The Playlist (2022) s01e03 Episode Script
The Law
1
[upbeat music]
[Petra] Okay, so you've heard about
Daniel Ek and his dream.
and you've heard about the struggles of
Per Sundin and the music business
and how they saw
that Spotify could save them.
But if you really thought
it was that simple?
Think again.
Remember, the one thing
music execs hate, is change.
And the one thing tech guys hate,
is compromise.
Somebody had to figure out what
the hell this new universe looks like.
That was me. I was the missing link.
Believe me, it wasn't easy.
but sometimes, the only thing you
can do is to write your own chorus.
Heard you won again,
everybody's talking about you.
Everybody already knows how
these trials will end, it's nothing new.
It's kind of like that movie,
what's it called? "Groundhog Day" I think.
Wish my Mondays were that great.
The CEO loves you.
You're gonna be partner, I'm sure of it.
You know what you need to do?
Let loose and go out. Celebrate.
Shake it up a little. Okay?
Trust me, it'll be too
late when you're changing diapers
and picking up your
kids from kindergarten.
I'm coming.
I don't get how he
can't make it before five.
Hey, promise me you won't go back
to the office, okay?
Get out, party. Whatever.
- We'll see.
- Ciao!
- Here's the contract you asked me to print
- Oh cool, excellent! Would you mind
- putting these files in my office?
- Yeah.
- I'll take a look at the contract later.
- Don't forget the meeting. He's been
- waiting a while now.
- See you in a couple of weeks.
Very good.
Petra?
[upbeat music]
I'm going to have to reschedule
that meeting for later in the week okay?
Okay! Yeah, that's fine.
Ah, Petra. Good.
Congratulations on another success.
- Well played, really well done.
- Thanks.
The bosses at Petterson are calling
me and begging me for mercy now.
Okay Who were you talking to just now?
Maxine Silverson.
From the Sony Music office in New York.
They have a modest ten million dollar
budget for legal expenses. How about that?
Does that mean we're representing
a record company?
Yes, exactly.
That's right.
The record companies
finally decided to fight back
and they've asked us to basically
sniff out every little internet service
that uses their music illegally.
And who are you going
to give the assignment to sir?
It's a very interesting
and complex area of law. I'm thinking
it has to be someone
who can handle that type of case.
Yes, exactly. But the
thing is, they want a senior partner.
[boss] Yes, Carl
[suspense music]
Petra.
[assistant] Petra Ah
Do you need anything for the meeting?
What meeting Linda?
Martin Lorentzon. He refuses to leave.
Oh wait, what was that about again?
Spotify. Eh
- The start-up thing? Is he still there?
- Yeah and he's coming over now.
- Okay, you have to cancel it right now.
- I can't, he's very persistent
- Tell him I'll meet him next week.
- [Martin] Petra, hey!
- Yeah, hi.
- We have a meeting booked.
Yeah we did, unfortunately,
there's been a double booking,
Linda will reschedule for you,
so we can meet
Oh no it won't take long.
I just want to give
you a glimpse of our plans.
We're a streaming service
as you probably know.
I do, but this law firm doesn't
work with companies at risk of being sued.
No, no one will be sued.
We're gonna get the music
rights and become the first
fully legal streaming
service in the world.
- A fully legal streaming service?
- Yep!
Okay I'm sorry,
what did you say your name was?
Martin Lorentzon. I founded Tradedoubler
and now I'm building Spotify.
We already have a
couple of record companies as clients
so I can't represent you
without creating a conflict of interest.
No, you don't understand,
we don't want you to represent us.
Then what can I do for you?
I want to hire you.
As our lawyer. Full time.
You'd be working for us at Spotify,
negotiating and drafting our agreements
with the music industry.
Mm. Uh Okay.
You want me to quit one
of Scandinavia's top law firms
to go work at a start-up
that nobody has heard of?
- Yes!
- [laughs] Okay.
- Thanks for the laugh, it's been a while.
- Of course.
But this is way too crazy for me, okay?
No offence.
But crazy is good!
Crazy can be good.
Believe me. Here, take my card.
