In the increasingly crowded world of music streaming, Spotify continues to stand tall in the face of competition from giant’s such as Apple.

Today we’re looking at the plucky platform that’s music to the ears of millions of users.

Spot on

Spotify was launched in Sweden in 2008, and released in the US in 2011.

Within two years the service had 10 million users, while as of June 2015 Spotify has over 75 million active users.

Money for nothing

Spotify works on a tiered membership model. It’s free to sign up to Spotify, however users wanting an ad-free experience must pay for the privilege.

There are currently 20 million paid Spotify users globally, and 20,000 new tracks are added every day.

Staying on track

Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry are respectively the most popular male and female artists on Spotify, and Coldplay is the most popular band.

Happy by Pharrell Williams is the most popular song, and I’m Ready by AJR was the most popular track with Australian users in 2014.

For reasons yet to be determined May 30 is the happiest day on Spotify, when users play the most positive and upbeat tracks.

Taking the pulse

Spotify is also an interesting way to take the pulse of global users.

On New Years Eve Abba is the most listened-to artist on Spotify, while on January 1 'Hangover' Playlists are the most popular on the service. 

After Germany’s thumping 7-1 defeat of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup, listening levels soared in Germany while they dived in Brazil – taking several days to return to normal.