![\"listening](\"https:\/\/d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net\/account_481\/giphy_40386623c8333f4203a77f78d07ecc87.gif\")
<\/picture><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
With all of the competition in music streaming services, Spotify still remains the most-used globally (though Apple Music is making impressive gains, mainly in the US) with 180 million active users, including over 83 million paying subscribers. \ud83d\udc6b<\/p>\n
How did Spotify, a publicly traded company valued as high as $30 billion, get to where it is today?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look! \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n
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Comprehensive catalog = universal listening options<\/h2>\n
Spotify offers more than 35 million songs, meaning that virtually every genre and region is covered in terms of music preferences.<\/p>\n
By having one of the most extensive music catalogs out there, plus<\/em> including a free version of the service (more on that in a bit), Spotify has democratized the music industry as we know it. \ud83c\udfb6<\/p>\n You could listen to music nonstop for your entire life and never even come close to scratching the surface of what\u2019s out there.<\/p>\n <\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s an insane amount of music. \ud83d\ude32<\/p>\n But what makes Spotify iconic in this regard is that they understand how overwhelming their library can be \u2013 where do you even begin?<\/p>\n This is where excellent curation becomes crucial. \ud83d\udc4c<\/p>\n From charts that offer rankings of the most-streamed songs in every country (or globally), to Discover Weekly playlists, which offers every user a customized weekly playlist of suggested songs based on their music tastes \u2013 Spotify is essentially guiding users to the content that they want.<\/p>\n Having charts gives users a snapshot of what\u2019s popular all over the world, and helps users discover some new favorites along the way.<\/p>\n This also means Spotify has the chance to further promote content that is \u201chot\u201d at the moment, through exclusive recording sessions and content from the artists directly. \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Probably one of the most iconic things about Spotify is the community they have managed to create. \ud83d\udc9b<\/p>\n Music is naturally community building \u2013 for many, it\u2019s a passion. It can create memories or remind you of certain times in your life. Music brings people together in ways that many other things cannot. It\u2019s an insanely powerful thing.<\/p>\n So with this in mind, Spotify takes it a step further. \ud83d\ude80<\/p>\n How? Through playlist curation.<\/p>\n By using both technology and people together, they are able to create next-level curation for music that covers any genre, mood, season, occasion, location \u2013 you name it.<\/p>\n Spotify has an entire team of music curators across genres and backgrounds, who spend their days listening to music and painstakingly putting together playlists for users.<\/p>\n Want to get a taste of what that\u2019s like? Check out this great video from BuzzFeed that explains the role in more detail.<\/p>\n <\/p>![\"mind](\"https:\/\/d37oebn0w9ir6a.cloudfront.net\/account_481\/giphy1_974ce123b3e617853b300ecd340fc28a.gif\")
<\/picture><\/figure>\nCommunity-building through music<\/h2>\n