History of Spotify in Timeline
Spotify is a Swedish audio streaming service founded in 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming providers globally, boasting over 675 million monthly active users, including 263 million paying subscribers, as of December 2024. The company is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
April 2006: Spotify Founded
In April 2006, Spotify was founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon as a Swedish audio streaming and media service provider.
2006: Spotify Founded
In 2006, Spotify was founded in Stockholm, Sweden, by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.
2006: Criticism of Artist Compensation Since Launch
Since its launch in 2006, Spotify has faced criticism regarding its compensation model for artists, who often describe it as "unsustainable" compared to physical sales or legal downloads.
2008: Company Reports Loss
In 2008, just after its launch, Spotify reported a loss of 31.8 million Swedish kronor (US$4.4 million).
February 2009: Public Registration Opens in UK
In February 2009, Spotify opened public registration for its free service tier in the United Kingdom.
February 2010: Investment from Founders Fund
In February 2010, Spotify received a small investment from Founders Fund, and Sean Parker joined to assist Spotify in the US.
September 2010: Spotify Selected as Technology Pioneer by WEF
In September 2010, the World Economic Forum (WEF) selected Spotify as a Technology Pioneer for 2011.
October 2010: Spotify's Impact in Sweden
In October 2010, it was reported that Spotify was generating more revenue for labels in Sweden than any other retailer.
March 2011: 1 Million Paying Subscribers
In March 2011, Spotify announced it had reached 1 million paying subscribers across Europe.
April 2011: Changes to Spotify Free tier
In April 2011, Spotify announced it would drastically cut the amount of music free members could access, effective 1 May 2011.
May 2011: Spotify Free restrictions implemented
In May 2011, Spotify implemented restrictions for free members, limiting them to ten hours of music streaming per month and individual tracks to five plays.
June 2011: Funding Secured for US Launch
In June 2011, Spotify secured $100 million of funding and planned to use it to support its US launch, valuing the company at $1 billion.
July 2011: Spotify Launches in the US
In July 2011, Spotify launched in the United States, offering a six-month, ad-supported trial period with unlimited free music.
September 2011: Spotify Doubles Subscribers
In September 2011, Spotify announced their paying subscribers had doubled to two million.
November 2011: Spotify Apps service introduced
In November 2011, Spotify introduced a Spotify Apps service, allowing third-party developers to design applications hosted within the Spotify computer software.
2011: Net Loss Reported
In 2011, Spotify reported a near US$60 million net loss from revenue of $244 million.
2011: Spotify Recognized as WEF Technology Pioneer
Spotify was recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2011, following its selection in September 2010.
January 2012: Free Trial Limits Implemented
In January 2012, Spotify began limiting free trial users to ten hours of streaming per month and five plays per song as the initial trial period expired.
April 2012: Spotify Play Button introduced
In April 2012, Spotify introduced the "Spotify Play Button", an embeddable music player for blogs, websites, and social media profiles.
June 2012: Soundrop receives funding
In June 2012, Soundrop became the first Spotify app to attract major funding, receiving $3 million from Spotify investor Northzone.
August 2012: Active Users Milestone
In August 2012, Time reported Spotify had 15 million active users, with four million being paying subscribers.
November 2012: Goldman Sachs Funding Round
A Goldman Sachs-led round of funding closed in November 2012, raising around $100 million at a $3 billion valuation.
November 2012: Report Suggests Strong Momentum
A November 2012 report suggested strong momentum for Spotify.
December 2012: New tabs and sections introduced
In December 2012, Spotify introduced a "Follow" tab, a "Discover" tab, and a "Collection" section, aiming to enhance music discovery and user interaction.
December 2012: User Growth
In December 2012, Spotify reached 20 million total active users, including five million paying customers globally and one million paying customers in the United States.
January 2013: Music Purchases Removed
In January 2013, Spotify removed the option to purchase music from within the app.
March 2013: Spotify Userbase Update
By March 2013, Spotify reported 24 million active users, including six million paying subscribers.
March 2013: Spotify removes play limits for UK users
In March 2013, Spotify removed the five-play individual track limit for users in the United Kingdom.
