Abstract
This chapter follows on from the previous chapter’s discussion and provides an in-depth analysis of how Spotify found a solution to the digital recording industry’s financial woe persisted since Napster. It examines how this successful legitimate digital music service innovation arose in the least likely place, Sweden, the hotbed of piracy, and addresses major attributes that brought victory to Spotify over the then seemingly unflinching popularity of P2P file-sharing. I continue the discussion on the changing dynamics brought by Spotify and some of the concerns emerging around this new digital music consumption platform.
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Notes
- 1.
A game company that allows users to dress up dolls online.
- 2.
For more discussion on this, see this chapter, Sect. 5.2.2.
- 3.
“Freemium,” a word combining “free” and “premium,” had been around since the 1980s but became popular due to Chris Anderson’s (2009) book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price,” signifying an alternative to the free digital economy.
- 4.
IFPI’s Digital Music Report (2009) cites “[a] study by Entertainment Media Research in the UK,” which discovered that 71% of those who admitted they increased their file-sharing activity in 2008 did so “because it’s free.” According to a recent research, convenience has overtaken free for the main reason for infringement, as well as being the main reason why people consume on the legal platform (UK IPO 2017).
- 5.
- 6.
This was observed in the development of Top40 playlist (Frith2002).
- 7.
According to a recent research, curated playlist is creating a culture of lean-back listening, as well as cultivating music diversity particularly cross-border music choices (Mulligan 2016).
- 8.
Co-founder of Napster. He negotiated licensing deals with Warner and Universal on behalf of Spotify for its launch in the USA and now serves as a board member for Spotify.
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Sun, H. (2019). Case Study—Spotify. In: Digital Revolution Tamed. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93022-0_5
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