Spotify, the brainchild of Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, changed all that. Founded in Stockholm on April 23, 2006, and seeking a solution to the industry’s piracy problem, the on-demand audio-streaming service was built on the understanding that consumers who aren’t inclined to buy a specific album or song might be willing to pay for ease of access to a large library of music.
For a $9.99 monthly fee (or free to those who don’t mind sitting through dozens of groove-busting advertisements), the site is an open archive, easily searchable and replete with more music than anyone could play in a lifetime.
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