May 2013: Acquisition of Tunigo
In May 2013, Spotify acquired music discovery app Tunigo.
December 2013: Shuffle mode enabled for free mobile users
In December 2013, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced that free users on Android and iOS smartphones could listen to music in Shuffle mode.
December 2013: Spotify for Artists Launched
In December 2013, Spotify launched "Spotify for Artists," a website explaining its business model and revenue data to artists, detailing royalty payments to rights holders.
2013: Spotify Reveals Artist Payouts
In 2013, Spotify revealed that artists earned an average of $0.007 per stream.
January 2014: Time limits removed for Free users
In January 2014, Spotify removed all time limits for Free users on all platforms, including computers, which previously had a 10-hour monthly listening limit after a 6-month grace period.
March 2014: Acquisition of The Echo Nest
In March 2014, Spotify acquired The Echo Nest, a music intelligence company.
March 2014: Discounted Premium for Students
In March 2014, Spotify introduced a discounted Premium subscription tier for students in the United States.
April 2014: Spotify Phased Out Peer-to-Peer System
In April 2014, Spotify discontinued its peer-to-peer (P2P) music distribution system. This change was implemented as Spotify's server infrastructure grew, allowing them to deliver music directly and phase out the P2P system.
May 2014: User Milestone
In May 2014, Spotify had 40 million users, including ten million paying subscribers.
June 2014: Web API announcement
In June 2014, Spotify announced a Web API that allowed third-party developers to integrate Spotify content in their own web applications.
October 2014: Family Subscription Introduced
In October 2014, Spotify introduced a Family subscription, allowing up to 5 family members to have a premium subscription.
December 2014: User Base Increase
In December 2014, Spotify reported 60 million users, with 15 million being paying subscribers.
January 2015: Sony Announces PlayStation Music with Spotify
In January 2015, Sony announced PlayStation Music, a new music service partnering exclusively with Spotify, integrating it into PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Sony Xperia devices.
March 2015: PlayStation Music Service Launched
On 30 March 2015, the PlayStation Music service, powered by Spotify, officially launched on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Sony Xperia mobile devices.
April 2015: Fundraising Round Begins
In April 2015, Spotify began another round of fundraising, seeking $400 million which would value the company at $8.4 billion.
May 2015: New "Home" start-page introduced
In May 2015, Spotify announced a new "Home" start-page for music recommendations and introduced "Spotify Running", matching music to running tempo. Podcasts and videos were announced.
June 2015: Acquisition of Seed Scientific
In June 2015, Spotify acquired Seed Scientific, a data science consulting firm.
June 2015: Financing Closed
In June 2015, Spotify closed the financing, raising $526 million, at a value of $8.53 billion.
June 2015: User and Subscriber Growth
In June 2015, Spotify reached 75 million users, including 20 million paying subscribers.
July 2015: Discover Weekly launched
In July 2015, Spotify launched Discover Weekly, a weekly playlist providing users with music recommendations updated on Mondays.
July 2015: Spotify Urges App Store Subscribers to Cancel Subscriptions
In July 2015, Spotify launched an email campaign urging its App Store subscribers to cancel their subscriptions and start new ones through its website to bypass Apple's 30% transaction fee. Spotify's general counsel Horacio Gutierrez wrote a letter to Apple's then-general counsel Bruce Sewell, stating: "This latest episode raises serious concerns under both U.S. and EU competition law. It continues a troubling pattern of behavior by Apple to exclude and diminish the competitiveness of Spotify on iOS and as a rival to Apple Music, particularly when seen against the backdrop of Apple's previous anticompetitive conduct aimed at Spotify ... we cannot stand by as Apple uses the App Store approval process as a weapon to harm competitors."
October 2015: "Thinking Out Loud" Reaches 500 Million Streams
In October 2015, Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" became the first song to surpass 500 million streams on Spotify.
November 2015: "Fan Insights" Panel Introduced
In November 2015, Spotify introduced a "Fan Insights" panel in limited beta form, offering artists and managers data on listeners, geography, demographics, and music preferences.
December 2015: Discover Weekly streams reported
In December 2015, Quartz reported that songs in Discover Weekly playlists had been streamed 1.7 billion times.
