<s>
Spotify	B-Application
(	O
;	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
Swedish	O
audio	O
streaming	O
and	O
media	O
services	O
provider	O
founded	O
on	O
23	O
April	O
2006	O
by	O
Daniel	O
Ek	O
and	O
Martin	O
Lorentzon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
is	O
listed	O
(	O
through	O
a	O
Luxembourg	O
City-domiciled	O
holding	O
company	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
Technology	I-Application
S.A.	I-Application
)	O
on	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Stock	O
Exchange	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
American	O
depositary	O
receipts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
offers	O
digital	O
copyright	O
restricted	O
recorded	O
audio	O
content	O
,	O
including	O
more	O
than	O
100	O
million	O
songs	O
and	O
five	O
million	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
from	O
record	O
labels	O
and	O
media	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
search	O
for	O
music	O
based	O
on	O
artist	B-Application
,	O
album	O
,	O
or	O
genre	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
create	O
,	O
edit	O
,	O
and	O
share	O
playlists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
is	O
available	O
in	O
most	O
of	O
Europe	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Africa	O
,	O
the	O
Americas	O
,	O
Asia	O
,	O
and	O
Oceania	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
total	O
availability	O
in	O
184	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
service	O
is	O
available	O
on	O
most	O
devices	O
,	O
including	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
computers	O
,	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
smartphones	O
and	O
tablets	O
,	O
smart	O
home	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Amazon	B-Device
Echo	I-Device
and	O
Google	B-Application
Nest	I-Application
lines	O
of	O
products	O
,	O
and	O
digital	B-Application
media	I-Application
players	I-Application
like	O
Roku	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
physical	O
or	O
download	O
sales	O
,	O
which	O
pay	O
artists	O
a	O
fixed	O
price	O
per	O
song	O
or	O
album	O
sold	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
pays	O
royalties	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
artist	B-Application
streams	O
as	O
a	O
proportion	O
of	O
total	O
songs	O
streamed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2006	O
in	O
Stockholm	O
,	O
Sweden	O
,	O
by	O
Daniel	O
Ek	O
,	O
former	O
CTO	O
of	O
Stardoll	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Martin	O
Lorentzon	O
,	O
co-founder	O
of	O
Tradedoubler	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
opened	O
public	O
registration	O
for	O
the	O
free	O
service	O
tier	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Registrations	O
surged	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
mobile	O
service	O
,	O
leading	O
Spotify	B-Application
to	O
halt	O
registration	O
for	O
the	O
free	O
service	O
in	O
September	O
,	O
returning	O
the	O
UK	O
to	O
an	O
invitation-only	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
in	O
July	O
2011	O
,	O
and	O
offered	O
a	O
six-month	O
,	O
ad-supported	O
trial	O
period	O
,	O
during	O
which	O
new	O
users	O
could	O
listen	O
to	O
an	O
unlimited	O
amount	O
of	O
music	O
for	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
in	O
March	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
removed	O
all	O
limits	O
on	O
the	O
free	O
service	O
tier	O
indefinitely	O
,	O
including	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
Ek	O
and	O
Lorentzon	O
wrote	O
an	O
open	O
letter	O
to	O
Swedish	O
politicians	O
,	O
demanding	O
action	O
in	O
three	O
areas	O
that	O
they	O
claimed	O
hindered	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
recruit	O
top	O
talent	O
as	O
Spotify	B-Application
grows	O
,	O
including	O
access	O
to	O
flexible	O
housing	O
,	O
better	O
education	O
in	O
the	O
programming	O
and	O
development	O
fields	O
,	O
and	O
stock	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ek	O
and	O
Lorentzon	O
wrote	O
that	O
to	O
continue	O
competing	O
in	O
a	O
global	O
economy	O
,	O
politicians	O
needed	O
to	O
respond	O
with	O
new	O
policies	O
,	O
or	O
else	O
thousands	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
jobs	O
would	O
be	O
moved	O
from	O
Sweden	O
to	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
expansion	O
of	O
its	O
United	O
States	O
operations	O
in	O
Lower	O
Manhattan	O
,	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
,	O
at	O
4	O
World	O
Trade	O
Center	O
,	O
adding	O
approximately	O
1,000	O
new	O
jobs	O
and	O
retaining	O
832	O
existing	O
positions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
month	O
later	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
"	O
Lean	O
On	O
"	O
by	O
Major	O
Lazer	O
and	O
DJ	O
Snake	O
featuring	O
MØ	O
was	O
its	O
most-streamed	O
song	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
with	O
over	O
525	O
million	O
streams	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
Rihanna	O
overtook	O
Justin	O
Bieber	O
to	O
become	O
the	O
biggest	O
artist	B-Application
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
with	O
31.3	O
million	O
monthly	O
active	O
listeners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
Drake	O
's	O
song	O
"	O
One	O
Dance	O
"	O
became	O
the	O
first	O
song	O
to	O
hit	O
one	O
billion	O
streams	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2011	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
customer	O
base	O
of	O
1	O
million	O
paying	O
subscribers	O
across	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
September	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
paying	O
subscribers	O
had	O
doubled	O
to	O
two	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2012	O
,	O
Time	O
reported	O
15	O
million	O
active	O
users	O
,	O
four	O
million	O
being	O
paying	O
Spotify	B-Application
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
reached	O
133	O
million	O
premium	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
countries	O
affected	O
by	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
registered	O
a	O
fall	O
in	O
users	O
in	O
late	O
February	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
has	O
seen	O
a	O
recovery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
had	O
182	O
million	O
premium	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
Q2	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
reported	O
188	O
million	O
paying	O
subscribers	O
and	O
433	O
million	O
total	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Financial	O
Times	O
reported	O
in	O
March	O
2017	O
that	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
efforts	O
to	O
renegotiate	O
new	O
licensing	O
deals	O
with	O
music	O
labels	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
and	O
major	O
record	O
labels	O
had	O
agreed	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
would	O
restrict	O
some	O
newly	O
released	O
albums	O
to	O
its	O
Premium	O
tier	O
,	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
receiving	O
a	O
reduction	O
in	O
royalty	O
fees	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
deal	O
"	O
may	O
be	O
months	O
away	O
from	O
being	O
finalized	O
,	O
but	O
Spotify	B-Application
is	O
said	O
to	O
have	O
cleared	O
this	O
particular	O
clause	O
with	O
major	O
record	O
labels	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
reports	O
in	O
April	O
confirmed	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
and	O
Universal	O
Music	O
Group	O
had	O
reached	O
an	O
agreement	O
to	O
allow	O
artists	O
part	O
of	O
Universal	O
to	O
limit	O
their	O
new	O
album	O
releases	O
to	O
the	O
Premium	O
service	O
tier	O
for	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
two	O
weeks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
CEO	O
Daniel	O
Ek	O
commented	O
that	O
"	O
We	O
know	O
that	O
not	O
every	O
album	O
by	O
every	O
artist	B-Application
should	O
be	O
released	O
the	O
same	O
way	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
've	O
worked	O
hard	O
with	O
UMG	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
new	O
,	O
flexible	O
release	O
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
today	O
,	O
Universal	O
artists	O
can	O
choose	O
to	O
release	O
new	O
albums	O
on	O
premium	O
only	O
for	O
two	O
weeks	O
,	O
offering	O
subscribers	O
an	O
earlier	O
chance	O
to	O
explore	O
the	O
complete	O
creative	O
work	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
singles	O
are	O
available	O
across	O
Spotify	B-Application
for	O
all	O
our	O
listeners	O
to	O
enjoy	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
