I think this had more to due with negotiations with the record labels[0]. All the major record labels have investments in Spotify[1] which I imagine lends more credence to Spotify being able to negotiate good deals with the labels, since they can act more like partners
[0]: https://www.cultofmac.com/325034/apples-music-streaming-nego...
[1]: https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/spotify-at-days-close-what...