December 2015: Spotify Wrapped debuted
In December 2015, Spotify debuted Spotify Wrapped, a program that creates playlists based on each user's most listened-to songs from the year. Users can view and save this playlist at the end of the year.
January 2016: Acquisition of Cord Project and Soundwave
In January 2016, Spotify acquired social and messaging startups Cord Project and Soundwave.
January 2016: Spotify and Genius partnership
In January 2016, Spotify partnered with Genius to bring annotation information into infocards during song playback, known as "Behind the Lyrics".
January 2016: Convertible Bonds Raised
In January 2016, Spotify raised another $500 million through convertible bonds.
March 2016: Fresh Finds playlists launched
In March 2016, Spotify launched six playlists branded as Fresh Finds, spotlighting songs by lesser-known musicians in various genres.
March 2016: Financing Raised
In March 2016, Spotify raised $1 billion in financing by debt plus a discount on shares once the initial public offering (IPO) of shares takes place.
March 2016: 30 Million Subscribers
In March 2016, Spotify reported having 30 million paying subscribers.
April 2016: Open Letter to Swedish Politicians
In April 2016, Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon addressed an open letter to Swedish politicians, seeking improvements in housing, education, and stock options to retain Spotify jobs in Sweden.
April 2016: Rihanna Becomes Biggest Artist
In April 2016, Rihanna surpassed Justin Bieber to become the biggest artist on Spotify with 31.3 million monthly active listeners.
April 2016: Acquisition of CrowdAlbum
In April 2016, Spotify acquired CrowdAlbum, a startup that collects photos and videos of performances shared on social networks.
May 2016: Drake Overtakes Rihanna
In May 2016, Drake overtook Rihanna with 31.85 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
May 2016: Sponsored Playlists Introduced
In May 2016, Spotify announced "Sponsored Playlists", which allowed brands to target audiences with music playlists.
May 2016: Family Subscription Update
In May 2016, Spotify updated its Family subscription to allow 6 family members and reduced the price. The Family subscription also provides access to Spotify Kids.
June 2016: 100 Million Total Users
In June 2016, Spotify achieved 100 million total users.
August 2016: Release Radar launched
In August 2016, Spotify launched Release Radar, a personalized playlist that updates on Fridays with new music from followed artists and other recommendations.
September 2016: Subscriber Increase
In September 2016, Spotify announced 40 million paying subscribers.
November 2016: Acquisition of Preact
In November 2016, Spotify acquired Preact, a cloud-based platform that helps companies on subscription models reduce churn and build up subscriber numbers.
December 2016: Drake Overtaken by The Weeknd; "One Dance" Reaches 1 Billion Streams
In December 2016, The Weeknd surpassed Drake in monthly listeners on Spotify, and Drake's song "One Dance" became the first to hit one billion streams.
2016: Criticism for Prioritizing Certain Artists
In 2016, Spotify faced criticism for allegedly making certain artists' music less accessible if those artists released their music on Apple Music first.
2016: RADAR artist program launched
In 2016, Spotify introduced the RADAR program to provide resources to emerging artists, offering marketing opportunities to boost their careers.
2016: Migration to Google Cloud
In 2016, Spotify migrated most of its infrastructure from its own servers to Google Cloud.
February 2017: Expansion of US Operations
In February 2017, Spotify announced an expansion of its United States operations in Lower Manhattan, New York City, adding approximately 1,000 new jobs.
March 2017: Acquisition of Sonalytic
In March 2017, Spotify acquired Sonalytic, an audio detection startup, for an undisclosed amount to enhance personalized playlists and improve publishing data.
March 2017: Partnership with South by Southwest (SXSW)
In March 2017, Spotify announced a partnership with the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference, presenting content through an SXSW hub in Spotify's apps and integrating Spotify within the SXSW GO app.
March 2017: Premium Tier Exclusivity Agreements
In March 2017, the Financial Times reported that Spotify was negotiating licensing deals to restrict some new album releases to its Premium tier in exchange for reduced royalty fees. Select albums will be exclusive to Premium for a limited time before general release.
April 2017: Acquisition of Mediachain
In April 2017, Spotify acquired Mediachain, a blockchain startup developing a decentralized database for media metadata management.
