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"Spotify" literally means "put ads on things". It's not obvious to US English speakers but "spot" was ad industry jargon and became the word for "TV commercial

"Spotify" literally means "put ads on things". It's not obvious to US English speakers but "spot" was ad industry jargon and became the word for "TV commercial" in several European languages. It's so gross that this ever slid through as a brand for a music app. We've descended so far...Music app branding started with Wesley Willis jokes!

crazygringo 8mo ago
That's a fun theory but there's no evidence that was their intention with the name... From what they've said, it's about "spotting" and "identifying" music and music trends. But it seems like mostly it was just a somewhat nonsense word that was easy to remember and whose domain name was available. Especially since it's popular as a paid service without ads.
- bbor 8mo ago
  I love random folk etymologies, especially when they posit sinister conspiracies along the way -- thanks for the concise correction. Wikipedia confirms on both counts: According to Ek, the company's title was initially misheard from a name shouted by Lorentzon. Later they conceived a portmanteau of "spot" and "identify". It also kinda blows my mind how common it is to listen to a ton of Spotify without paying, NGL! It just seems like such an absurd value proposition to me, even now as it matures from its growth days. All music??
  - hirako2000 8mo ago
    In any case they have an agreement with copyright holders. Anna Archive does not. IP laws are broken, keep extending protection, and do not prevent distribution exclusivity. I could sell a license to Bob who can sell my arts to you. But I won't give a license to Alice to even be able to enjoy the art for the fee I charged Bob, and I can tell Bob to do the same and not give it away to Alice at any cost. The law would say that's fine, and let's even arrest Bob if he ever sells to Alice.
    - bbor 8mo ago
      Legality is not morality. These laws in particular happen to not only be harmful, but also in direct opposition to the ostensible spirit of this board
      - direwolf20 8mo ago
        This board is a discussion place for founders of YC companies that happens to also be open to the public.
        hirako2000 8mo ago
        And all participants shape that spirit, otherwise that would be a cult.
        selfhoster11 8mo ago
        Good thing that there are some people to counterbalance that, then.
        bbor 8mo ago
        That is its origin, not its nature. Shareholders do not a community make :)
      - hirako2000 8mo ago
        I thought of my comment aligning with that.
- rasjani 8mo ago
  In finnish, if you google for "spotti", first hit leads to "MTV SPOTTI". MTV is local tv channel and "spotti" is their advertisement portal to purchase their ad services. Second hit leads to "crossword puzzle" site that lists the word "spotti" with multiple explanations that refers to advertisement. Of course spotti has other meanings but its a term used for ads.. I do not know the etymology of that word in finnish but Finland and Sweden do share a lot of words , specifically when spoken. So, while "spotify" meaning to add ads, might be fun theory, it does make a lot of sense from nordics point of view..
  - machomaster 8mo ago
    Finnish and Swedish are totally different languages. They are not even in the same language group. Swedish is Scandinavian/Germanic, close to Norwegian, etc (Finland is Nordic, but is not Scandinavian). Finnish is Finno-Ugric, close to Estonian and Hungarian (yes).
asveikau 8mo ago
My first language is US English and I am familiar with that usage of the word "spot", but didn't make the connection to "Spotify" until reading your comment. This reminds me of the phenomenon of imported words being used in another language, but using a less common definitions of the word. For example I'm told "Oldtimer" is a vintage car in German, but most Americans would say it was an older or experienced person. Maybe "Spotify" could also mean something giving you acne.

crazygringo 8mo ago

That's a fun theory but there's no evidence that was their intention with the name... From what they've said, it's about "spotting" and "identifying" music and music trends. But it seems like mostly it was just a somewhat nonsense word that was easy to remember and whose domain name was available. Especially since it's popular as a paid service without ads.

bbor 8mo ago
I love random folk etymologies, especially when they posit sinister conspiracies along the way -- thanks for the concise correction. Wikipedia confirms on both counts: According to Ek, the company's title was initially misheard from a name shouted by Lorentzon. Later they conceived a portmanteau of "spot" and "identify". It also kinda blows my mind how common it is to listen to a ton of Spotify without paying, NGL! It just seems like such an absurd value proposition to me, even now as it matures from its growth days. All music??
- hirako2000 8mo ago
  In any case they have an agreement with copyright holders. Anna Archive does not. IP laws are broken, keep extending protection, and do not prevent distribution exclusivity. I could sell a license to Bob who can sell my arts to you. But I won't give a license to Alice to even be able to enjoy the art for the fee I charged Bob, and I can tell Bob to do the same and not give it away to Alice at any cost. The law would say that's fine, and let's even arrest Bob if he ever sells to Alice.
  - bbor 8mo ago
    Legality is not morality. These laws in particular happen to not only be harmful, but also in direct opposition to the ostensible spirit of this board
    - direwolf20 8mo ago
      This board is a discussion place for founders of YC companies that happens to also be open to the public.
      - hirako2000 8mo ago
        And all participants shape that spirit, otherwise that would be a cult.
      - selfhoster11 8mo ago
        Good thing that there are some people to counterbalance that, then.
      - bbor 8mo ago
        That is its origin, not its nature. Shareholders do not a community make :)
    - hirako2000 8mo ago
      I thought of my comment aligning with that.
rasjani 8mo ago
In finnish, if you google for "spotti", first hit leads to "MTV SPOTTI". MTV is local tv channel and "spotti" is their advertisement portal to purchase their ad services. Second hit leads to "crossword puzzle" site that lists the word "spotti" with multiple explanations that refers to advertisement. Of course spotti has other meanings but its a term used for ads.. I do not know the etymology of that word in finnish but Finland and Sweden do share a lot of words , specifically when spoken. So, while "spotify" meaning to add ads, might be fun theory, it does make a lot of sense from nordics point of view..
- machomaster 8mo ago
  Finnish and Swedish are totally different languages. They are not even in the same language group. Swedish is Scandinavian/Germanic, close to Norwegian, etc (Finland is Nordic, but is not Scandinavian). Finnish is Finno-Ugric, close to Estonian and Hungarian (yes).

asveikau 8mo ago

My first language is US English and I am familiar with that usage of the word "spot", but didn't make the connection to "Spotify" until reading your comment. This reminds me of the phenomenon of imported words being used in another language, but using a less common definitions of the word. For example I'm told "Oldtimer" is a vintage car in German, but most Americans would say it was an older or experienced person. Maybe "Spotify" could also mean something giving you acne.