Which country was Spotify first launched in?

Spotify was first launched in Sweden. The service began operating publicly there in October 2008, after being developed by Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon.

The company was founded in Stockholm in 2006, during a period when unauthorized music downloading was a major challenge for the recording industry. Ek argued that a fast, convenient legal streaming service could compete with piracy while giving artists and rights holders a licensed way to distribute music.

Spotify initially expanded cautiously because its catalog depended on licensing agreements with record companies. It later entered additional European markets before launching in the United States in July 2011. That American launch helped turn Spotify from a European startup into a global audio platform.

Sweden is sometimes confused with Spotify's legal headquarters or worldwide launch footprint. The company is registered in Luxembourg, while Stockholm remains closely associated with its operational roots and founding history.