went	O
public	O
on	O
the	O
stock	O
market	O
in	O
April	O
2018	O
using	O
a	O
direct	O
public	O
offering	O
rather	O
than	O
an	O
initial	O
public	O
offering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
making	O
its	O
debut	O
on	O
the	O
New	O
York	O
Stock	O
Exchange	O
on	O
3	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
CNBC	O
reported	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
opened	O
at	O
$165.90	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
25%	O
above	O
its	O
reference	O
price	O
of	O
$132	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
3	O
July	O
2020	O
,	O
cybersecurity	O
firm	O
VPNMentor	O
discovered	O
a	O
database	O
containing	O
380	O
million	O
individual	O
records	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
logins	O
and	O
passwords	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
database	O
was	O
thought	O
to	O
be	O
evidence	O
of	O
an	O
impending	O
credential	O
stuffing	O
cyberattack	O
targeting	O
Spotify	B-Application
as	O
it	O
contained	O
the	O
credentials	O
of	O
up	O
to	O
350,000	O
compromised	O
user	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
attack	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
issued	O
a	O
rolling	O
reset	O
of	O
passwords	O
for	O
affected	O
accounts	O
in	O
November	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
music	O
discovery	O
app	O
Tunigo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
they	O
acquired	O
The	O
Echo	O
Nest	B-Application
,	O
a	O
music	O
intelligence	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
they	O
had	O
acquired	O
Seed	O
Scientific	O
,	O
a	O
data	O
science	O
consulting	O
firm	O
and	O
analytics	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
comment	O
to	O
TechCrunch	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
said	O
that	O
Seed	O
Scientific	O
's	O
team	O
would	O
lead	O
an	O
advanced	O
analytics	O
unit	O
within	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
focused	O
on	O
developing	O
data	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Preact	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
cloud-based	O
platform	O
and	O
service	O
developed	O
for	O
companies	O
that	O
operate	O
on	O
subscription	O
models	O
which	O
helps	O
reduce	O
churn	O
and	O
build	O
up	O
their	O
subscriber	O
numbers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Sonalytic	O
,	O
an	O
audio	O
detection	O
startup	O
,	O
for	O
an	O
undisclosed	O
amount	O
of	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
Sonalytic	O
would	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
personalized	O
playlists	O
,	O
better	O
match	O
songs	O
with	O
compositions	O
,	O
and	O
improve	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
publishing	O
data	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
month	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
also	O
acquired	O
MightyTV	O
,	O
an	O
app	O
connected	O
to	O
television	O
streaming	O
services	O
,	O
including	O
Netflix	O
and	O
HBO	O
Go	O
,	O
that	O
recommends	O
content	O
to	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
intended	O
to	O
use	O
MightyTV	O
to	O
improve	O
its	O
advertising	O
efforts	O
on	O
the	O
free	O
tier	O
of	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
they	O
acquired	O
Mediachain	O
,	O
a	O
blockchain	B-Application
startup	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
developing	O
a	O
decentralized	B-Operating_System
database	I-Operating_System
system	O
for	O
managing	O
attribution	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
metadata	O
for	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
followed	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
with	O
the	O
acquisition	O
of	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
startup	O
Niland	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
technology	O
to	O
improve	O
personalisation	O
and	O
recommendation	O
features	O
for	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Soundtrap	B-Device
,	O
an	O
online	O
music	O
studio	O
startup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
12	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
the	O
music	O
licensing	O
platform	O
Loudr	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
bought	O
the	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
The	O
Joe	O
Budden	O
Podcast	B-Operating_System
and	O
expanded	O
the	O
show	O
to	O
a	O
twice-weekly	O
schedule	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
6	O
February	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
the	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
networks	O
Gimlet	O
Media	O
and	O
Anchor	O
FM	O
Inc.	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
goal	O
of	O
establishing	O
themselves	O
as	O
a	O
leading	O
figure	O
in	O
podcasting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
they	O
would	O
acquire	O
another	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
network	O
,	O
Parcast	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
12	O
September	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
SoundBetter	O
,	O
a	O
music	O
production	O
marketplace	O
for	O
people	O
in	O
the	O
music	O
industry	O
to	O
collaborate	O
on	O
projects	O
,	O
and	O
distribute	O
music	O
tracks	O
for	O
licensing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
November	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
acquisition	O
of	O
the	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
The	O
Last	O
Podcast	B-Operating_System
on	O
the	O
Left	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
its	O
intent	O
to	O
acquire	O
Bill	O
Simmons	O
 '	O
sports	O
and	O
pop	O
culture	O
blog	O
and	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
network	O
The	O
Ringer	O
for	O
an	O
undisclosed	O
amount	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
stream	O
the	O
popular	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
The	O
Joe	O
Rogan	O
Experience	O
beginning	O
in	O
September	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
under	O
an	O
agreement	O
valued	O
at	O
around	O
US$100	O
million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
acquire	O
Megaphone	O
from	O
The	O
Slate	O
Group	O
for	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
app	O
developer	O
Betty	O
Labs	O
and	O
their	O
live	O
social	O
audio	O
app	O
,	O
Locker	O
Room	O
,	O
On	O
12	O
May	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Armchair	O
Expert	O
announced	O
on	O
Instagram	B-Application
that	O
the	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
available	O
exclusively	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
beginning	O
1	O
July	O
,	O
saying	O
they	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
maintain	O
the	O
same	O
creative	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
show	O
after	O
the	O
move	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Locker	O
Room	O
was	O
rebranded	O
in	O
June	O
2021	O
as	O
Spotify	B-Application
Greenroom	I-Application
,	O
and	O
turned	O
into	O
a	O
Clubhouse	B-Application
competitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Podz	O
,	O
a	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
discovery	O
startup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
the	O
same	O
month	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
bought	O
the	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
Call	O
Her	O
Daddy	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
audiobook	O
company	O
Findaway	O
,	O
including	O
its	O
publishing	O
imprint	O
OrangeSky	B-Application
Audio	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Whooshkaa	O
,	O
a	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
tech	O
company	O
that	O
develops	O
specialized	O
technology	O
that	O
allows	O
radio	O
broadcasters	O
to	O
easily	O
turn	O
their	O
existing	O
audio	O
content	O
into	O
on-demand	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
programming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Chartable	O
and	O
Podsights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
are	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
advertising	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
Greenroom	I-Application
rebranded	O
as	O
Spotify	B-Application
Live	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
subsequently	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
April	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Sonantic	O
,	O
a	O
synthetic	O
voice	O
and	O
video	O
developer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
Heardle	O
,	O
a	O
Wordle-inspired	O
music	O
trivia	O
game	O
,	O
