Has Spotify, as some have said, helped eradicate music piracy in Sweden?
Lagerlöf: Yes it has. Or to clarify, it has eradicated music piracy almost on its own. Sweden was the home of Pirate Bay. They even had their own political party and made the prime minister in national television declare "Off course the youth shall be able to download music for free".
Three years later, The Pirate Bay is not mentioned by anyone anymore. Spotify is, on the other hand, mentioned by almost everyone - including the old Pirate bay fans.
This did not happen because some new radical law or brutal police force were implemented. Neither because a confused prime minister changed his mind again and embraced the music industry. It all happened simply because the users found a new legal service that they actually thought was much better than the old Piracy one. Now, some time later, when they have
invested their time and effort in making playlists etc. and would like permanent and unlimited access to it - they are starting to pay for music. For the first time in their lives - music is worth paying for.That's the core of the issue. Piracy was faster, better, and easier than any legit offering, so it won. Now, for $5 a month I can hear anything I want instantly with no DRM or glitches.
Spotify is another reason I'm optimistic about the future of the music industry. I was giddier than a twilight fan at a premier when I first tried this service. It's intuitive, simple and it works.
It's a great time to be alive for a music fan.
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