Ed Sheeran credits Spotify for Wembley gigs but says 'fair play' to Taylor Swift for quitting

'Different strokes for different folks' said the singer at the BBC Music Awards

Ed Sheeran performs at KIIS FM's Jingle Ball (Getty Images)

Ed Sheeran has waded into the great Spotify debate and admitted that he “owes his career” to the music streaming service.

The “Thinking Out Loud” singer was named the most-played artist on Spotify earlier this month after being streamed a massive 860 million times this year.

But after Taylor Swift pulled her entire repertoire from Spotify in November because she does not think artists are treated fairly, musicians and fans have been questioning the company.

Sheeran, however, is playing sell-out dates at Wembley Stadium next year and credits Spotify for the opportunity.

“I do not think I would be able to sell out these venues had people not streamed my music. It’s getting it out to people who are learning the songs and wanting to come to the gigs,” the 23-year-old said backstage at the BBC Music Awards.

“I’d much rather tour, that’s why I got into the business, I love playing gigs. Recording for me is a means to an end – I put out records so I can tour, I don’t tour so I can put out records. For me, Spotify helps me do what I want to do.”

It all comes down to “different strokes for different folks” thinks Sheeran.

“Fair play to Taylor, she said 'I can sell a million in week one if I don’t put my record on Spotify' and she did, and I’m saying 'I can play Wembley if I do put my record on Spotify' and I’m doing that.

“I made my album so that everyone in the world can hear it and I don’t want to restrict it.”

Last month, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl echoed Sheeran's views on Spotify, saying that he "doesn't f**king care" whether fans stream his music or not because he's playing two nights at Wembley next summer.

“You want people to f**king listen to your music? Give them your music and then go play a show,” he said. “They like hearing your music? They'll go see a show.

"To me it's that simple and I think it used to work that way. The delivery was completely face to face personal. That's what got people really excited about s**t.”