April 2017: Student Discount Expansion
In April 2017, Spotify expanded its discounted Premium subscription for students to 33 more countries.
April 2017: "Behind the Lyrics" expanded to Android app
In April 2017, the "Behind the Lyrics" feature on Spotify was expanded to the Android app.
April 2017: "Spotify for Artists" Launched
In April 2017, the "Fan Insights" panel was upgraded to "Spotify for Artists", left beta status, and opened to all artists and managers.
May 2017: Acquisition of Niland
In May 2017, Spotify acquired artificial intelligence startup Niland to improve personalization and recommendation features for users.
May 2017: Spotify Codes introduced
In May 2017, Spotify introduced Spotify Codes for its mobile apps, enabling users to share specific content by scanning soundwave-style barcodes.
June 2017: "Secret Genius" Initiative Announced
In June 2017, Spotify announced "Secret Genius", a new initiative aimed at highlighting songwriters and producers through awards, "Songshops," playlists, and podcasts.
June 2017: Financial Filing Reveals Agreement to Pay Minimum Payments
In June 2017, Spotify's financial filings revealed its agreement to pay more than $2 billion in minimum payments over the next two years.
June 2017: Spotify app available through Windows Store
In June 2017, the Spotify app became available through the Windows Store.
August 2017: Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" Breaks Streaming Record
In August 2017, upon its release, Taylor Swift's single "Look What You Made Me Do" earned over eight million streams within 24 hours, setting a new record for single-day streams.
October 2017: Microsoft Ending Groove Music, Transferring Users to Spotify
In October 2017, Microsoft announced it would end its Groove Music streaming service by December, transferring users' music to Spotify as part of a new partnership.
October 2017: "Rise" Program Launched
In October 2017, Spotify launched "Rise", a program aimed at promoting emerging artists.
November 2017: Acquisition of Soundtrap
In November 2017, Spotify acquired Soundtrap, an online music studio startup.
2017: Spotify's Profitability
As of 2017, Spotify was not yet a profitable company.
2017: RapCaviar introduced
In 2017, Spotify introduced RapCaviar, a hip-hop playlist that gained significant popularity.
2017: IPO Planning
In 2017, Spotify planned to launch on the stock market.
2017: Catalogues Returned To Spotify
In 2017, the music catalogues of artists such as Taylor Swift and Thom Yorke, who had previously withdrawn their music due to concerns over fair compensation, returned to Spotify. In addition, Spotify announced that artists would be able to make albums temporarily exclusive to paid subscribers if the albums are part of Universal Music Group or the Merlin Network.
January 2018: Stations by Spotify testing
In January 2018, Spotify began testing Stations by Spotify, a new standalone app for Australian Android users similar to Pandora. It featured 62 music channels devoted to genres and aimed to help users listen to music without overload. The skipping feature was later quietly added with no limits.
February 2018: Spotify Integrates with Discord
In February 2018, Spotify integrated with Discord, allowing users to display their currently playing song on their profile and invite others to "listening parties".
April 2018: On-demand listening for Free users
In April 2018, Spotify began allowing Free users to listen on-demand to songs on 15 personalized discovery playlists.
April 2018: Spotify Goes Public
In April 2018, Spotify went public on the stock market using a direct public offering, with Morgan Stanley as the advisor.
April 2018: Acquisition of Loudr
On 12 April 2018, Spotify acquired the music licensing platform Loudr.
May 2018: Hate Content & Hateful Conduct Policy Attracted Criticism
In May 2018, Spotify's "Hate Content & Hateful Conduct policy," which initially removed R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from playlists, faced criticism. The policy was revoked in June due to being too vague.
June 2018: XXXTentacion's "Sad!" Breaks Streaming Record
On 19 June 2018, XXXTentacion's "Sad!" broke Taylor Swift's single-day streaming record, amassing 10.4 million streams the day after his death.
August 2018: Acquisition of The Joe Budden Podcast Rights
In August 2018, Spotify bought exclusive rights to The Joe Budden Podcast and expanded the show to a twice-weekly schedule.