for	O
an	O
undisclosed	O
amount	O
;	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
scheduled	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
in	O
May	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
acquired	O
the	O
Dublin-based	O
content	O
moderation	O
startup	O
,	O
Kinzen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2023	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
merged	O
Anchor	O
into	O
their	O
Spotify	B-Application
for	O
Podcasters	O
tool	O
,	O
a	O
rebranding	O
move	O
and	O
to	O
organize	O
its	O
tools	O
for	O
creating	O
,	O
managing	O
,	O
growing	O
,	O
and	O
monetizing	O
their	O
content	O
in	O
one	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2015	O
,	O
Sony	O
announced	O
PlayStation	O
Music	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
music	O
service	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
as	O
its	O
exclusive	O
partner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	O
Music	O
incorporates	O
the	O
Spotify	B-Application
service	O
into	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
gaming	O
consoles	O
,	O
and	O
Sony	B-Device
Xperia	I-Device
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
the	O
South	O
by	O
Southwest	O
(	O
SXSW	O
)	O
conference	O
for	O
2017	O
,	O
presenting	O
specific	O
content	O
in	O
special	O
playlists	O
through	O
an	O
SXSW	O
hub	O
in	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
integration	O
also	O
enabled	O
Spotify	B-Application
within	O
the	O
SXSW	O
GO	O
app	O
to	O
help	O
users	O
discover	O
and	O
explore	O
artists	O
performing	O
at	O
the	O
conference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
more	O
partnerships	O
were	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
;	O
one	O
with	O
WNYC	O
Studios	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
with	O
Waze	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WNYC	O
Studios	O
partnership	O
brought	O
various	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
from	O
WNYC	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
including	O
Note	O
To	O
Self	O
,	O
On	O
the	O
Media	O
and	O
Here	O
's	O
the	O
Thing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
also	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
third	O
season	O
of	O
WNYC	O
Studios	O
 '	O
2	O
Dope	O
Queens	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
would	O
premiere	O
with	O
a	O
two-week	O
exclusivity	O
period	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
on	O
21	O
March	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Waze	B-Application
partnership	O
allows	O
Waze	B-Application
app	O
users	O
to	O
view	O
directions	O
to	O
destinations	O
within	O
the	O
Spotify	B-Application
app	O
and	O
access	O
their	O
Spotify	B-Application
playlists	O
through	O
the	O
Waze	B-Application
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
ending	O
its	O
Groove	B-Application
Music	I-Application
streaming	O
service	O
by	O
December	O
,	O
with	O
all	O
music	O
from	O
users	O
transferring	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
partnership	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
and	O
Tencent	O
's	O
music	O
arm	O
,	O
Tencent	O
Music	O
Entertainment	O
(	O
TME	O
)	O
,	O
agreed	O
to	O
swap	O
stakes	O
and	O
make	O
an	O
investment	O
in	O
each	O
other	O
's	O
music	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
this	O
transaction	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
gained	O
a	O
9%	O
stake	O
in	O
TME	O
with	O
TME	O
gaining	O
a	O
7.5	O
%	O
stake	O
in	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
integrated	O
with	O
the	O
gaming-oriented	O
voice	O
chat	O
service	O
Discord	B-Application
on	O
desktop	O
clients	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
display	O
their	O
currently	O
playing	O
song	O
as	O
a	O
rich	O
presence	O
on	O
their	O
profile	O
,	O
and	O
invite	O
other	O
users	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
Premium	I-Application
to	O
group	O
"	O
listening	O
parties	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
discounted	O
entertainment	O
bundle	O
with	O
video-on-demand	O
provider	O
Hulu	B-Application
,	O
which	O
included	O
discounted	O
rates	O
for	O
university	O
students	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
teamed	O
up	O
with	O
ESPN	O
and	O
Netflix	O
to	O
curate	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
around	O
their	O
Michael	B-Application
Jordan	I-Application
documentary	O
The	O
Last	O
Dance	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
September	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
signed	O
a	O
deal	O
with	O
Chernin	O
Entertainment	O
to	O
produce	O
movies	O
and	O
TV	O
shows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
and	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
and	O
DC	O
,	O
a	O
brand	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
under	O
Warner	O
Bros	O
.	O
Entertainment	O
signed	O
deals	O
to	O
create	O
audio	O
shows	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
around	O
characters	O
such	O
as	O
Catwoman	O
,	O
Wonder	O
Woman	O
,	O
the	O
Riddler	O
,	O
Batgirl	O
,	O
Superman	O
and	O
Lois	O
Lane	O
,	O
among	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
became	O
the	O
official	O
streaming	O
partner	O
of	O
FC	O
Barcelona	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
the	O
online	O
game	O
platform	O
and	O
game	O
creation	O
system	O
the	O
Roblox	O
Corporation	O
,	O
the	O
partnership	O
saw	O
Spotify	B-Application
as	O
the	O
first	O
streaming	O
brand	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
presence	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
Island	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2023	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
partnership	O
with	O
Patreon	O
,	O
which	O
Spotify	B-Application
claimed	O
would	O
"	O
enable	O
creators	O
to	O
expand	O
their	O
creative	O
business	O
through	O
direct	O
payments	O
from	O
fans	O
,	O
and	O
allow	O
fans	O
to	O
listen	O
to	O
their	O
Patreon	O
content	O
on	O
Spotify.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
an	O
email	O
campaign	O
to	O
urge	O
its	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
subscribers	O
to	O
cancel	O
their	O
subscriptions	O
and	O
start	O
new	O
ones	O
through	O
its	O
website	O
,	O
bypassing	O
the	O
30%	O
transaction	O
fee	O
for	O
in-app	O
purchases	O
required	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
applications	I-Application
by	O
technology	O
company	O
Apple	O
Inc	O
.	O
A	O
later	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
Spotify	B-Application
app	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
was	O
rejected	O
by	O
Apple	O
,	O
prompting	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
general	O
counsel	O
Horacio	O
Gutierrez	O
to	O
write	O
a	O
letter	O
to	O
Apple	O
's	O
then-general	O
counsel	O
Bruce	O
Sewell	O
,	O
stating	O
:	O
"	O
This	O
latest	O
episode	O
raises	O
serious	O
concerns	O
under	O
both	O
U.S.	O
and	O
EU	O
competition	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
continues	O
a	O
troubling	O
pattern	O
of	O
behavior	O
by	O
Apple	O
to	O
exclude	O
and	O
diminish	O
the	O
competitiveness	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
on	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
as	O
a	O
rival	O
to	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
,	O
particularly	O
when	O
seen	O
against	O
the	O
backdrop	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
previous	O
anticompetitive	O
conduct	O
aimed	O
at	O
Spotify	B-Application
...	O
we	O
cannot	O
stand	O
by	O
as	O
Apple	O
uses	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
approval	O
process	O
as	O
a	O
weapon	O
to	O
harm	O
competitors.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
did	O
not	O
alter	O
our	O
behavior	O
or	O
our	O
rules	O
when	O
we	O
introduced	O
our	O
own	O
music	O
streaming	O
service	O
or	O
when	O
Spotify	B-Application
became	O
a	O
competitor	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
would	O
be	O
happy	O
to	O
facilitate	O
an	O
expeditious	O
review	O
and	O
approval	O
of	O
your	O
app	O
as	O
soon	O
as	O
you	O
provide	O
us	O
with	O
something	O
that	O
is	O
compliant	O
with	O
the	O
App	B-Application
Store	I-Application
's	O
rules	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
following	O
months	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
joined	O
several	O
other	O
companies	O
in	O
filing	O
a	O
letter	O
with	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
's	O
antitrust	O
body	O
indirectly	O
accusing	O
Apple	O
and	O
Google	B-Application
of	O
"	O
abusing	O
their	O
'	O
privileged	O
