Not even Apple can touch the Unstoppable Swedes of Spotify. Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify, just announced paid users have grown from 20 million in Summer of 2015 to 30 million in March of 2016. Looks like Apple Music hasn't negatively impacted Spotify's growth one bit.https://twitter.com/eldsjal/status/711927333071036416
Image credit: skype.comCreated by the inventors of file sharing software Kazaa, Skype let's users engage in free instant messaging, video, and audio calls using only an internet connection. Skype has a whopping 30 million users on the platform, often all at the same time.
Image credit: hce-uk.comSwedish Physician Inge Edler, with the help of German Researcher Carl Hertz, created the electrocardiogram - the ultrasound for the heart. This machine is a cornerstone of cardiovascular health in modern medicine.Image Credit: KirakiraoujiAs of January 2008, IKEA became the worlds largest furniture retailer. This company designs and sells furniture that is ready-to-assemble all over the world. The company is now for modern architectural designs and a simplistic, eco-friendly look.
Image credit: heartupdate.comDeveloped by rune Elmqvist in 1958, the first battery-operated pacemaker was created to prevent heart patients from kicking the bucket. The pacemaker is implanted under the skin of the patient and sends electric pulses to make sure that the muscle in the heart contract and expand in a normal rhythm which regulates the heart.
Image credit: washingtonpost.comAstraZenaca is a world leader in manufacturing and developing prescription medication like Prilosec and Nexium. AstraZeneca also discovers and researches life-saving medicine that fights crippling illnesses like gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases.Plus they have all of those fun prescription med commercials where they see how many side effects (including death!) they can cram in into a 30-second spot.
Image credit: searevelfashion.comDeveloped by Gideon Sundbäck, Swedish-American Inventor, in 1913, the zipper was originally called the "separable fastener." The invention was patented in 1917 and was improved upon by featuring teeth that interlock and a slider.Plus, we'll all have really affordable minimalist furniture.Do you Spotify? Have you ever been to Sweden? Why do you think the Swedish are so much more technologically-advanced and better-looking than we are? Image credit: azizonomics.com and featured image credit: latimes.com
New kids on the block
Apple Music, which launched in June of 2015, has added 11 million subscribers since its inception. This is pretty rapid growth in a short amount of time, but Spotify has added 10 million new, paid users in that same amount of time.Spotify is also averaging 10 million new users per year.The only chink in Spotify's armor is its access to exclusive content. Over the last few months, A-List acts like Rihanna, Future, Coldplay, Drake, and Adele have released new content on Tidal and Apple Music. However, these releases have been absent from the Spotify platform.https://twitter.com/chriscast95/status/667722091752501252Should Spotify be freakin' out?
Even though Spotify is experiencing new competition in the streaming industry, it still remains the behemoth among it's biggest competitors, Tidal and Apple Music, which are both born and bred in the U.S.A.In other words, Sweden (yes, Spotify is Swedish) is dominating the streaming music industry.Let's look at a few other ways Sweden is kicking our ass.6 incredible Swedish innovations
1. Skype
Image credit: skype.comCreated by the inventors of file sharing software Kazaa, Skype let's users engage in free instant messaging, video, and audio calls using only an internet connection. Skype has a whopping 30 million users on the platform, often all at the same time.
2. Ultrasound and ECG
Image credit: hce-uk.comSwedish Physician Inge Edler, with the help of German Researcher Carl Hertz, created the electrocardiogram - the ultrasound for the heart. This machine is a cornerstone of cardiovascular health in modern medicine.3. Ikea
Image Credit: KirakiraoujiAs of January 2008, IKEA became the worlds largest furniture retailer. This company designs and sells furniture that is ready-to-assemble all over the world. The company is now for modern architectural designs and a simplistic, eco-friendly look.
4. The pacemaker
Image credit: heartupdate.comDeveloped by rune Elmqvist in 1958, the first battery-operated pacemaker was created to prevent heart patients from kicking the bucket. The pacemaker is implanted under the skin of the patient and sends electric pulses to make sure that the muscle in the heart contract and expand in a normal rhythm which regulates the heart.5. AstraZeneca
Image credit: washingtonpost.comAstraZenaca is a world leader in manufacturing and developing prescription medication like Prilosec and Nexium. AstraZeneca also discovers and researches life-saving medicine that fights crippling illnesses like gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases.Plus they have all of those fun prescription med commercials where they see how many side effects (including death!) they can cram in into a 30-second spot.6. The zipper
Image credit: searevelfashion.comDeveloped by Gideon Sundbäck, Swedish-American Inventor, in 1913, the zipper was originally called the "separable fastener." The invention was patented in 1917 and was improved upon by featuring teeth that interlock and a slider.What's Next: Sweden takes over America and world peace is finally achieved
Plus, we'll all have really affordable minimalist furniture.Do you Spotify? Have you ever been to Sweden? Why do you think the Swedish are so much more technologically-advanced and better-looking than we are? Image credit: azizonomics.com and featured image credit: latimes.com