Spotify Isn't iTunes

There's been a great deal of buzz surrounding Spotify's valuation based on their latest round of funding - rumored between 3.5-4 billion depending on your source. Various articles have been written on what this means for about the company, who/what the potential sources for the funding are, and how Spotify stacks up against iTunes. Business Insider's article, entitled "Actually, 3.5 Billion For Spotify Isn't COMPLETELY Insane" compares the growth of Spotify this past year to the growth of iTunes… this past year. The Insider explains "But Spotify seems to be growing revenue at about 200% (3x) per year, which means that it could reach $1 billion a year in revenue by 2013 if all things remain stable. Apple's download revenue is growing only about 40% per year." If all things remain stable? They are comparing iTunes, a business launched over a decade ago that is part of the most valuable company in the world, a brand that marries software and hardware unlike any other, to a music streaming service that hasn't had the same model for more than a year and launched in the US less than a year ago. It's not fair to either company.