Tag: data

Spotifiers Channel Innovation and Passion at Our Annual Hack Week

October 23, 2019

From the beloved Discover Weekly playlist to lesser-known innovations, Spotify’s annual Hack Week allows employees to conceive inventive and enduring projects. During the fall event, team members from offices around the world—including Stockholm, New York, Boston, London, and Gothenburg—can participate in a week of hacking dedicated to cracking the code for the passion projects they’ve been dreaming about.

The purpose of Hack Week is to embrace the imagination and see what comes of it. The initiative allots time for employees to set aside their “normal work” and tackle their most ambitious ideas. “Hack Week is the time of year that we take to celebrate innovation and new thinking,” explains Gustav Söderström, Chief R&D Officer at Spotify. This year, over 100 teams of engineers, data scientists, project managers, and graphic designers have signed up for a chance to showcase those very skills.

Hack Week might just be a week long, but its results may very well have lasting impact. The longstanding tradition at Spotify endures so we can set aside time for the entire company to dream, build, and surprise the world—and ourselves—with our creativity.

Watch the video below for a glimpse into the magic that is Hack Week.

6 Frequently Asked Questions About Spotify’s Bug Bounty Program

September 13, 2019

Streaming, and Spotify for that matter, couldn’t have been made possible without the accessibility and connectivity of the Internet. Unfortunately, with that openness and interconnectedness, came malicious attackers who look to exploit weaknesses in web sites and applications.

At Spotify, we’re committed to protecting our information, as well as yours. So two years ago we began using the HackerOne platform for our bug bounty program. Now, we’re looking back on successes and learnings that will continue to help improve the program at Spotify. 

Want to learn more? We’ve broken it down into six frequently asked questions.

1. First off, what is a bug bounty program?

There are ethical and responsible security researchers who discover weaknesses via the same tactics and tools used by hackers. They report these weaknesses to site owners, so that they can be fixed before others can use them for malicious purposes. Bug bounty programs exist to make it easier for security researchers to report these weaknesses to site owners. As a token of gratitude, the site owners often reward money or swag to the researchers for their efforts.

2. When and why did Spotify start a bug bounty program? 

Our Security team launched its bug bounty program in 2015, when we were a very small team that occasionally received vulnerability reports from researchers responsibly disclosing bugs. Although we didn’t receive a huge number of reports, it was clear that managing them by hand, primarily through email, would prove difficult. During that time, we had been rewarding reports with any swag we happened to have on hand, or giving them credit on our wall of fame at https://www.spotify.com/bounty/. However, because this work and reporting was so crucial, we wanted to start giving cash for bug submissions.

In May 2017, we moved our bug bounty program onto HackerOne, a leading cybersecurity bug bounty platform, to take advantage of their platform and managed services. We now accept bug bounty reports at https://hackerone.com/spotify. From there, the HackerOne team reviews the report for validity and severity, then loops in our Spotify Security team. Then, we’re able to work together to find a resolution and reward the security researcher who found the bug in the first place.

3. What are some of the benefits of using HackerOne?

Since we started using the HackerOne platform and managed services, we’ve received over 365 valid and actionable reports and rewarded over $120,000 to security researchers for their efforts.

4. What sort of problems have been reported?

We receive the largest amount of reports on our most visible websites, www.spotify.com and community.spotify.com, but also receive reports on our mobile applications, desktop applications, and other apps and software. 

One other area where we face challenges is with partner development. The reports we get here are for sites that Spotify has contracted to have built, or companies that Spotify has acquired that didn’t have the benefit of being developed with the same security protocols in place.

5. Why is finding these vulnerabilities such a big deal?

If the vulnerabilities mentioned above were to be discovered by a malicious actor, our websites or apps could be attacked, thus harming the brand and reputation of Spotify. Or, the credentials could be used for lateral movement or in a phishing attack. None of this is good for us or our users.

6. So what’s the next step for security at Spotify? 

As mentioned, a lot of reports come regarding sites developed by our partner developers. So to help them, we’re developing something we call the Global Preferred Production Partner Program. It’s a security-focused set of standards and runtime environments for Partner Developers outside of Spotify. It also includes a set of expectations for vendors that help us ensure we can rapidly and effectively respond and correct vulnerabilities that are reported to us through the bug bounty program.

