An innovative new social media music service founded by friends from Stockholm’s Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) is helping to reinforce Stockholm’s reputation as a global music hotspot.

Unlike other Stockholm-based music successes, like Spotify and Soundcloud, Blicko is more tied to physical locations. Blicko enables the visitors of a venue, for example a bar, gym, store or restaurant, to collaboratively build the playlist by using their smartphones. Much like a digital jukebox, the service allows anyone to set up democratic radio stations and others to submit songs to the queue, vote and share music preferences. Music is streamed from services like Spotify, Wimp, Youtube or Soundcloud.

“Our aim is to engage the listeners in the choice of music,” said Jesper Ahlberg, who runs the firm together with Andreas Andrén, Theodor Zettersten.

Ahlberg explained that the idea to create a music service popped up in his mind three years ago while he was at a private university party. Today, the service is offered both to companies – including restaurants and shopping malls – and to consumers.

The company was part of Stockholm Innovation & Growth’s (Sting) incubator program called Fast Forward (first batch), which supports entrepreneurs in building new export-oriented technology. It is also sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark program.

Over the last decade, Stockholm has supplied a seemingly endless procession of bands and music technology firms to the international stage.

Ahlberg speculated that it’s the combination of deep-rooted musical interest and innovative thinking that is the key to Stockholm’s success.

“If you really understand how music affects people, they you also want to create an optimal experience,” he explained. “I see Sweden, and especially Stockholm, as an international music centre.”

Music-tech newswire Evolver.fm wrote that, “Sometimes, it seems like half of Sweden must be developing music apps. Who could blame them, after watching their countrymen turn Spotify into the most-paid-for on-demand music subscription service in the world?”