September 2018: "Upload Beta" Announced
In September 2018, Spotify announced "Upload Beta", allowing artists to upload directly to the platform.
November 2018: Spotify Connect Expansion
In November 2018, Spotify announced that Spotify Connect was opening up to all users on its Free service.
November 2018: Spotify Releases Apple Watch App
In November 2018, Spotify released the first version of its Apple Watch app, allowing playback control of the iPhone via the watch and device selection via Bluetooth.
November 2018: Expansion into MENA Region
On 14 November 2018, Spotify announced its expansion into 13 new markets in the MENA region, including the creation of a new Arabic hub and playlists.
2018: IPO Postponement
In 2018, Spotify was seen as planning on doing the IPO to "build up a better balance sheet and work on shifting its business model to improve its margins".
January 2019: Car View and Canvas feature introduced
In January 2019, Spotify introduced Car View for Android and beta-tested its Canvas feature, allowing artists to upload looping visuals to their tracks.
February 2019: Gimlet Media Unionizes
In February 2019, one month after Spotify acquired Gimlet Media, 75% of staff at Gimlet Media went public, signing union cards and seeking voluntary recognition.
February 2019: Acquisition of Gimlet Media and Anchor FM Inc.
On 6 February 2019, Spotify acquired the podcast networks Gimlet Media and Anchor FM Inc., to strengthen their presence in podcasting.
March 2019: Spotify Acquires Parcast
In March 2019, Spotify acquired Parcast.
March 2019: Spotify Files Antitrust Complaint Against Apple
On 13 March 2019, Spotify filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission over unfair app store practices. Apple responded, and Spotify called Apple a monopolist, stating that Apple's actions hurt competition and consumers and clearly violated the law. It also said that Apple believed Spotify users on the app store were Apple's customers and not Spotify's.
March 2019: Acquisition of Parcast
On 26 March 2019, Spotify announced they would acquire another podcast network, Parcast.
May 2019: Spotify Announced "Car Thing"
In May 2019, Spotify announced the development of 'Car Thing', a voice-activated music-streaming gadget for cars, marking its first venture into hardware devices.
June 2019: "Your Daily Drive" playlist launched
In June 2019, Spotify launched a custom playlist titled "Your Daily Drive" which mimics traditional radio by combining news updates with a mix of a user's favorite songs and new discoveries.
June 2019: Stations by Spotify made available in the US
In June 2019, the standalone Stations by Spotify app became available to all iOS and Android users in the United States.
July 2019: Direct Upload Program Deprecated
On July 1, 2019, Spotify deprecated the "Upload Beta" program and announced plans to stop accepting direct uploads and eventually remove all content uploaded in this manner.
September 2019: Acquisition of SoundBetter
On 12 September 2019, Spotify acquired SoundBetter, a music production marketplace to facilitate collaboration and music licensing.
November 2019: Acquisition of The Last Podcast on the Left Rights
On 19 November 2019, Spotify announced the acquisition of the exclusive rights to The Last Podcast on the Left.
2019: RapCaviar followers milestone
In 2019, RapCaviar had 10.9 million followers, establishing it as one of Spotify's Top 5 playlists.
February 2020: Spotify Acquires The Ringer
In February 2020, Spotify announced it was acquiring The Ringer, and inheriting the previously established union.
February 2020: Songwriter Pages and Playlists Featured
In February 2020, Spotify announced it would be featuring new songwriter pages and 'written by' playlists to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at songwriters.
April 2020: Premium Users Reached 133 Million
In April 2020, Spotify reached 133 million premium users.
May 2020: Song limit removed
Before May 2020, all service users were limited to 10,000 songs in their library, Spotify later removed this limit.
May 2020: Group Session feature introduced
In May 2020, Spotify introduced the Group Session feature, allowing Premium users in the same location to share control over the music being played.
May 2020: Spotify Teams Up with ESPN and Netflix
In May 2020, Spotify teamed up with ESPN and Netflix to curate podcasts around their Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance.
May 2020: Exclusive Rights to The Joe Rogan Experience
On 19 May 2020, Spotify acquired exclusive rights to stream The Joe Rogan Experience, valued at approximately US$100 million, starting in September.