So far, working with HackerOne has raised security awareness within our engineering organization, exposed weaknesses in our security posture, and helped us better understand our attack surface. Even if you have no experience in bug hunting, check out our program page at https://hackerone.com/spotify. We think there are always opportunities to make our security stronger.

How to Download and Listen to Music and Podcasts — Offline and On the Go

May 24, 2019

Sunscreen; check. Hat; check. Playlists; ready for anything—even a vacation destination without Wi-Fi.

Being completely disconnected from Wi-Fi and data—whether in an airplane or rustic cabin in the woods—doesn’t mean you need to be without your favorite music or podcasts. If you’re a Premium subscriber, it only takes a few simple steps while you’re still at home and on Wi-Fi to download your favorite content and ensure it’s available when you go off the grid or up in the air.

First, if you’d like to use Wi-Fi to download, go to Settings > Music Quality > Download Using Cellular and check that the feature is set to the default “off.” From there, it’s easy to download tracks and podcasts on your cell phone, tablet, or iPad:

  1. Search for the content you want
  2. Select the playlist, album, or podcast you want to listen to offline
  3. Switch the download toggle ON—it will turn green so you know it’s working
  4. Once tracks in your library are downloaded, you’ll see a little green arrow below each song name
  5. Connect your headphones and start listening, no matter where you are!

If you’re using Spotify on desktop, but still want to take those songs or podcast episodes with you on your mobile device:

  1. Select songs to download automatically to your device by clicking the plus symbol next to any track
  2. That plus symbol will turn into a checkmark, which means the song will sync to your phone next time it’s connected to WiFi
  3. If you’re looking to organize your downloads, now’s the time! Using your computer to organize tracks into a playlist before you go can be a bit easier

Note that if you’re seeing songs grayed out when you’re offline, it means they’re not downloaded and you won’t be able to play them without Wi-Fi. (It might be a good idea to experiment with going online before you board the plane.) To see everything you’ve downloaded on your phone, check out the “Downloads” tab under “Your Library” on mobile.

Also know that there’s a maximum to the number of songs and podcasts you can download per device. If you do hit the limit, you can always go back and remove some existing downloads.

Plus, keep in mind that in order for Premium subscribers to keep all downloads available, you’ll need to connect your phone to Wi-Fi at least once every 30 days. So if you’re on an extended hiking trip, just make sure to connect to Wi-Fi at least once per month if you want to keep streaming.

For more tips about offline listening, ask a Rock Star for assistance on our Community page.

Get excited for your upcoming trip with our Soak up the Sun playlist, or plan to catch up on the latest Lore. (And if you want to take them with you on your travels, don’t forget to download now.)

‘Eurovision’ Winners Past and Future, As Told by Your Streams

May 17, 2019

Header photo credit: KAN

There’s nothing quite like Eurovision. What other TV music competition has featured Russian grandmothers who sing while baking, Finnish monsters jamming out a “Hard Rock Hallelujah,” or a hip-thrusting saxophone player from Moldova? The European song contest can hardly be compared even to itself in any given year—except in terms of streaming. In the run-up to this weekend’s final performances, fans around the world are already playing their favorite competitors’ song. Could these streams point to the country that will be the 2019 champion?

Eurovision is the world’s longest-running annual television contest, and at 186 million viewers in 2018, it often charts as the world’s biggest live-music event. Over the course of the competition, Eurovision brings musicians from upwards of 50 countries (mostly from Europe) together for a colorful, energy-filled celebration of diversity and unity.

With 41 countries competing this year, and a song time limit to three minutes, it’s crucial that your performance stands out. This could explain why one song often combines several elements. Mix a power ballad intro, rhythms particular to the country of origin, and a crowd-pleasing pop chorus with acrobatic dance and you’ve got yourself a Eurovision Cocktail.