position	O
 '	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
market	O
"	O
,	O
by	O
referring	O
to	O
"	O
some	O
"	O
companies	O
as	O
having	O
"	O
transformed	O
into	O
'	O
gatekeepers	O
 '	O
rather	O
than	O
'	O
gateways	O
 '	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
released	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
its	O
Apple	B-Device
Watch	I-Device
app	O
in	O
November	O
2018	O
,	O
allowing	O
playback	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
iPhone	O
via	O
the	O
watch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
further	O
escalation	O
of	O
the	O
dispute	O
with	O
Apple	O
,	O
on	O
13	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
filed	O
an	O
antitrust	O
complaint	O
with	O
the	O
European	O
Commission	O
over	O
unfair	O
app	B-Application
store	I-Application
practices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
days	O
later	O
,	O
Apple	O
responded	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
claim	O
was	O
misleading	O
rhetoric	O
and	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
wanted	O
benefits	O
of	O
a	O
free	O
app	O
without	O
being	O
a	O
free	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
responded	O
with	O
a	O
statement	O
calling	O
Apple	O
a	O
monopolist	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
only	O
filed	O
the	O
complaint	O
as	O
Apple	O
's	O
actions	O
hurt	O
competition	O
and	O
consumers	O
and	O
clearly	O
violated	O
the	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
Apple	O
believed	O
Spotify	B-Application
users	O
on	O
the	O
app	B-Application
store	I-Application
were	O
Apple	O
's	O
customers	O
and	O
not	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
responded	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
claims	O
by	O
counter-claiming	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
market	O
reach	O
and	O
user	O
base	O
would	O
not	O
have	O
been	O
possible	O
without	O
the	O
Apple	B-Application
App	I-Application
Store	I-Application
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Apple	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
attempted	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
to	O
integrate	O
the	O
service	O
better	O
with	O
Apple	O
's	O
products	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Siri	B-Application
and	O
Apple	B-Device
Watch	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
under	O
iOS	B-Operating_System
13	I-Operating_System
,	O
it	O
became	O
possible	O
to	O
play	O
Spotify	B-Application
music	O
using	O
Siri	B-Application
commands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
companies	O
to	O
support	O
Epic	O
Games	O
in	O
their	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Apple	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
filed	O
after	O
Epic	O
also	O
tried	O
to	O
bypass	O
Apple	O
's	O
30%	O
fee	O
for	O
microtransactions	O
in	O
Fortnite	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
Epic	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
companies	O
founded	O
The	O
Coalition	O
for	O
App	O
Fairness	O
,	O
which	O
aims	O
for	O
better	O
conditions	O
for	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
apps	O
in	O
app	B-Application
stores	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
1	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
confirmed	O
that	O
its	O
platform	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
music	O
from	O
artists	O
represented	O
by	O
Kakao	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
after	O
talking	O
it	O
out	O
and	O
renewing	O
the	O
contracts	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
later	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
reached	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
Kakao	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
allowing	O
their	O
content	O
to	O
be	O
available	O
once	O
again	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
across	O
the	O
globe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
hid	O
the	O
"	O
shuffle	O
"	O
button	O
for	O
albums	O
following	O
a	O
request	O
by	O
singer	O
Adele	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
tracks	O
in	O
albums	O
are	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
back	O
in	O
the	O
order	O
specified	O
by	O
the	O
artist	B-Application
in	O
order	O
to	O
"	O
tell	O
a	O
story	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2022	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
began	O
testing	O
a	O
feature	O
that	O
would	O
allow	O
select	O
artists	O
to	O
promote	O
their	O
NFTs	O
via	O
their	O
profiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
testing	O
was	O
very	O
limited	O
in	O
nature	O
and	O
was	O
only	O
available	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
operates	O
under	O
a	O
freemium	O
business	O
model	O
(	O
basic	O
services	O
are	O
free	O
,	O
while	O
additional	O
features	O
are	O
offered	O
via	O
paid	O
subscriptions	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
generates	O
revenue	O
by	O
selling	O
premium	O
streaming	O
subscriptions	O
to	O
users	O
and	O
advertising	O
placements	O
to	O
third	O
parties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
launched	O
a	O
new	O
website	O
,	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
for	O
Artists	O
"	O
,	O
explaining	O
its	O
business	O
model	O
and	O
revenue	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
gets	O
its	O
content	O
from	O
major	O
record	O
labels	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
independent	O
artists	O
and	O
pays	O
copyright	O
holders	O
royalties	O
for	O
streaming	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
for	O
Artists	O
states	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
a	O
fixed	O
per-play	O
rate	O
;	O
instead	O
,	O
it	O
considers	O
factors	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
home	O
country	O
and	O
the	O
individual	O
artist	B-Application
's	O
royalty	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
offers	O
an	O
unlimited	O
subscription	O
package	O
,	O
close	O
to	O
the	O
Open	O
Music	O
Model	O
(	O
OMM	O
)	O
estimated	O
economic	O
equilibrium	O
for	O
the	O
recording	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
incorporation	O
of	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
limitation	O
diverges	O
from	O
the	O
OMM	O
and	O
competitors	O
such	O
as	O
iTunes	O
Store	O
and	O
Amazon	B-Application
Music	I-Application
that	O
have	O
dropped	O
DRM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
revealed	O
that	O
it	O
paid	O
artists	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
$0.007	O
per	O
stream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Ben	O
Sisario	O
of	O
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
,	O
approximately	O
13,000	O
out	O
of	O
seven	O
million	O
artists	O
(	O
0.19	O
%	O
)	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
generated	O
$	O
50,000	O
or	O
more	O
in	O
payments	O
in	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
August	O
2022	O
,	O
the	O
three	O
Spotify	B-Application
subscription	O
types	O
are	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2014	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
discounted	O
Premium	O
subscription	O
tier	O
for	O
students	O
in	O
which	O
students	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
enrolled	O
in	O
a	O
university	O
pay	O
half-price	O
for	O
a	O
Premium	O
subscription	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
Family	O
subscription	O
in	O
October	O
2014	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
up	O
to	O
5	O
family	O
members	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
premium	O
subscription	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Family	O
subscription	O
provides	O
access	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
Kids	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
was	O
opening	O
up	O
Spotify	B-Application
Connect	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
users	O
using	O
its	O
Free	O
service	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
these	O
changes	O
still	O
required	O
products	O
supporting	O
Spotify	B-Application
Connect	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
latest	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
added	O
another	O
tier	O
,	O
Premium	O
Duo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
their	O
plans	O
to	O
introduce	O
a	O
HiFi	O
subscription	O
,	O
to	O
offer	O
listening	O
in	O
high	O
fidelity	O
,	O
lossless	O
sound	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
test	O
subscription	O
tier	O
called	O
Spotify	B-Application
