Spotify has defended itself against recent criticism from Nigel Godrich and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.

The two musicians demanded that their Atoms for Peace album Amok be removed from the music streaming site claiming that they believed that they do not pay new artists enough in royalties and that it is subsequently ruining the industry.

Spotify defended themselves by saying: "Spotify's goal is to grow a service which people love, ultimately want to pay for, and which will provide the financial support to the music industry necessary to invest in new talent and music.

"We want to help artists connect with their fans, find new audiences, grow their fan base and make a living from the music we all love.

"Right now we're still in the early stages of a long-term project that's already having a hugely positive effect on artists and new music."

They went on to highlight that they are in fact paying quite a substantial amount in royalties to artists.

"We've already paid US$500M to rightsholders so far and by the end of 2013 this number will reach US$1bn. Much of this money is being invested in nurturing new talent and producing great new music.

"We're 100% committed to making Spotify the most artist-friendly music service possible, and are constantly talking to artists and managers about how Spotify can help build their careers.”

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