In the weeks leading up to the highly televised final, each country presents its respective artist and song. So ahead of the final performances, we took a look at which country’s nominees are being streamed the most:   

  1.     Italy – Mahmood, “Soldi”
  2.     Sweden – John Lundvik, “Too Late for Love”
  3.     Netherlands – Duncan Laurence, “Arcade”
  4.     France – Bilal Hassani, “Roi”
  5.     Spain – Miki Núñez “La Venda”
  6.     Norway – Keiino, “Spirit in the Sky”
  7.     Switzerland – Luca Hänni, “She Got Me”
  8.     Cyprus – Tamta, “Replay”
  9.     Estonia – Victor Crone, “Storm”
  10.     Denmark – Leonora, “Love Is Forever”

When broken down by each participating country, it’s not surprising that most listeners favor their nation’s own nominated song and artist. Yet listeners in Romania, Lithuania, Austria, Poland, Malta, Ireland, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Luxembourg, and Germany have all been streaming Italy’s “Soldi.” At least in terms of streaming, Italian singer-songwriter Mahmood is the clear favorite.

Of course, what’s Eurovision without a little nostalgia? Below are the 10 top-streamed Eurovision winners of all time.

  1.     1974 – ABBA (Sweden) – “Waterloo”
  2.     2018 – Netta (Israel) – “Toy”
  3.     2015 – Måns Zelmerlöw (Sweden) – “Heroes”
  4.     2012 – Loreen (Sweden) – “Euphoria”
  5.     2010 – Lena (Germany) – “Satellite”
  6.     2009 – Alexander Rybak (Norway) – “Fairytale”
  7.     1965 – France Gall (Luxembourg) – “Poupée de cire, poupée de son”
  8.     2017 – Salvador Sobral (Portugal) – “Amar pelos Dois”
  9.     1995 – Petter Skavland, Rolf Løvland, Secret Garden (Norway) – “Nocturne”
  10.     1987 – Johnny Logan (Ireland) – “Hold Me Now”

Prepare for a week of Eurovision like never before—stream the official Eurovision 2019 playlist below.

Our Streaming Data Suggests Who Might Take Home a 2019 BRIT Award

February 15, 2019

The BRIT Awards 2019, the British Phonographic Industry’s annual celebration honoring the best in British and International music, takes place just a few days from now on February 20. Who will walk away as the big winners of the night? We’re taking this opportunity to speculate, based on Spotify streaming data.

Although the BRITs have three categories for international artists, most are dedicated to British singers and groups. Our guesses at the winners are based solely on which artists racked up the most streams from our UK listeners in 2018. So, without further ado, drumroll, please:

British Male Solo Artist:

George Ezra, 257 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: Both of George’s studio albums topped the charts in the UK, and also cracked the top ten in several other countries.

British Female Solo Artist:

Jess Glynne, 212 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: Jess is the first British female singer to have seven singles hit the number-one spot on the UK charts.

British Group:

Arctic Monkeys, (pictured above), 285 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: Arctic Monkeys’ 2006 album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, was the fastest-selling album in British music history.

Mastercard British Album of the Year:

George Ezra, Staying at Tamara’s, 189 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: The second single from this album, “Shotgun,” topped the charts in the UK, Ireland, and Australia.

International Male Solo Artist:

Drake, 821 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: Nearly one million Londoners listen to Drake on Spotify each month, second only to Angelenos (just over one million).

International Solo Artist:

Ariana Grande, 356 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: Ariana’s single “thank u, next” clocked more than 376 million worldwide streams on Spotify in just the last eight weeks of 2018.

International Group:

Twenty One Pilots, 108 million streams in the UK in 2018

Fun fact: In 2016, Twenty One Pilots became only the third rock act to have two songs in Billboard’s top five at the same time. The previous two: The Beatles and Elvis Presley.

Don’t forget to tune in to see if our predictions—and UK streamers—were spot on.

Get excited for the big show in London with our exclusive BRIT Awards 2019: The Nominees playlist, teeming with hits from Rita Ora, Ella Mai, Jorja Smith, Travis Scott, and many more.

The Sounds of the Slopes, from Big Sky to Chamonix

January 30, 2019

Whether you’re skiing the black diamond bowls of Boulder, Colorado, or snowboarding red circle routes in the Swiss Alps, you know that each mountain has a vibe all its own. Turns out, the same holds true for the music streaming slope-side too.

On Spotify, the top songs on tens of thousands of fan-made skiing and snowboarding playlists include hits with heavy synth beats. Think upbeat and energetic: “Midnight City” by M83, “Young Blood” by The Naked And Famous, and “Sail” from AWOLNATION. These can stick in your head for miles of steep downhill routes.