July 2020: Premium Duo Launched
In July 2020, Spotify launched Premium Duo, a subscription tier aimed at couples, allowing up to 2 people living at the same address to share a subscription.
July 2020: Database Leak Discovered
On 3 July 2020, VPNMentor discovered a database containing 380 million individual records, including Spotify user logins and passwords, indicating a potential credential stuffing attack.
September 2020: Spotify co-founds The Coalition for App Fairness
In September 2020, Spotify, Epic, and other companies founded The Coalition for App Fairness, which aims for better conditions for the inclusion of apps in app stores.
November 2020: Acquisition of Megaphone
In November 2020, Spotify announced its plan to acquire Megaphone from The Slate Group for US$235 million.
November 2020: Password Reset
In response to a credential stuffing attack, Spotify initiated a rolling reset of passwords for affected accounts in November 2020.
2020: Harry Potter Series Released
In 2020, Spotify partnered with Wizarding World to release a series of recorded readings of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by various stars of the franchise.
2020: Q1 and Q2 Revenue and Losses
In 2020, Spotify's revenue for Q1 amounted to €1.85 billion, while the company reported a loss of €356 million during Q2.
2020: Artist Earnings on Spotify
In 2020, approximately 0.19% of artists on Spotify generated $50,000 or more in payments.
2020: FCC Filings Reveal Car Thing Design
In early 2020, filings to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) included images of the Car Thing device, showcasing a design resembling a miniature infotainment screen.
January 2021: Audiobooks Made Available
In January 2021, Spotify made a selection of audiobooks available on the platform to develop a greater breadth of content for users.
February 2021: HiFi Subscription Announced
In February 2021, Spotify announced plans to introduce a HiFi subscription, offering lossless sound quality, though the rollout has not yet been announced.
March 2021: Daniel Ek Discussed Artist-Friendly Solution
In March 2021, Daniel Ek discussed Spotify's vision as an "artist-friendly streaming solution" that licenses content and supports artists as people listen to their music.
March 2021: Acquisition of Betty Labs
In March 2021, Spotify acquired app developer Betty Labs and their live social audio app, Locker Room.
March 2021: Spotify Hi-Fi announced
In March 2021, Spotify announced an upcoming option for higher-resolution sound, Spotify Hi-Fi.
March 2021: UnionOfMusicians (UMAW) Organized Protests
In March 2021, the UnionOfMusicians (UMAW) organized protests in 31 cities, demanding more transparency and a compensation of one cent per stream under the campaign #JusticeAtSpotify.
March 2021: Spotify Confirms Removal of Music from Kakao Entertainment Artists
On 1 March 2021, Spotify confirmed that its platform would no longer have access to music from artists represented by Kakao Entertainment.
April 2021: Spotify Rolled Out Voice Assistant
In April 2021, Spotify introduced its voice assistant, activated by the phrase "Hey Spotify," enabling users to control music and playlists hands-free.
April 2021: Gimlet Media and Ringer Ratify First Collective Agreement
In April 2021, writers and producers ratified their first collective agreement with Gimlet Media and Ringer.
May 2021: Armchair Expert Exclusive to Spotify
On 12 May 2021, Armchair Expert announced that the podcast would be available exclusively on Spotify starting 1 July.
June 2021: Locker Room Rebranded as Spotify Greenroom and Podz Acquired
In June 2021, Locker Room was rebranded as Spotify Greenroom and Spotify acquired Podz, a podcast discovery startup. Spotify also bought the exclusive rights to the Call Her Daddy podcast.
July 2021: "What's New" feed launched
In July 2021, Spotify launched the "What's New" feed, a section collecting new releases and episodes from artists and podcasts that the user follows.
August 2021: Spotify Plus Test Subscription
In August 2021, Spotify launched a test subscription tier called Spotify Plus for $0.99. It combines features of free and premium tiers, with ads but offering on-demand playback. The company stated that the tier conditions may change before full launch.
November 2021: Acquisition of Findaway
In November 2021, Spotify acquired audiobook company Findaway, including its publishing imprint OrangeSky Audio.
