It’s D-Day for Spotify: the world will be watching as the streaming giant launches its IPO today (April 3) on the New York Stock Exchange.
The music business will be busy debating whether the decision has paid off in the days, weeks and month ahead. But there’s no doubt that Spotify has transformed the industry over the last decade. Of all his many visionary pronouncements, CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek’s claims for the impact of Spotify are probably justified. Here, Music Week looks back at the company’s milestones in a decade of soaring streaming growth…
OCTOBER 2008
Spotify launched in Stockholm, Sweden. Announces licensing deals with major music labels.
FEBRUARY 2009
Spotify opens public registration for paid and free tiers in the UK.
MARCH 2011
Hits one million paid subscribers across Europe.
SEPTEMBER 2011
Hits two million paid subscribers.
JULY 2011
Spotify launches in the US.
JULY 2013
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke removes solo and spin-off projects from Spotify, saying the platform is bad for new artists.
MARCH 2014
Acquires music intelligence company The Echo Nest.
MAY 2014
Hits 10 million subscribers
NOVEMBER 2014
Taylor Swift pulls her catalogue from the service.
JUNE 2015
Hits 20 million subscribers.
DECEMBER 2015
The Beatles entire discography is made available on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
NOVEMBER 2016
International billboard campaign launched with adverts that humorously mocked users’ listening habits.
APRIL 2017
Spotify signs new deals with Universal and Merlin that allow windowing on Spotify Premium in exchange for lower rates. Sony and Warner deals follow.
JUNE 2017
Taylor Swift returns to Spotify.
JULY 2017
Hits 140m users and 60m subscribers.
DECEMBER 2017
Some of Thom Yorke’s albums return to Spotify.
JANUARY 2018
Wixen Music Publishing sues Spotify for allegedly using thousands of songs without the proper licence.
JANUARY 2018
FEBRUARY 2018
Files for direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
MARCH 2018
Taylor Swift releases exclusive video for Spotify.
APRIL 2018
By Allison Miller
