Spotify abandoning P2P in favor of a more traditional dedicated architecture
When the music service Spotify debuted in 2008 it made use of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology to deliver songs and since then it has been technological workhorse for millions of subscribers; however, the company will soon be phasing out that model for centralized servers.
According to a TorrentFreak report, the music streaming site Spotify announced the phasing out of its P2P technology in favor of a more traditional architecture of centralized servers. The Swedish company took the opportunity to mention that switching will make it easier to develop a family service plan where several people from the same household can enjoy their music regardless of what others are listening to.
This move became clear after the company said in a statement that it has increased central server capacity dramatically over the last few months and that in the future it will use this to stream music to users.
P2P technology has served Spotify really well in the company’s fledgling days as the technology has a low cost–as it utilizes customer’s bandwidth and computing to quicken delivery. In fact, Spotify is one of the largest Internet P2P networks. In 2011, 80 percent of the service’s traffic was through P2P networking. When subscribers of the service play a track from the desktop client, the audio stream comes from three sources: a cached file on the computer, one of Spotify’s servers, or from other subscribers through P2P.
But as the company has grown in size and popularity, Spotify feels the technology is no longer enough. Alison Bonny, Communication Director, Europe, said the following about the selection:
“We’re gradually phasing out the use of our desktop P2P technology which has helped our users enjoy their music both speedily and seamlessly,” she said. “We’re now at a stage where we can power music delivery through our growing number of servers and ensure our users continue to receive a best-in-class service.”
Spotify recently announced it will be offering unlimited free music on mobile devices based on the Android and the iOS platform and to desktop users. The cloud music streaming provider also making itself more affordable for students by offering its premium service at 50 percent off.
A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:
Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
