Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon founded Spotify in Sweden in 2006.
Spotify Technology S.A. began as a Swedish audio-streaming company created by Ek and Lorentzon. The service launched publicly in several European markets in 2008, offering licensed music through advertising-supported and subscription plans.
The founders built Spotify during a period when the music industry was struggling with widespread unauthorized file sharing. Its central model was to provide convenient, licensed access rather than requiring listeners to buy individual files or albums.
Spotify is sometimes confused with SoundCloud because both are major audio platforms. SoundCloud was founded by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, while Pandora was founded by Tim Westergren, Jon Craft, and Will Glaser. Those companies have different origins and business models.