--- description: Find out why Spotify was selected for the inaugural list title: TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2021: Spotify image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35eebd1e21e94359/698a18deb3fce351bd0c7db5/spotify-time100-companies.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Apr 27, 2021 # Spotify Betting big on talk by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/) ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Musician Bruce Springsteen and former president Barack Obama record an episode of their Spotify podcast series "Renegades: Born in the USA." Musician Bruce Springsteen and former president Barack Obama record an episode of their Spotify podcast series "Renegades: Born in the USA."Rob DeMartin—Spotify [Spotify](https://time.com/5742626/spotify-wrapped-2019/ "undefined")’s streaming service has transformed how people listen to music; it ended 2020 with 345 million monthly active users and 155 million paying subscribers. It’s now undertaking a massive global expansion, reaching more than 170 markets, and has made a nearly $1 billion investment in podcasting, buying Gimlet. Spotify also spent $235 million last November on Megaphone, a company that makes it easier to sell audio ads. It’s signing up hosts ranging from Meghan Markle to Joe Rogan, and recently unveiled a series of conversations between Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama. Soon, the company [plans to add](https://time.com/5622503/10-questions-spotify-cecilia-qvist/ "undefined") Spotify HiFi, a premium service for users who want CD-quality audio. Spotify Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies/5950004/spotify-innovators/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies/5950004/spotify-innovators/"},"headline":"Spotify","datePublished":"2021-04-27T00:36:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T02:25:51.325Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies/5950004/spotify-innovators/","keywords":["Lists","franchise","TIME100 Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35eebd1e21e94359/698a18deb3fce351bd0c7db5/spotify-time100-companies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"creator":"Raisa Bruner","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt35eebd1e21e94359/698a18deb3fce351bd0c7db5/spotify-time100-companies.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies/5950004/spotify-innovators/","name":"Spotify"}}]}] ```