When you break down our streaming data by destination, however, it’s clear that genres speak to each specific ski town’s rhythm during the heart of the season. Take a tour of the sounds streaming off some of the world’s great slopes.

Big Sky (Montana), Boulder (Colorado), Killington (Vermont) – These American skiing staples love their psychedelic rock, jam bands, and folk music, including the likes of Phish and Grateful Dead. Pick a song, any song, and it might just get you all the way down the mountain.

Chamonix (France) – Swedish hip-hop, rock, and pop act as the electro-pumping bass of this mountain.

Grandvalira (Andorra) – Much of the music heard in the small country of Andorra is Spanish (not surprising due to its location). Up-tempo, jam-heavy Argentine rock and ska are particularly popular as well.

Hakuba (Japan), Whistler (Canada) – Although December through March marks summer for Australians, we wouldn’t be surprised if they’re escaping the summer heat by visiting Japan’s Hakuba Olympic ski town and Whistler on Canada’s west coast—as evidenced by the frequency of Australian garage punk and indie fusion played there.

https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4GC5rzFpboS?si=ambZe8pSTzqBCUdsLVQpmw

Mont Tremblant (Canada) – This quaint Quebec locale loves its French and Québécois-language pop, rock, and indie tracks.

Cap off a day on the slopes—or replicate the feeling of fresh powder—with our After-Ski Classics playlist.

Here’s Where Your Favorite Artists Toured the Most in 2018

December 28, 2018

For an artist, there’s nothing like connecting with diehard fans who are sing-screaming your lyrics from the front row; for concert-goers, there’s nothing like seeing the music you’re obsessed with come alive on stage. That’s why we took our passion for music on the road and dug into the touring trends that reached far beyond our platform this year. Because while many of the year’s biggest artists hit the road in 2018, no two tours looked exactly the same.

Want to see for yourself? The proof is in our 2018 touring map. To create it, we looked at the top-streamed artists who played in 10 or more U.S. cities this year.

The map helped us discover some interesting trends—and some pretty weird shapes. While superstars like Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar spent lots of time on the coasts, rising artists like Juice WRLD and Playboi Carti made sure to hit all corners of the country. Beyoncé, Chris Brown, and Twenty One Pilots toured mostly around the perimeter of the U.S., but Zedd, Gucci Mane, and Dan + Shay clustered lots of dates in the middle.

MVPs like SZA, Kane Brown, and Migos toured throughout the year, but some shorter tours, including Lana Del Rey’s, included stops in Hawaii (and hopefully some beach time).

We also checked out which artists played which cities the most. Texas hip-hop collective Brockhampton played New York seven times, while Rich the Kid, originally from Queens, played L.A. a record 12 times. Perhaps most impressive were the Chainsmokers, who hit Las Vegas a whopping 45 times (although their Vegas residency might have had something to do with that).

Click on each artist to dig deeper into where, when, and how they toured throughout the year. When you click on 5 Seconds of Summer, you’ll see that the Aussies covered lots of ground in the U.S. from April to December. (And to get back to the original map, just click the tab on the top left or the X button at the top right.)

Dive in below—no van required.

Stream hits from these artists and more of the year’s biggest stars here in our Top Artists of 2018 playlist.

When Do People Listen to EDM?

October 17, 2018

Electronic dance music, or EDM, began as a fringe movement with roots in the diverse music scenes of the ‘70s and ‘80s—disco, Detroit techno, hip-hop, dub, and more. Since then, EDM has become a powerful cultural force with a sound you can hear in everything from mainstream pop to the most arcane, underground electronic genres from around the world.

Central to the concept of electronic dance music, obviously, is the communal act of people getting together in real life to dance in the same place, on the same night, as a shared musical experience. That’s what attendees of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) will be doing for the next four days (October 17-21).

Yes, this music was created for dancing together, but EDM fans can’t live at the club forever. So when do they stream EDM? The answer surprised us at first, but it actually makes sense:

People think of EDM as nighttime party music, but when it comes to their streaming habits, we see that they’re mostly listening in the afternoons and early evenings—especially on work and school nights. It could be that high-energy EDM music is just what these folks need to get through a stressful afternoon workday.

