• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As U.S. Treasury intervened in the bond market, the Netherlands rushed 86 tons of gold out of America because of ‘geopolitical unrest’

2

Current price of silver as of Thursday, September 3, 2026

3

'Critical employees will begin to retire': Trump’s new pay plan will deny most federal roles a raise, and it has workers warning of a retention crunch

1

As U.S. Treasury intervened in the bond market, the Netherlands rushed 86 tons of gold out of America because of ‘geopolitical unrest’

2

Current price of silver as of Thursday, September 3, 2026

3

'Critical employees will begin to retire': Trump’s new pay plan will deny most federal roles a raise, and it has workers warning of a retention crunch
TechSpotify

How Spotify Is Turning Music Streaming Into a Social Experience

By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 20, 2016, 1:30 PM ET
Spotify plans to go public without selling new shares.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

While competing service Deezer was busy raising new money, music streaming company Spotify gobbled up two startups to help it differentiate its product.

The Swedish company has acquired Cord Project and Soundwave, as TechCrunch first reported on a Wednesday and the startups confirmed in separate blog posts. No terms of the deals were disclosed, but Spotify likely didn’t pay very much as the companies only raised $2 million and $3 million in funding, respectively.

Thought it’s not clear what Spotify plans to do with its new acquisitions, it most likely will put them to good use toward the service’s social and communications features. Founded in 2012 in Dublin, Ireland, Soundwave used group messaging and playlists to create a watercooler feel for users to discuss music with others and was downloaded more than 1.5 million times. Cord Project, on the other hand, debuted in late 2014, and let users send and receive short voice messages in a way akin to sending text-based messages back and forth. It amassed more than one million users, the startup says.

While Spotify hasn’t decided yet what will happen to Soundwave, Cord’s mobile app will be shutting down soon.

 

This pair of acquisitions by Spotify are strong hints at how the company not only plans to differentiate itself from the competition (U.S. rival Apple (AAPL) Music is quickly gaining users and paid subscribers), but also how it hopes its music streaming service will evolve. While sending messages to other Spotify users is something already available, Soundwave’s focus around discussions goes nicely with Spotify’s recent partnership with lyrics annotation tool Genius. Music has long been an art that draws people together, through discussion and common appreciation and Spotify clearly wants to help facilitate that. Though Spotify specifically told TechCrunch that doesn’t plan to integrate Cord’s voice messaging into its service, its team’s user interface and design skills are sure to be useful to the Swedish company.

Both startup’s acquisition announcements also mentioned music discovery, an area growing in importance as music streaming services look for ways to continue to be useful to their users.

About the Author
By Kia Kokalitcheva
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Tech


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.