November 2021: Spotify Hides Shuffle Button for Albums
In November 2021, Spotify hid the "shuffle" button for albums following a request by singer Adele, arguing that tracks in albums are supposed to be played back in the order specified by the artist to "tell a story".
November 2021: City and Local Pulse charts launched
In November 2021, Spotify launched the City and Local Pulse charts, representing the songs listened to in major cities around the world.
November 2021: "Behind the Lyrics" replaced with real-time lyrics
As of November 2021, the "Behind the Lyrics" feature has been replaced with auto-generated real-time lyrics due to consumer demand, powered by Musixmatch.
December 2021: Acquisition of Whooshkaa
In December 2021, Spotify acquired Whooshkaa, a podcast tech company that develops technology for radio broadcasters to convert audio content into on-demand podcasts.
2021: Spotify Reportedly Filled Playlists With Stock Music
From approximately 2021 onward, Spotify began filling its playlists with stock music attributed to lesser-known musicians in an effort to reduce royalty payouts.
January 2022: Scientists Expressed Concern Over Misinformation
In January 2022, 270 scientists, physicians, and healthcare workers addressed an open letter to Spotify expressing concerns about COVID-19 misinformation on The Joe Rogan Experience. Artists like Neil Young removed their music in protest, leading Spotify to promise content advisories.
February 2022: Spotify Acquires Chartable and Podsights
In February 2022, Spotify acquired Chartable and Podsights, both podcast advertising companies.
March 2022: Premium Subscribers Reach 182 Million
In March 2022, Spotify's premium subscribers reached 182 million.
May 2022: Spotify Partners with Roblox
In May 2022, Spotify announced a partnership with Roblox, launching "Spotify Island" and becoming the first streaming brand to have a presence within the game.
May 2022: Stations by Spotify shutdown
In May 2022, Spotify announced that the Stations by Spotify app would be shut down. Users were instructed to transfer their stations into the main Spotify app.
May 2022: Spotify Tests NFT Promotion Feature
In May 2022, Spotify began testing a feature that would allow select artists to promote their NFTs via their profiles, initially on the Android app in the US, including artists like Steve Aoki and the Wombats.
June 2022: Spotify Acquires Sonantic
In June 2022, Spotify acquired Sonantic, a synthetic voice and video developer.
July 2022: Spotify Acquires Heardle
In July 2022, Spotify acquired Heardle, a Wordle-inspired music trivia game, for an undisclosed amount.
July 2022: Spotify Discontinued "Car Thing"
In July 2022, Spotify discontinued its 'Car Thing' device.
August 2022: Spotify Subscription Tiers
As of August 2022, Spotify has two subscription tiers.
October 2022: Spotify Acquires Kinzen
In October 2022, Spotify acquired Kinzen, a Dublin-based content moderation startup.
November 2022: Spotify Engineer Sets Up Internal Slack Channel
In November 2022, Henry Catalini Smith, a Spotify engineer in Malmö, set up the channel #kollektivavtal in the internal company Slack, which means "collective agreement" in Swedish.
December 2022: Spotify Market Availability
As of December 2022, Spotify is available in 184 markets across Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania.
2022: Investigation Uncovered Royalty Reduction Practices
In 2022, an investigation by Dagens Nyheter revealed that a small group of songwriters were behind the work of numerous "artists" with tracks streamed millions of times on Spotify, as part of efforts to reduce royalty payments. Harper's Magazine discovered Spotify's partnerships with production companies and use of Perfect Fit Content (PFC) to manipulate royalty payments.
February 2023: Spotify GmbH Employees Establish Electoral Board
In February 2023, Spotify GmbH employees in Berlin established an electoral board, which prepared the election for the works council in April.
March 2023: Spotify Partners with Patreon
In March 2023, Spotify announced a partnership with Patreon, aiming to expand creators' businesses through fan payments and allow fans to listen to Patreon content on Spotify.
March 2023: Discovery Mode launched
In March 2023, Spotify launched Discovery Mode, which allows artists who meet certain criteria and have a Spotify For Artists account to submit qualifying songs for Spotify's in-house promotion services.
April 2023: Spotify Live Planned Shutdown
In April 2023, plans were made to shut down Spotify Live, formerly known as Spotify Greenroom.
