For years the music industry has seen P2P technology as the
single biggest threat, claiming that file-sharers are
responsible for billions of dollars in losses. However, P2P
technology is also part of the music industry’s future. One of
the major revelations in the music business, the streaming
service Spotify, is actually one of the largest file-sharing
networks on the Internet. When Spotify launched their first beta
in the fall of 2008, we branded it “an alternative to music
piracy.” Having the option to stream millions of tracks
supported by an occasional ad, or free of ads for a small
monthly fee, Spotify appeared to be serious competitor to music
piracy. In the two years that followed Spotify rapidly won the
hearts and minds of many music fans. Currently limited to a few
European countries only, the service has already amassed more
than 10 million users and over a million paid subscribers. A
true success story, which has been recognized by the music
industry on various occasions. What’s often overlooked