Spotify (SPOT) Won a Bundling Fight. Why Is Its Royalty Bill Still in Dispute?

On September 1, 2026, a federal judge declined to allow an early appeal of the ruling that Premium qualifies as a music-and-audiobook bundle. That left a favorable decision intact for Spotify USA Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE:SPOT). The remaining dispute concerns the bill. The Mechanical Licensing Collective, or MLC, which collects certain music royalties for songwriters and publishers, alleges that subscription revenue is being allocated and reported incorrectly. A valid bundle can still produce a disputed royalty calculation.