May 2023: Spotify Removes Songs Due to Artificial Streaming
In May 2023, Spotify removed tens of thousands of songs, roughly 7% of the tracks uploaded by Boomy, due to suspected "artificial streaming".
May 2023: Heardle Shut Down
In May 2023, Spotify shut down Heardle, the music trivia game it had acquired the previous year.
August 2023: Spotify Ends Joint-Negotiations with Trade Unions
In August 2023, Spotify AB ended joint-negotiations with the three trade unions Unionen and Engineers of Sweden (affiliate of SACO).
September 2023: Daylist introduced
In September 2023, Spotify introduced Daylist, a new type of playlist that adapts to the user's mood throughout the day.
November 2023: New Royalty Model Announced
In November 2023, Spotify announced a new royalty model set to take effect in 2024, designed to reduce fraudulent royalties from short, non-music tracks.
November 2023: Expanded Free Access to Audiobooks
In November 2023, Spotify expanded free access to 200,000 audiobooks for Spotify Premium subscribers.
December 2023: Spotify Website Ranking
As of December 2023, Spotify ranks as the 47th most-visited website globally, with a significant portion of its traffic originating from the United States (24.78%) and Brazil (6.51%).
2023: Value Equivalent Update
In 2023, $100 million in 2011 was equivalent to $133,700,000, $100 million in 2012 was equivalent to $131,200,000, $3 billion in 2012 was equivalent to $3,937,000,000, $400 million in 2015 was equivalent to $502,800,000, $8.4 billion in 2015 was equivalent to $10,558,000,000, $526 million in 2015 was equivalent to $661,100,000, $8.53 billion in 2015 was equivalent to $10,721,000,000, $500 million in 2016 was equivalent to $622,500,000, and $1 billion in 2016 was equivalent to $1,245,000,000.
2023: Spotify Announced Leaving Uruguay, then Reversed Decision
In 2023, Spotify initially announced its departure from Uruguay due to a copyright law, but reversed the decision a few weeks later.
2023: Joe Rogan Deal Value Update
In 2023, the value of the agreement to stream the Joe Rogan Experience was updated to $116,000,000.
March 2024: Writers Guild Ratifies Agreement with Spotify Studios
In March 2024, the Writers Guild of America, East ratified a collective agreement with Ringer and Spotify Studios. This agreement included increased minimum base salaries, protections for migrant employees, and safeguards against the use of AI to create "digital replicas" of their voices.
April 2024: Audiobook Access Expanded to More Countries
In April 2024, Spotify expanded access to audiobooks from the US, UK and Australia to include Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, and also expanded its book catalog to 250,000 books.
May 2024: Spotify Announced End of Support for Car Thing
In May 2024, Spotify announced that its Car Thing hardware would stop working on December 9, 2024.
November 2024: Spotify for Podcasters Rebrands to Spotify for Creators
In November 2024, Spotify for Podcasters was rebranded to Spotify for Creators.
December 2024: Harper's Magazine Report on "Ghost Artists"
In December 2024, Harper’s Magazine released a report alleging that Spotify was padding out playlists with ghost artists created by production companies in order to minimise royalty costs and increase profits.
December 2024: Car Thing Hardware Stopped Working
On December 9, 2024, Spotify's Car Thing hardware fully stopped working.
December 2024: Spotify User Base Milestone
As of December 2024, Spotify's user base has grown to over 675 million monthly active users, including 263 million paying subscribers, solidifying its position as a leading music streaming service.
2024: Subscriber and User Growth
At the end of Q3 2024, Spotify reported 252 million subscribers and 640 million monthly active users.
2024: Audiobook Integration and Royalty Rate Changes
By 2024, Spotify added 15 hours of audiobook listening to its premium tier and started a new royalty rate to songwriters, which is estimated to reduce songwriter and publisher earnings.
2024: New Royalty Model Implementation
In 2024, Spotify's new royalty model took effect, setting new rules around track eligibility and distributor accountability to combat fraudulent royalties.
2024: Spotify Changed API Ahead of Spotify Wrapped
In 2024, ahead of Spotify Wrapped, Spotify modified its API, rendering modded versions of the client non-functional.
