Spotify to hire hundreds to drive ad sales in Europe, Australia, Canada

FILE PHOTO: The Spotify logo is displayed after the stock began selling as a direct listing on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Spotify is planning to hire hundreds of staff to boost its advertising sales in Europe and elsewhere, as the music streaming service looks to increase revenue from customers who don't pay a monthly fee but make up the bulk of its user base.

"We are increasing our ads business marketing workforce by over 70% in Europe, Australia and Canada ... and that's off a pretty sizable base," Lee Brown, Spotify's head of advertising business, said in an interview.