Spotify has become synonymous with new music discovery as the online streaming platform reaches 140 million users worldwide. The brand hopes to become more artist-friendly with Spotify for Artists, an app that gives musicians the data they need to better understand their listeners.

Streaming has seen the playlist surpass the album in how people choose to listen to music, and Spotify is staying ahead of the game with Discover Weekly, which tailors tracks to each user to make exploration effortless. But how personal can an algorithm-made playlist really be?

With the arrival of Apple Music, continued growth of Spotify, and a vinyl revival, it’s clear that the music business is in a state of flux. So how will the way we find, play and share music change in the future? In the first of two reports we see how Spotify and vinyl are shaping the industry.

The success of streaming platforms, podcasts and YouTube show that people are flexible in how they consume music. Knowing that people are open to new ways of listening, Universal Music Group is mentoring startups. Its Accelerator Network aims to discover the 'Spotify of the future'.