Spotify

Spotify is the world's largest audio streaming platform, reshaping how hundreds of millions of listeners discover and consume music, podcasts, and audiobooks. Founded in Stockholm in April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, the Swedish service launched publicly in October 2008 as a legal alternative to piracy, pioneering the freemium streaming model that would come to define the industry.

The platform now reaches over 780 million monthly active users across 184 markets, with more than 260 million paying subscribers generating the bulk of its revenue. Beyond music, Spotify has invested heavily in podcasting through acquisitions like Gimlet Media and The Ringer, positioning itself as a comprehensive audio destination. The company went public via direct listing on the NYSE in 2018 and remains headquartered in Stockholm, with major offices in New York, London, and Los Angeles.

For artists, Spotify represents both opportunity and tension. Its algorithmic playlists, Discover Weekly, RapCaviar, and K-Pop Daebak, can launch careers overnight, while debates over streaming royalty rates continue to shape industry economics. In 2025, Spotify Wrapped reported BTS as the top K-pop act globally for the seventh consecutive year, with BLACKPINK, STRAY KIDS, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER also appearing in the global top 100. In March 2026, Spotify deepened its K-pop commitment through a global content partnership with HYBE, launching original video podcast series featuring HYBE artists including BTS, TXT, ENHYPEN, and LE SSERAFIM.