Spotify, the music streaming app that is unmissable on any self-respecting smartphone, is already a classic in the digital sector. With over 620 million monthly active users and 240 million paying users, it has managed to compete with services such as iTunes, Pandora, or Amazon Music. But where did the popular green app come from?
How Spotify Was Born
Spotify is of Swedish origin and was born from the combination of two passions of its creator, Daniel Ek: computers and music. Daniel was so precocious that he founded his first company when he was only 14 years old. He managed to hire his classmates to work on the creation and design of websites.
At 16, Ek tried to work at Google but was rejected due to a lack of qualifications. So, he founded Advertigo, an online marketing company, where he made a successful career. At the age of 23, in 2006, he sold Advertigo to the international giant Tradedoubler. This was a decisive step in the birth of his star project, as he convinced one of Tradedoubler’s founders, Martin Lorentzon, to make the necessary investment to bring Spotify to life.
The Name “Spotify”
A name we are now so accustomed to hearing arose by chance. During an exchange of words between Lorentzon and Ek while brainstorming names, one of them understood “Spotify.” They liked it, and since it wasn’t registered, they went ahead and secured the name.
With the name in place, the engineers began developing the application, initially only for computers. Among the developers was the creator of uTorrent, which was soon integrated into BitTorrent.
Spotify’s Public Launch
Though Lorentzon and Ek created Spotify in 2006, negotiations with record companies to license songs delayed its public launch until October 7, 2008. At the time, Spotify was available in only a few European countries – Sweden, Finland, Norway, France, the UK, and Spain. Users could access millions of songs without downloading anything.
To access the application for free, users needed an invitation. Otherwise, they had to sign up for a paid subscription.
Arriving in the United States
Despite facing difficulties with American record companies regarding song rights, Spotify entered the United States in 2011. It competed closely with iTunes, which Spotify managed to surpass by 2016.
Transforming the Platform
Shortly after arriving in the US, Spotify announced in November 2011 that it was transforming into the Spotify Platform, which could host third-party applications.
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Read also: Spotify Wrapped: How Do You Rate Your Music Year In Review.