Plus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2010	O
,	O
Wired	O
reported	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
was	O
making	O
more	O
money	O
for	O
labels	O
in	O
Sweden	O
than	O
any	O
other	O
retailer	O
"	O
online	O
or	O
off	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
"	O
Sponsored	O
Playlists	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
monetisation	O
opportunity	O
in	O
which	O
brands	O
can	O
specify	O
the	O
audiences	O
they	O
have	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
matching	O
the	O
marketer	O
with	O
suitable	O
music	O
in	O
a	O
playlist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
September	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
paid	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
over	O
$5	O
billion	O
to	O
the	O
music	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
renegotiated	O
licenses	O
with	O
Universal	O
Music	O
Group	O
and	O
Merlin	O
Network	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
financial	O
filings	O
revealed	O
its	O
agreement	O
to	O
pay	O
more	O
than	O
$2	O
billion	O
in	O
minimum	O
payments	O
over	O
the	O
next	O
two	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
was	O
not	O
yet	O
a	O
profitable	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
revenue	O
for	O
Q1	O
2020	O
amounted	O
to	O
€1.85	O
billion	O
( $2	O
billion	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
large	O
part	O
of	O
this	O
sum	O
,	O
€1.7	O
billion	O
(	O
$1.84	O
billion	O
)	O
,	O
came	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
Premium	I-Application
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
subscriber	O
and	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
growth	O
,	O
during	O
Q2	O
of	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
reported	O
a	O
loss	O
of	O
€356	O
million	O
(	O
€1.91	O
per	O
share	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
received	O
a	O
small	O
investment	O
from	O
Founders	O
Fund	O
,	O
where	O
board	O
member	O
Sean	O
Parker	O
was	O
recruited	O
to	O
assist	O
Spotify	B-Application
in	O
"	O
winning	O
the	O
labels	O
over	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
largest	O
music	O
market	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2011	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
secured	O
$100	O
million	O
of	O
funding	O
and	O
planned	O
to	O
use	O
this	O
to	O
support	O
its	O
US	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
began	O
another	O
round	O
of	O
fundraising	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
report	O
from	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
stating	O
it	O
was	O
seeking	O
$400	O
million	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
value	O
the	O
company	O
at	O
$8.4	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
financing	O
was	O
closed	O
in	O
June	O
2015	O
,	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
raising	O
$526	O
million	O
,	O
at	O
a	O
value	O
of	O
$8.53	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
raised	O
another	O
$500	O
million	O
through	O
convertible	O
bonds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
raised	O
$1	O
billion	O
in	O
financing	O
by	O
debt	O
plus	O
a	O
discount	O
of	O
20%	O
on	O
shares	O
once	O
the	O
initial	O
public	O
offering	O
(	O
IPO	O
)	O
of	O
shares	O
takes	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2009	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
began	O
offering	O
music	O
downloads	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
France	O
,	O
and	O
Spain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
could	O
purchase	O
tracks	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
which	O
partnered	O
with	O
7digital	B-Application
to	O
incorporate	O
the	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
"	O
Fan	O
Insights	O
"	O
panel	O
in	O
limited	O
beta	O
form	O
,	O
letting	O
artists	O
and	O
managers	O
access	O
data	O
on	O
monthly	O
listeners	O
,	O
geographical	O
data	O
,	O
demographic	O
information	O
,	O
music	O
preferences	O
and	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
panel	O
was	O
upgraded	O
to	O
leave	O
beta	O
status	O
,	O
renamed	O
as	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
for	O
Artists	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
opened	O
to	O
all	O
artists	O
and	O
managers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
features	O
include	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
get	O
"	O
verified	O
"	O
status	O
with	O
a	O
blue	O
checkmark	O
on	O
an	O
artist	B-Application
's	O
profile	O
,	O
receiving	O
artist	B-Application
support	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
customising	O
the	O
profile	O
page	O
with	O
photos	O
and	O
promoting	O
a	O
certain	O
song	O
as	O
their	O
"	O
pick	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
"	O
Upload	O
Beta	O
"	O
,	O
allowing	O
artists	O
to	O
upload	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
instead	O
of	O
going	O
through	O
a	O
distributor	O
or	O
record	O
label	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
1	O
July	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
deprecated	O
the	O
program	O
and	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
stop	O
accepting	O
direct	O
uploads	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
that	O
month	O
and	O
eventually	O
remove	O
all	O
content	O
uploaded	O
in	O
this	O
manner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Variety	O
reported	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
would	O
announce	O
"	O
Secret	O
Genius	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
initiative	O
aimed	O
at	O
highlighting	O
songwriters	O
and	O
producers	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
effect	O
those	O
people	O
have	O
on	O
the	O
music	O
industry	O
and	O
the	O
artists	O
 '	O
careers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
feature	O
awards	O
,	O
"	O
Songshops	O
"	O
songwriting	O
workshops	O
,	O
curated	O
playlists	O
,	O
and	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
is	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
"	O
shine	O
a	O
light	O
on	O
these	O
people	O
behind	O
the	O
scenes	O
who	O
play	O
such	O
a	O
big	O
role	O
in	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
moments	O
of	O
our	O
lives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
hears	O
a	O
song	O
,	O
they	O
automatically	O
associate	O
it	O
with	O
the	O
artist	B-Application
who	O
sings	O
it	O
,	O
not	O
the	O
people	O
behind	O
the	O
scenes	O
who	O
make	O
it	O
happen	O
,	O
so	O
we	O
thought	O
the	O
title	O
Secret	O
Genius	O
was	O
appropriate	O
"	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
former	O
Global	O
Head	O
of	O
Creator	O
Services	O
Troy	O
Carter	O
told	O
Variety	O
the	O
first	O
awards	O
ceremony	O
would	O
take	O
place	O
in	O
late	O
2017	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
honour	O
"	O
the	O
top	O
songwriters	O
,	O
producers	O
and	O
publishers	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
up-and-coming	O
talent.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
"	O
Rise	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
program	O
aimed	O
at	O
promoting	O
emerging	O
artists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
featuring	O
new	O
songwriter	O
pages	O
and	O
'	O
written	O
by	O
 '	O
playlists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
thereafter	O
announced	O
it	O
was	O
planning	O
to	O
add	O
more	O
of	O
these	O
pages	O
and	O
playlists	O
to	O
highlight	O
songwriters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
made	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
audiobooks	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
as	O
a	O
test	O
of	O
developing	O
a	O
greater	O
breadth	O
of	O
content	O
for	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
addition	O
of	O
audiobooks	O
to	O
the	O
service	O
would	O
create	O
similar	O
offerings	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Amazon	O
's	O
Audible	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
partnered	O
with	O
Wizarding	O
World	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
recorded	O
readings	O
of	O
Harry	O
Potter	O
and	O
the	O
Philosopher	O
's	O
Stone	O
,	O
by	O
various	O
stars	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
31	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
started	O
testing	O
a	O
new	O
Pandora-styled	O
standalone	O
app	O
called	O
Stations	O
by	O
Spotify	B-Application
for	O
Australian	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
itself	O
has	O
two	O
channels	O
named	O
