SPOTIFY

Welcome to the 95th issue of B.

Before writing the Editor’s Letter for this issue, I assessed my streaming service subscriptions. I use four audio apps, including radio, and seven video platforms, some for sports. To truly capitalize on these services, I’d practically need to maintain a constant stream of content, save for work and sleep hours. Nevertheless, music often blends into multitasking, allowing for continuous streaming throughout the day. Nowadays, videos are consumed in a manner akin to audio content. With the surging popularity of wireless earphones, an array of sounds perpetually resonates in everyone’s ears. Whether you’re deeply engrossed in this auditory landscape or not—essentially, the level of concentration—is somewhat secondary. Daniel Ek, the founder of Spotify, would most likely agree with this. Music, or more broadly speaking, audio content, becomes a background for all moments in life. Indeed, he envisioned Spotify not merely as a music repository, but rather as akin to a supplier of soundtracks (i.e., background music).

The first thing to mention when talking about the innovation of Spotify, founded in 2006, is its legitimate business model that provides free access to music around the world. At a time when the music moved from physical albums to digital files, Spotify carved out a new market that satisfied creators, providers, and consumers alike. In addition, streaming technology, which helps music lovers appreciate more music without having to own it, was an idea that changed the nature of the music. The origin story of streaming technology is well- portrayed in The Playlist, a docudrama miniseries about the creation of Spotify. In Sweden, a country built on social democracy, sharing music was directly related to the values of equality and freedom. It is no exaggeration to say a sort of social movement—one that claimed music should not be treated as a luxury but as a necessity like water or food—led to the development of a product called streaming.

Over a decade since its inception, Spotify remains dedicated to breaking barriers and enhancing music accessibility through numerous strategic aspects of its service. My initial subscription to Spotify pleasantly surprised me with its focus on enhancing convenience. The approach of treating every mood, taste, or situation-specific playlist as an album, instead of merely building a library around artists and albums, truly stood out. This new perspective clearly shows Spotify’s passionate desire to free up users’ time and effort that goes into exploring and experiencing music. It’s akin to suggesting a themed course meal at a restaurant for indecisive diners. While recommending music through playlists, Spotify neither is hierarchical nor authoritative. Rather than promoting hit artists and songs from big music charts or music that is lauded by critics, Spotify brings together individuals worldwide who have similar musical preferences.

In the end, Spotify has emerged as a significant influencer in the music industry, garnering recognition even from media outlets as a service that “satisfies all types of music-listening scenarios.” In other words, Spotify doesn’t think of music as the final destination; rather, it employs music and channels as vehicles to bridge diverse destinations. During his middle school days, Daniel Ek was showcased coding brilliance and was renowned for his programming prowess. During that era, he said something to a friend that almost foretold the creation of Spotify. “Suddenly, it struck me that everything is interconnected.” As he mused two decades ago, music of today might function as a certain “stream”that connects a person with another person, a time with another time, a space with another space. Then, how music will be defined in the future? I’m intrigued to witness whether Spotify can once again redefine music.

Eunsung Park Editor in Chief