Spotify, the music streaming app launched in Sweden towards the end of 2008, has set a new record for itself in terms of subscriber numbers, after having seen unprecedented growth over the latter part of 2014.
According to a blog post on the official Spotify Web site yesterday, the six-year-old music streaming service has reached 60 million active users, and 15 million of these are paying users. This is up from the 40 million active users Spotify boasted in May 2014.
Although the service is still not officially available in SA, rumours that it would soon become available locally started circulating around the same time the service debuted in Brazil at the end of May last year, a move that made it available in 57 markets worldwide.
According to New York-based music publication Billboard, Spotify is the world's number one music streaming service, followed by Deezer, Rhapsody and Rdio. Simfy features at the bottom of the ranks at number eight.
Streaming in SA
One of the first subscription-based music streaming services to become available locally was simfy Africa, which launched at the end of August 2012.
Last June, MTN became the first mobile operator in the country to launch a music streaming service, following an exclusive partnership with simfy Africa.
Rival operator Vodacom followed about four months later with its own music streaming offering, via an exclusive partnership with Deezer. At the time, the company said the service would be included as a value-added service in certain of its packages - as well being bundled with data.
Other markets in which Spotify is available include Chile, Hungary, Czech Republic, Malta, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Cyprus, Colombia, Uruguay, El Salvador, Paraguay, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Peru, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Bolivia.
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