Music streamer Spotify saw third quarter operating profits grow a cool 28%, as its paying subscribers hit 281 million.

Operating income posted at €582M ($669M), well above the guidance of €485M, with revenue up 7% at €4.27B. Total active monthly users (MAUs) came in at 713 million, up 11% year-over-year and 2% on Q2. Compounding the strong results, free cash flow was up 13% to a record high of €806M.

Spotify said the MAU and premium subscriber growth reflected gains across all regions, and came after the business launched 30 product updates during the fall, including lossless audio, playlist mixing

tools, messaging, an enhanced mobile free tier and taste profile controls.

However, it wasn’t all good news, as ad-supported revenue fell 6% to €446M, despite the number of ad-supported MA

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