The entire point of the post is that _Spotify_, rather than piracy, is the option that lets users "feel good about themselves". With piracy, at least the user _knows_ they're not compensating the artist.
I think you can take both interpretations. Someone might think "if Spotify is paying artists virtually nothing, I might as well cut out the middle man and just pirate music".
Spotify is worse than that; even the labels are getting virtually nothing. But you have a good point; when you buy something at Wal-Mart, the company that makes the product doesn't make any profit either.
The entire point of the post is that _Spotify_, rather than piracy, is the option that lets users "feel good about themselves". With piracy, at least the user _knows_ they're not compensating the artist.