An innovative investigation of the inner workings of Spotify that traces the transformation of audio files into streamed experience.Spotify provides a streaming service that has been welcomed as disrupting the world of music. Yet such disruption always comes at a price. Spotify Teardown contests the tired claim that digital culture thrives on disruption. Borrowing the notion of “teardown” from reverse-engineering processes, in this book a team of five researchers have playfully disassembled Spotify's product and the way it is commonly understood.Spotify has been hailed as the solution to illicit downloading, but it began as a partly illicit enterprise that grew out of the Swedish file-sharing community. Endorsements.“We live in a world that has changed beyond all recognition. Spotify Teardown is a powerful book exploring the new dimensions of streaming culture.
Think of it as a roadmap to the near future of online media. Streaming has redefined how we consume media, and this excellent investigation into how, and why, we have all changed our media habits is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of media. It's that good!”Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky.“ Spotify Teardown pries open the streaming giant's black box, looking under the service's glossy interfaces, curated playlists, and 'personalized' algorithms to provide an essential analysis that holds lessons not only for music but for digital media writ large. The book traces Spotify's rise from its pirate origins in the Swedish music/tech start-up scene to its current status as a publicly traded global media company enmeshed in a complicated assemblage of ad networks, venture capital investments, and major record label music licenses. This team of creative researchers shows how methodology is the new punk and provides a breakdown of one digital era's biggest players.
The authors show how a company, platform, and metaphor outline the changing standards, values, and politics that 'map and shape the lives of streaming users.' ”Jeremy MorrisAssociate Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison; author of Selling Digital Music, Formatting Culture.“Employing a unique set of methods to study a streaming giant, Spotify Teardown provides an important investigation into the potential impacts of new media platforms on artists, culture, and the creative economy.”David TouveSenior Director, iLab, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia.“A highly entertaining tale. You'll learn about: music spam, what constitutes a 'play,' the mysterious power of 'a better algorithm,' and mostly how venture capital and marketing hype have built an experiment with no exit.”Geoffrey JenningsRainy Day Books.
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