after	O
its	O
playlists	O
that	O
link	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
users	O
 '	O
profile	O
:	O
"	O
Release	O
Radar	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Discover	O
Weekly	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
standalone	O
app	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
all	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
users	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
since	O
4	O
June	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
app	O
would	O
be	O
shut	O
down	O
on	O
16	O
May	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
said	O
users	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
login	O
into	O
the	O
main	O
Spotify	B-Application
app	O
with	O
their	O
Stations	O
account	O
and	O
transfer	O
their	O
stations	O
into	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
has	O
client	O
software	O
currently	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
macOS	B-Application
,	O
Wear	B-Application
OS	I-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
watchOS	B-Device
,	O
iPadOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
Series	I-Device
X/S	I-Device
game	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
an	O
official	O
,	O
although	O
unsupported	O
Linux	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
also	O
offers	O
a	O
proprietary	B-Application
protocol	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
Connect	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
lets	O
users	O
listen	O
to	O
music	O
through	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
entertainment	O
systems	O
,	O
including	O
speakers	O
,	O
receivers	O
,	O
TVs	O
,	O
cars	O
,	O
and	O
smartwatches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
also	O
has	O
a	O
web	O
player	O
(	O
open.spotify.com	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Offline	O
Music	O
listening	O
is	O
possible	O
on	O
watchOS	B-Device
and	O
more	O
recently	O
added	O
to	O
google	B-Application
's	I-Application
WearOS	B-Application
for	O
those	O
with	O
premium	O
subscriptions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
became	O
available	O
as	O
an	O
app	O
through	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
apps	O
,	O
music	O
can	O
be	O
browsed	O
or	O
searched	O
for	O
via	O
various	O
parameters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
artist	B-Application
,	O
album	O
,	O
genre	O
,	O
playlist	O
,	O
or	O
record	O
label	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
provides	O
access	O
to	O
over	O
100	O
million	O
songs	O
,	O
5	O
million	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
4	O
billion	O
playlists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2011	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
Spotify	B-Application
Apps	O
service	O
that	O
made	O
it	O
possible	O
for	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
design	O
applications	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
hosted	O
within	O
the	O
Spotify	B-Application
computer	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2012	O
,	O
Soundrop	O
became	O
the	O
first	O
Spotify	B-Application
app	O
to	O
attract	O
major	O
funding	O
,	O
receiving	O
$3	O
million	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
investor	O
Northzone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
June	O
2014	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
Web	B-General_Concept
API	I-General_Concept
that	O
allowed	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
integrate	O
Spotify	B-Application
content	O
in	O
their	O
own	O
web	O
applications	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
discontinued	O
its	O
Spotify	B-Application
Apps	O
platform	O
in	O
October	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
its	O
new	O
development	O
tools	O
for	O
the	O
Spotify	B-Application
web	O
player	O
fulfilled	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
advantages	O
of	O
the	O
former	O
Spotify	B-Application
Apps	O
service	O
,	O
but	O
"	O
would	O
ensure	O
the	O
Spotify	B-Application
platform	O
remained	O
relevant	O
and	O
easy	O
to	O
develop	O
on	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
enabling	O
you	O
to	O
build	O
innovative	O
and	O
engaging	O
music	O
experiences	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
Play	O
Button	O
"	O
,	O
an	O
embeddable	O
music	O
player	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
blogs	O
,	O
websites	O
,	O
or	O
social	O
media	O
profiles	O
,	O
that	O
lets	O
visitors	O
listen	O
to	O
a	O
specific	O
song	O
,	O
playlist	O
,	O
or	O
album	O
without	O
leaving	O
the	O
page	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2012	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
"	O
Follow	O
"	O
tab	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
Discover	O
"	O
tab	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
"	O
Collection	O
"	O
section	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
features	O
were	O
announced	O
by	O
CEO	O
Daniel	O
Ek	O
at	O
a	O
press	O
conference	O
,	O
with	O
Ek	O
saying	O
that	O
a	O
common	O
user	O
complaint	O
about	O
the	O
service	O
was	O
that	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
is	O
great	O
when	O
you	O
know	O
what	O
music	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
listen	O
to	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
when	O
you	O
do	O
n't	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
Home	O
"	O
start-page	O
that	O
could	O
recommend	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
introduced	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
Running	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
aimed	O
at	O
improving	O
music	O
while	O
running	O
with	O
music	O
matched	O
to	O
running	O
tempo	O
,	O
and	O
announced	O
that	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
and	O
videos	O
(	O
"	O
entertainment	O
,	O
news	O
and	O
clips	O
"	O
)	O
would	O
be	O
coming	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
"	O
Spotify	B-Application
Originals	O
"	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
debuted	O
Spotify	B-Application
Wrapped	O
,	O
a	O
program	O
that	O
creates	O
playlists	O
based	O
on	O
each	O
user	O
's	O
most	O
listened-to	O
songs	O
from	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
and	O
music	O
annotation	O
service	O
Genius	O
formed	O
a	O
partnership	O
,	O
bringing	O
annotation	O
information	O
from	O
Genius	O
into	O
infocards	O
presented	O
while	O
songs	O
are	O
playing	O
in	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
functionality	O
is	O
limited	O
to	O
selected	O
playlists	O
and	O
was	O
only	O
available	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
iOS	B-Application
app	I-Application
at	O
launch	O
,	O
being	O
expanded	O
to	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
app	O
in	O
April	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
Spotify	B-Application
Codes	O
for	O
its	O
mobile	O
apps	O
,	O
a	O
way	O
for	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
specific	O
artists	O
,	O
tracks	O
,	O
playlists	O
or	O
albums	O
with	O
other	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
Car	O
View	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
devices	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
to	O
have	O
a	O
compact	O
Now	O
Playing	O
screen	O
when	O
the	O
device	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
car	O
's	O
Bluetooth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
January	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
beta-tested	O
its	O
Canvas	O
feature	O
,	O
where	O
artists	O
and/or	O
labels	O
can	O
upload	O
looping	O
3	O
to	O
8-second	O
moving	O
visuals	O
to	O
their	O
tracks	O
,	O
replacing	O
album	O
covers	O
in	O
the	O
"	O
Now	O
Playing	O
"	O
view	O
;	O
users	O
have	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
turn	O
off	O
this	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
an	O
upcoming	O
option	O
for	O
higher-resolution	O
sound	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
Hi-Fi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2015	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
Discover	O
Weekly	O
,	O
a	O
playlist	O
generated	O
weekly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
six	O
playlists	O
branded	O
as	O
Fresh	O
Finds	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
main	O
playlist	O
and	O
Fire	O
Emoji	O
,	O
Basement	O
,	O
Hiptronix	O
,	O
Six	O
Strings	O
,	O
and	O
Cyclone	O
(	O
hip-hop	O
,	O
electronic	O
,	O
pop	O
,	O
guitar-driven	O
,	O
and	O
experimental	O
music	O
