age-of-ai-w-shawn-o-malley-daniel-mahncke
Duration seconds: 5768

## Resource

Shawn O'Malley and Daniel Mahncke explore Spotify Inc. (ticker: SPOT), the world's largest audio streaming platform, and assess whether the company can sustain its growth and improve margins against fierce competition from YouTube, Apple, and Amazon, or whether it will remain trapped as a low-margin intermediary in the music industry. Spotify saved the recorded music industry from piracy and built a platform that over 750 million people use monthly. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00:00 - Intro00:13:25 - How Spotify saved the recorded music industry from piracy00:24:40 - Why the freemium business model was key to Spotify's growth00:29:24 - What makes Spotify's recommendation engine and personalization a competitive moat00:51:00 - How Spotify is diversifying beyond music into podcasts and audiobooks00:37:56 - Why music streaming margins are structurally constrained by label royalties01:16:27 - How YouTube poses the biggest competitive threat to Spotify01:11:26 - What Spotify's management team thinks about AI's impact on the business00:41:11 - How Spotify's pricing power and international expansion affect its valuation01:28:14 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add SPOT to their Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES The Investors Podcast Network is excited to debut a new community known as The Intrinsic Value Community for investors to learn, share ideas, network, and join calls with experts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for the waitlist(!)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign up for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn how to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ in Omaha for the 2026 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting. Track ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Portfo…

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