Kygo breaks Spotify record for fastest rise in streaming industry

Electronic artist Kygo has become the fastest artist to hit 1 billion streams on Spotify, capping a phenomenal year for him, the music site said Thursday. The Norwegian DJ, a key figure in the tropical house genre that has won a growing following, reached the billion-mark in a little more than a year. Kygo's first major solo release came in December 2014 -- "Firestone," a mellow dance track that gradually builds to the vocals of Australian singer Conrad Sewell. He later followed up the success with the track "Stole the Show." While hailing Kygo on his own merits, Spotify cited his success as an example of the possibilities of streaming, which offers unlimited, on-demand music online. Spotify, the leading streaming site, has faced accusations from a number of artists that it pays back too little for musicians to earn a living. The Swedish company said that it quickly identified Kygo and cooperated closely with his label, Sony's electronic-oriented Ultra Music. Spotify said it first worked to promote "Firestone" in Europe before launching a global push to acquaint its users with Kygo. "We knew when we signed him that he had a fanatical following, and we were really able to harness that with the support of Spotify as a global partner on the project," Toby Andrews, head of electronic music marketing for Sony Music International, said in a statement.