The music industry recorded massive losses in the first few years of the 21st century. People illegally distributed music for free as tracks transitioned from being sold on a CD or vinyl to a sound file. Consequently, an entire generation grew up thinking that music is free while musicians invested a lot in music promotion and building brands. Piracy escalated as the music industry failed to handle the drastic change adequately.

Spotify resolved the piracy challenge facing the music industry. Swedish entrepreneurs Martin Lorentzon and Daniel Ek founded the Stockholm’s on-demand audio-streaming service on April 23, 2006. The company gives consumers easy access to a massive library of music. Its U.S launch in 2011 saved the recorded music business. The company brought changes to music consumption through the following ways.

Limitation of music piracy

The illegal downloading and file-sharing lead to rampant piracy, which seems difficult to curb. Fortunately, Spotify suppressed piracy and made legal music streaming easy. People learnt to pay for music again through awareness campaigns.

De-genrefication of music

A lot of people love music from different categories. Consequently, users can enjoy tracks they like on Spotify. The music streaming platform allows users to explore various genres, sounds, and artists for a subscription fee of $10 per month. 

Free subscription tier

The Spotify ad-supported tier allows users to stream music for free to sit through the advertisements. Though it did not prevent users from subscribing, it provides market research on Spotify. The company can guess products users may want based on the playlists they created.

Re-categorization of music

Spotify has regrouped many tracks into “moods” using playlists. The Mood Booster playlist features happy and optimistic songs from all genres.

Autoplay

Spotify algorithm suggests new songs similar to tracks that users enjoy and offers more content after their playlists are over. Spotify popularized autoplay, a feature that was non-existent before the streaming era. However, other streaming platforms have included it in their services. 

Editors elevated to stars

Spotify’s playlist curators can play an essential role in a song’s success. Artists sought after placement on popular playlists like Rap Caviar, Today’s Top Hits, and New Music Friday. The founder of Spotify’s hottest hip-hop playlist became a minor star.

Offers personalized year in recap

Spotify is the first streaming service to give users personalized year-end reviews of their listening habits. It started with 2015’s “Year in Music” rebranded in 2016 as “Spotify Wrapped.”

Crediting system for songwriters and producers

Spotify was the first audio streaming service to give credits to producers and songwriters publicly. It also promotes the works of significant songwriters. People who worked on music projects were previously acknowledged on CD booklets and album covers.

Spotify clips

Spotify was the first music streaming company to feature stories on its platform. The feature is accessible by tapping a circular icon at the left top end of playlists. Artists can share their stories via Spotify Clips.

Artist Fundraising Pick

Spotify included this new feature to allow fans to donate directly on artists’ pages after COVID-19 badly damaged the live music industry. The donations either go to an artist’s pocket or any charity chosen by the person.

Spotify Canvas is one of the latest features on the platform. It allows artists to upload a short video loop to accompany music’s cover art as the track plays. Spotify has allowed podcasters on its platform to integrate songs on its library into their shows. The streaming service created an advertising platform for artists to increase their click rate. Besides, Spotify opposes hate content and sanctions artists engaged in misconduct.