respectively	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
playlists	O
spotlight	O
songs	O
by	O
lesser-known	O
musicians	B-Application
and	O
their	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
Release	O
Radar	O
,	O
a	O
personalized	O
playlist	O
that	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
stay	O
up-to-date	O
on	O
new	O
music	O
released	O
by	O
the	O
artists	O
they	O
listen	O
to	O
the	O
most	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RADAR	O
program	O
is	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
global	O
artist	B-Application
program	O
,	O
exclusively	O
designed	O
to	O
help	O
emerging	O
artists	O
worldwide	O
reach	O
the	O
next	O
stage	O
in	O
their	O
careers	O
and	O
strengthen	O
their	O
connection	O
to	O
listeners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
provides	O
artists	O
taking	O
part	O
in	O
RADAR	O
with	O
resources	O
and	O
access	O
to	O
integrated	O
marketing	O
opportunities	O
to	O
help	O
them	O
boost	O
their	O
careers	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
expanded	O
reach	O
and	O
exposure	O
to	O
178	O
markets	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
Daily	O
Mix	O
,	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
six	O
)	O
playlists	O
that	O
mixes	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
favorite	O
tracks	O
with	O
new	O
,	O
recommended	O
songs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
users	O
can	O
access	O
Daily	O
Mix	O
after	O
approximately	O
two	O
weeks	O
of	O
listening	O
to	O
music	O
through	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Daily	O
Mixes	O
were	O
only	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
mobile	I-Application
apps	I-Application
at	O
launch	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
feature	O
was	O
later	O
expanded	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
computer	O
app	O
in	O
December	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
RapCaviar	O
,	O
a	O
hip-hop	O
playlist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rap	O
Caviar	O
had	O
10.9	O
million	O
followers	O
by	O
2019	O
,	O
becoming	O
one	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
Top	O
5	O
playlists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
a	O
beta	O
feature	O
that	O
gives	O
artists	O
,	O
labels	O
,	O
and	O
teams	O
an	O
easy	O
way	O
to	O
submit	O
unreleased	O
music	O
directly	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
editorial	O
team	O
for	O
playlist	O
consideration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2019	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
a	O
custom	O
playlist	O
titled	O
"	O
Your	O
Daily	O
Drive	O
"	O
that	O
closely	O
replicates	O
the	O
drive	O
time	O
format	O
of	O
many	O
traditional	O
radio	O
stations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
combines	O
short-form	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
news	O
updates	O
from	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
,	O
NPR	O
,	O
and	O
PRI	O
with	O
a	O
mix	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
favorite	O
songs	O
and	O
artists	O
interspersed	O
with	O
tracks	O
the	O
listener	O
has	O
yet	O
to	O
discover	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
introduced	O
the	O
Group	O
Session	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
the	O
"	O
What	O
's	O
New	O
"	O
feed	O
,	O
a	O
section	O
that	O
collects	O
all	O
new	O
releases	O
and	O
episodes	O
from	O
artists	O
and	O
podcasts	B-Operating_System
that	O
the	O
user	O
follows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
feature	O
is	O
represented	O
by	O
a	O
bell	O
icon	O
on	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
main	O
page	O
and	O
is	O
available	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
launched	O
the	O
City	O
and	O
Local	O
Pulse	O
charts	O
,	O
aimed	O
at	O
representing	O
the	O
songs	O
listened	O
to	O
in	O
major	O
cities	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
charts	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
200	O
cities	O
with	O
the	O
most	O
listeners	O
on	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
has	O
experimented	O
with	O
different	O
limitations	O
to	O
users	O
 '	O
listening	O
on	O
the	O
Free	O
service	O
tier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
via	O
a	O
blog	O
post	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
drastically	O
cut	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
music	O
that	O
free	O
members	O
could	O
access	O
,	O
effective	O
1	O
May	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2013	O
,	O
CEO	O
Daniel	O
Ek	O
announced	O
that	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
smartphone	O
users	O
with	O
the	O
free	O
service	O
tier	O
could	O
listen	O
to	O
music	O
in	O
Shuffle	O
mode	O
,	O
a	O
feature	O
in	O
which	O
users	O
can	O
stream	O
music	O
by	O
specific	O
artists	O
and	O
playlists	O
without	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
pick	O
which	O
songs	O
to	O
hear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mobile	O
listening	O
previously	O
was	O
not	O
allowed	O
in	O
Spotify	B-Application
Free	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
shuffle	O
feature	O
is	O
not	O
available	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
iOS	B-Application
tablets	O
,	O
or	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2014	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
removed	O
all	O
time	O
limits	O
for	O
Free	O
users	O
on	O
all	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
on	O
computers	O
,	O
which	O
previously	O
had	O
a	O
10-hour	O
monthly	O
listening	O
limit	O
after	O
a	O
6-month	O
grace	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
began	O
to	O
allow	O
Free	O
users	O
to	O
listen	O
on-demand	O
to	O
whatever	O
songs	O
they	O
want	O
for	O
an	O
unlimited	O
number	O
of	O
times	O
,	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
song	O
is	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
15	O
personalized	O
discovery	O
playlists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
later	O
removed	O
this	O
limit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
is	O
proprietary	B-Application
and	O
uses	O
digital	O
rights	O
management	O
(	O
DRM	O
)	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
terms	O
and	O
conditions	O
do	O
not	O
permit	O
users	O
to	O
reverse-engineer	O
the	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
add	O
local	O
audio	O
files	O
for	O
music	O
not	O
in	O
its	O
catalog	O
into	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
library	O
through	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
desktop	O
application	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
synchronize	O
those	O
music	O
files	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
mobile	O
apps	O
or	O
other	O
computers	O
over	O
the	O
same	O
Wi-Fi	O
network	O
as	O
the	O
primary	O
computer	O
by	O
creating	O
a	O
Spotify	B-Application
playlist	O
,	O
and	O
adding	O
those	O
local	O
audio	O
files	O
to	O
the	O
playlist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
has	O
a	O
median	O
playback	O
latency	O
of	O
265	O
ms	O
(	O
including	O
local	O
cache	B-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
moved	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
peer-to-peer	O
(	O
P2P	O
)	O
system	O
they	O
had	O
used	O
to	O
distribute	O
music	O
to	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previously	O
,	O
a	O
desktop	O
user	O
would	O
listen	O
to	O
music	O
from	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
sources	O
:	O
a	O
cached	O
file	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
servers	O
,	O
or	O
from	O
other	O
subscribers	O
through	O
the	O
P2P	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
P2P	O
,	O
a	O
well-established	O
Internet	O
distribution	O
system	O
,	O
served	O
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
that	O
reduced	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
server	O
resources	O
and	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
ended	O
the	O
P2P	O
setup	O
in	O
2014	O
,	O
with	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
Alison	O
Bonny	O
telling	O
TorrentFreak	O
:	O
"	O
We	O
're	O
gradually	O
phasing	O
out	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
our	O
desktop	O
P2P	O
technology	O
which	O
has	O
helped	O
our	O
users	O
enjoy	O
their	O
music	O
both	O
speedily	O
and	O
seamlessly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
Spotify	B-Application
had	O
their	O
own	O
servers	O
but	O
in	O
2016	O
most	O
of	O
their	O
infrastructure	O
was	O
migrated	O
to	O
Google	B-General_Concept
