Records of the first ever music streaming service began in 1999 when Napster piqued the interest of many. Music was allowed to be shared by listeners on the Internet (and years later, could be taken on-the-go). Conflict of copyright issues erupted, and many questioned this new technology.
Since the creation of Napster, several music streaming services have been developed. Musicians and music companies have found the positives and negatives of streaming music. While streams have shown to profit more money, sales for physical artwork (CDs, vinyl, etc.) have decreased.
Napster launched on June 1, 1999 as an audio-sharing website. It allowed users to share MP3 files with other users. It quickly experienced controversy when the website was accused of allowing copyrighted music to be pirated online. Napster ceased operations in 2002 before going through several purchases and rebranded in May 2022.
Spotify was founded in Sweden on April 23, 2006. According to Business Insider, Spotify is one of the top-five best music streaming services. It allows users to search for artists, albums, and tracks while creating one's own playlist for any occasion. Users can also search for other user's playlists and profiles. The platform offers user-generated playlists, podcasts and many genres to select from.
SoundCloud is an audio-sharing platform that allows users to upload and enable listeners to stream content. Founded in August 2007 in Sweden, it was not launched until October 2008. Initially, the platform would be for musicians to collaborate and discuss recordings. It quickly became music distribution platform it is today, challenging the likes of MySpace.
Formerly known as WiMP, Tidal was launched on October 28, 2014 and then purchased in January 2015. Controlled by Project Panther Bidco and rapper, Jay-Z, Tidal was transformed into the streaming app that it is today, as another top-five streaming service. In comparison to other streaming services, Tidal provided exclusive music content before other services. Many artists that appear on the app also serve as co-owners including, Beyoncé, Daft Punk, Rihanna, Madonna, and Jason Aldean.
Passing 10 million subscribers in only six months after its launch, Apple Music earned its place on the top-five streaming service list. It now has 98 million subscribers as of February 2022. Users have the ability to stream over 90 million songs to their iOS and Android devices. The service offers curated playlists and three live 24-hour radio stations.
As another top-five streaming service on Business Insider's list, YouTube Music launched on November 12, 2015 as an extension to the already popular YouTube website. In 2018, the platform became a separate subscription to serve as a competitor to Apple Music and Spotify.