How Spotify Has Changed the Way We Listen to Music
With over 433 million active monthly listeners and 188 million premium subscribers, Spotify has most definitely changed the way we listen to music.
It completely bewildered me back in 2010 when the streaming platform first launched in the UK, I couldn't possibly imagine streaming music! How could anything be more superior than downloading an mp3 or buying a CD?
A big part of my job (and also my hobby) has been to discover new music and new artists. Back then, I used to trawl through new releases listed on the official UK charts website and listen to a preview of each track, before deciding if I wanted to buy it or not. At the time it seemed I was being very proactive, but looking back, it was very time consuming, and limited in what I could find.
Spring forward to 2022
Spotify has 82 Million songs on its platform as of 2022. Not all songs are on there, but it’s always being updated. It’s an entire music ecosystem in itself.
It is estimated that Spotify currently has over 11 million artists and creators on its platform. Any artist you like you can follow, and any track you like you can ‘heart’ it. By doing this, Spotify is constantly trying to find and suggest new music similar to who you’ve followed or what you’ve liked. All you have to do is sit back and wait for the music to come to you. The more you actively ‘heart’ a track or follow an artist, the even greater range of new and undiscovered music comes your way. I’ve noticed that the algorithms have got so good that Spotify seems to know I’d like something before even I do!
Two very good playlists to follow are 'Release Radar' - which picks all the latest music from the acts that you follow, and 'Discover Weekly' which suggests new music based on what you have ‘liked’.
Every week I have about 20 hours of new music to listen to. That’s just insane!
Spotify has turned into a wonderful discovery platform for all kinds of genres, a great way to discover new artists, amazing radio stations, and an excellent source to find new podcasts. I’ve never discovered so many new artists as I have today.