Cloud	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
first	O
announced	O
a	O
voice-activated	O
music-streaming	O
gadget	O
for	O
cars	O
in	O
May	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
rolled	O
out	O
its	O
own	O
voice	O
assistant	O
with	O
the	O
hands-free	O
wake	O
word	O
:	O
"	O
Hey	O
Spotify	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
voice-based	O
virtual	O
assistant	O
may	O
be	O
intended	O
more	O
towards	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
own	O
hardware	O
such	O
as	O
its	O
"	O
Car	O
Thing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
is	O
incorporated	O
in	O
Luxembourg	O
as	O
Spotify	B-Application
Technology	I-Application
S.A.	I-Application
,	O
and	O
is	O
headquartered	O
in	O
Stockholm	O
,	O
Sweden	O
,	O
with	O
offices	O
in	O
16	O
countries	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
2022	O
Russian	O
invasion	O
of	O
Ukraine	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
temporarily	O
closed	O
its	O
office	O
in	O
Russia	O
and	O
suspended	O
both	O
premium	O
and	O
free	O
services	O
from	O
the	O
country	O
until	O
further	O
notice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
has	O
attracted	O
significant	O
criticism	O
since	O
its	O
2006	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
physical	O
sales	O
or	O
legal	O
downloads	O
(	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
were	O
the	O
main	O
medium	O
of	O
listening	O
to	O
music	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
pay	O
artists	O
a	O
fixed	O
amount	O
per	O
song	O
or	O
album	O
sold	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
pays	O
royalties	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
market	O
share	O
"	O
:	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
streams	O
for	O
their	O
songs	O
as	O
a	O
proportion	O
of	O
total	O
songs	O
streamed	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
distributes	O
approximately	O
70%	O
of	O
its	O
total	O
revenue	O
to	O
rights-holders	O
,	O
who	O
will	O
then	O
pay	O
artists	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
individual	O
agreements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Worldwide	O
,	O
30,000	O
musicians	B-Application
have	O
joined	O
the	O
organization	O
UnionOfMusicians	O
(	O
UMAW	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
has	O
been	O
criticised	O
by	O
artists	O
and	O
producers	O
including	O
Thom	O
Yorke	O
and	O
Taylor	O
Swift	O
,	O
who	O
have	O
argued	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
does	O
not	O
fairly	O
compensate	O
musicians	B-Application
,	O
and	O
both	O
withdrew	O
their	O
music	O
from	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
streaming	O
music	O
industry	O
in	O
general	O
faces	O
the	O
same	O
critique	O
about	O
inadequate	O
payments	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
being	O
the	O
leading	O
service	O
,	O
faces	O
particular	O
scrutiny	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
free	O
service	O
tier	O
,	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
listen	O
to	O
music	O
for	O
free	O
,	O
though	O
with	O
advertisements	O
between	O
tracks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
allegations	O
about	O
unfair	O
compensation	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
claims	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
benefitting	O
the	O
industry	O
by	O
migrating	O
users	O
away	O
from	O
unauthorized	O
copying	O
and	O
less	O
monetized	O
platforms	O
to	O
its	O
free	O
service	O
tier	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
downgrades	O
that	O
service	O
until	O
they	O
upgrade	O
to	O
paid	O
accounts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
study	O
has	O
shown	O
that	O
record	O
labels	O
keep	O
a	O
high	O
amount	O
of	O
the	O
money	O
earned	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
CEO	O
of	O
Merlin	O
Network	O
,	O
a	O
representative	O
body	O
for	O
over	O
10,000	O
independent	O
labels	O
,	O
has	O
also	O
observed	O
significant	O
yearly	O
growth	O
rates	O
in	O
earnings	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
while	O
clarifying	O
that	O
Spotify	B-Application
pays	O
labels	O
,	O
not	O
artists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
efforts	O
to	O
renegotiate	O
licence	O
deals	O
for	O
an	O
interest	O
in	O
going	O
public	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
artists	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
make	O
albums	O
temporarily	O
exclusive	O
to	O
paid	O
subscribers	O
if	O
the	O
albums	O
are	O
part	O
of	O
Universal	O
Music	O
Group	O
or	O
the	O
Merlin	O
Network	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2018	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
attracted	O
criticism	O
for	O
its	O
"	O
Hate	O
Content	O
&	O
Hateful	O
Conduct	O
policy	O
"	O
that	O
removed	O
the	O
music	O
of	O
R	O
.	O
Kelly	O
and	O
XXXTentacion	O
from	O
its	O
editorial	O
and	O
algorithmic	O
playlists	O
because	O
"	O
When	O
we	O
look	O
at	O
promotion	O
,	O
we	O
look	O
at	O
issues	O
around	O
hateful	O
conduct	O
,	O
where	O
you	O
have	O
an	O
artist	B-Application
or	O
another	O
creator	O
who	O
has	O
done	O
something	O
off-platform	O
that	O
is	O
so	O
particularly	O
out	O
of	O
line	O
with	O
our	O
values	O
,	O
egregious	O
,	O
in	O
a	O
way	O
that	O
it	O
becomes	O
something	O
that	O
we	O
do	O
n't	O
want	O
to	O
associate	O
ourselves	O
with.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
we	O
are	O
moving	O
away	O
from	O
implementing	O
a	O
policy	O
around	O
artist	B-Application
conduct	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
artists	O
such	O
as	O
Gary	O
Glitter	O
and	O
Lostprophets	O
are	O
still	O
hidden	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
's	O
radio	O
stations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
some	O
computer	O
science	O
and	O
music	O
experts	O
,	O
various	O
music	O
communities	O
are	O
often	O
ignored	O
or	O
overlooked	O
by	O
music	O
streaming	O
services	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
allegedly	O
making	O
certain	O
artists	O
 '	O
music	O
harder	O
to	O
find	O
than	O
others	O
as	O
these	O
artists	O
would	O
release	O
their	O
music	O
to	O
the	O
rival	O
streaming	O
service	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
Music	I-Operating_System
before	O
releasing	O
it	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2021	O
,	O
David	O
Dayen	O
argued	O
in	O
The	O
American	O
Prospect	O
that	O
musicians	B-Application
were	O
in	O
peril	O
due	O
to	O
monopolies	O
in	O
streaming	O
services	O
like	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Daniel	O
Ek	O
,	O
co-founder	O
and	O
CEO	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
,	O
discussed	O
"	O
what	O
he	O
called	O
an	O
artist-friendly	O
streaming	O
solution.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
explained	O
,	O
"	O
An	O
extension	O
of	O
the	O
internet	O
radio	O
craze	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
2000s	O
,	O
Spotify	B-Application
would	O
license	O
content	O
from	O
record	O
labels	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
support	O
artists	O
as	O
people	O
listened	O
to	O
their	O
music.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2022	O
,	O
270	O
scientists	O
,	O
physicians	O
,	O
professors	O
,	O
doctors	O
,	O
and	O
healthcare	O
workers	O
wrote	O
an	O
open	O
letter	O
to	O
Spotify	B-Application
expressing	O
concern	O
over	O
"	O
false	O
and	O
societally	O
harmful	O
assertions	O
"	O
on	O
Joe	O
Rogan	O
's	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
,	O
The	O
Joe	O
Rogan	O
Experience	O
and	O
asked	O
Spotify	B-Application
to	O
"	O
establish	O
a	O
clear	O
and	O
public	O
policy	O
to	O
moderate	O
misinformation	O
on	O
its	O
platform	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
January	O
,	O
Neil	O
Young	O
removed	O
his	O
music	O
from	O
Spotify	B-Application
after	O
they	O
refused	O
to	O
remove	O
the	O
podcast	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
artists	O
and	O
podcasters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Joni	O
Mitchell	O
,	O
Nils	O
Lofgren	O
,	O
Brené	O
Brown	O
,	O
and	O
Crosby	O
,	O
Stills	O
,	O
&	O
Nash	O
,	O
also	O
announced	O
a	O
boycott	O
of	O
Spotify	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spotify	B-Application
promised	O
to	O
add	O
content	O
advisories	O
for	O
anything	O
containing	O
discussions	O
related	O
to	O
COVID-19	O
and	O
posted	O
additional	O
rules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
2019	O
)	O
:	O
Spotify	B-Application
Teardown	O
:	O
Inside	O
the	O
Black	O
Box	O
of	O
Streaming	O
Music''	O
,	O
The	O
MIT	O
Press	O
,	O
.	O
</s>
