Sources: Spotify, valued at $13B, plans direct listing on the NYSE in Q4 2017 or Q1 2018; Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Allen & Co. are advising
- Spotify expected to go public as a direct listing on the NYSE between Q4 2017 and Q1 2018, according to sources
Context & Ripple Effects
Spotify's path to public markets has been building all year: in April it was reportedly weighing skipping a traditional IPO altogether by listing its shares directly on an exchange, and this report firms up the mechanics — a $13B valuation, an NYSE venue, and Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Allen & Co. advising rather than underwriting.
What changed today is commitment to structure over timing: instead of selling new shares through bankers, Spotify would let existing holders sell straight into the market. By December the plan had progressed far enough that sources pointed to expected SEC approval of the direct share listing ahead of a March or April debut, making this one of the first tests of whether a large private company can go public without an IPO.
First-order effects
- Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Allen & Co. take advisory roles without the underwriting fees of a conventional IPO — Spotify raises no primary capital and existing shareholders become the sellers.
Second-order effects
- NYSE gains a marquee tech listing that showcases an alternative to the traditional IPO, pressuring rival exchanges and forcing banks to rethink how they monetize listings they don't underwrite; other large private companies gain a template to follow.
Third-order effects
- If the SEC clears the structure as reported, the direct listing moves from experiment to established exit route, weakening the bundled underwriting model that has defined US IPOs and shifting negotiating power toward late-stage private companies and their early investors.
The trend: High-profile private companies are increasingly bypassing the traditional IPO in favor of direct exchange listings, with regulators' willingness to approve the structure determining how fast the alternative spreads.