There’s another factor at play here: People listening to EDM while getting ready for the club. If we go beyond what’s in the chart above, we find that the day with the most EDM listening in the afternoon and early evening is Friday. It’s possible that club goers and party people are streaming EDM as they get ready to go out for the night.

But by late evening and nighttime—the times of day most associated with EDM in our popular imagination—EDM streaming dips lower than at any other time. Apparently, people who love EDM are either listening to something else at night, or they’re out dancing.

What’s also fascinating about EDM is that it bucks the trend of other genres prevalent at certain times, by increasing in the afternoon and evening when other genres, such as atmospheric, dip lower:

Looking to stream some of the hottest new EDM hits? Here’s the official Spotify playlist of the Amsterdam Dance Event.

— Article by Eliot Van Buskirk, Data/research by Jomar Perez

The Streamingpalooza Before (and After) Music Festivals

August 1, 2018

What’s more fun than seeing your favorite band play live? How about seeing a few of your favorite bands play—plus a couple dozen potential new favorites—back-to-back with thousands of other music lovers over the course of three days?

Cue music festivals, which typically kick off in the U.S. in March with Texas-based South By Southwest (SXSW), and continue into late October with the almost 20-year-old Voodoo Fest in Louisiana. No matter which event you’re attending, you’re sure to be surrounded by abounding energy and music.

Unsurprisingly, attendees don’t limit themselves to in-person listening. According to Spotify data, fans prep for festival weekends by streaming up a storm, and reminisce afterward with the songs they enjoyed the most—including new favorites—both near the concert venue and back at home.

Take, for example, last year’s Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. Headliners included Chance The Rapper, Arcade Fire, Lorde, and The Killers, as well as Lil Uzi Vert, Tegan and Sara, and Charli XCX. Fans came to Chicago from far and wide—with phones and headphones in tow—streaming altogether 28,755 fan-created Lollapalooza playlists (i.e., any playlist with a name related to Lollapalooza).

In the days leading up to the 26-year-old Chicago festival (which now tours in South America and Europe as well), streams of Lolla playlists spiked around the country. As fans traveled to the Midwest, the spikes moved right along with them, with the location of the streams and spikes centralizing around Chicago during the festival. Check it out:

Lollapalooza 2017 visualization by Erica Leh and Skyler Johnson

But why did the playlists continue to see engagement during the festival? Erica Leh, a data scientist at Spotify, says it’s probably because of people who couldn’t make the event, could only attend one day, or who simply had “FOMO.”

“I think the greatest effects of festivals on streaming are two-fold,” she says. “Before the festival, streaming helps hype up concert-goers and introduces them to new artists they might be interested in seeing. After the festival, it allows attendees to relive their favorite moments, and to stream artists they might not have known before seeing their sets.”

Spotify data analysts Skyler Johnson and Manish Nag discovered that an artist’s streaming numbers spike 24 percent within a 20-mile radius of the venue the week before and after a concert. The potential for a “festival bump,” then, is enormous: There are thousands of people in attendance from all over the country and beyond.

Festival 2017 streaming visualization by Erica Leh

Some festivals, like Moogfest in North Carolina or Georgia-based Shaky Knees, boast high streaming numbers in relatively local areas, while bigger draws like California’s famed Coachella and the Electric Forest festival in Michigan see streaming from coast to coast, in both urban and rural areas.

SXSW, a livestreamed festival that has historically showcased many up-and-coming artists, as well as expert talks, cultural events, and art exhibits, stands out in particular due to its entire-country takeover. “Seeing the way South By Southwest lights up the map is exciting to me, because if livestreaming music events at South By could reach so many fans, livestreaming presentations or talks could, too,” explains Erica. “Showcasing more kinds of content—from videos to podcasts to live streams—can help creators better share their ideas with the world.”

For both fans and artists, the impact of multi-day, multi-artist concerts is as large-scale and long-lasting as the memories of the event itself. Because once the tents are packed up and the grounds are cleared, the discovery of new music continues well after the crowds have gone home.

Lollapalooza 2018 is coming up this weekend, August 2 – 5. Avoid Festival FOMO by streaming one of the top-three Lolla playlists: Maximal House Music, Lollapalooza 2018, or Lollapalooza Chicago 2018!! Looking for a festival you might like based on what you listen to? Look no further.