Come by the office and just look
at the player. That's all I ask.
[mid-tempo music]
[Martin] Bye!
- Hello! You ready for drinks?
- Hi! Yeah, how about you?
Hmm mh.
Hey, listen,
I think the boss has some news.
What kind of news?
- You're making partner.
- He's going to say that now?
- I think so!
- Are you positive?
Do I have anything between my teeth?
Not a bit.
- [indistinct chatter]
- Thank you!
Hello, glad you came Petra.
- Cheers ladies.
- Thank you!
[boss] Attention everyone!
Well, we've had a good year, yeah?
Many of you have shown
that Smith Ardehn is at the forefront,
especially our Corporate Commercial group.
Great job, well done!
[clapping]
- So was that the big news?
- Just hold on.
[boss] You know they
say you shouldn't talk about
decisions that haven't been formally
confirmed at the board meeting,
but good news is good news right?
We have a new junior partner.
Petra Hansson, welcome!
[clapping]
- Congrats! This is amazing
- Thank you!
Petra, congratulations!
Wow I can't believe it.
How does it feel?
Amazing. Thank you!
- Thanks.
- This is great.
- So happy for her.
- I'm so proud of you.
- Mm.
- You deserve it.
Guys I'll just Yeah, see you soon.
[mid-tempo music]
Yes, absolutely! Of course.
- Congratulations! Great job.
- Well, thank you for your trust.
It was actually an easy decision
considering the tremendous performance
you've shown us this year. Fantastic!
- Thank you so much!
- Welcome aboard.
- Yes, thank you.
- Well deserved.
Glad to hear that.
Well, I feel ready for the record company.
- [chuckles] For what?
- Well
I knew the minute I
saw Maxine Silverson here that
you were going to give me that case.
- Right.
- [chuckles] Okay.
And what didn't you understand about
the "junior" part of junior partner?
- Partner is partner, right?
- And junior is junior.
And just so you know, if there's one thing
senior partners don't appreciate, it's
a junior partner who doesn't
understand and/or respect hierarchy.
Okay? Cheers, welcome aboard.
Thanks!
Guys? Who wants to go to
a soccer game this weekend?
- [soft music]
- [background laughter]
[boss] Sorry, did I say guys?
[laughter]
[suspenseful music]
[indistinct chatter]
[footsteps]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
[man2] Yes!
[man3] Thanks.
[whirring sound]
[indistinct chatter]
Excuse me?
- Can I help you with something?
- No, no need. Don't worry.
Are you here to meet someone, or?
Yes, I was supposed to meet Martin
Lorentzon, but I don't think he's here.
Oh yeah, Martin's here.
Follow me, I'll take you.
Hmm.
[Sophia] He's right over here.
Uhm yeah. By the way, I'm Sophia.
- Are you Martin's assistant?
- No, I'm the global marketing manager.
[background noise]
And who are you?
- Hold that.
- Whoa! Uhm
[yelps] That's not okay!
No, of course
Sorry, come with me. Sorry about that.
They mean no harm. [laughs]
- Dope power suit!
- Do I have a mark here now?
- Oh, no, I think you're good.
- Thanks.
Martin, you have a visitor.
- Petra!
- Hi!
- You came!
- Yes, I survived the walk to your office.
[laughs] That's great!
I see you met Sophia. She's brilliant!
She's got everybody talking about Spotify.
She knows all of Stockholm.
So
In there, we have
Daniel Ek, our CEO and my co-founder.
- I didn't know you had a co-founder.
- I do, he's a genius.
He just has a hard time compromising
with the music industry.
But you know
Maybe every genius
needs a little guidance.
It depends.
That's why we need you here, right?
You're going to meet a real hero. Come on.
Niklas, Petra.
Niklas here has
handled the negotiations so far.
- Hi. Niklas.
- Petra.
He knows all about you. [chuckles]
Yeah, I think he's a
little star struck right now.
It looks like you have a negotiator,
so you don't really need me.
We do need you, believe me. Been
wrestling with the record companies alone
for far too long.
So you are more than needed.
Welcome.
[chuckles]
- We're old childhood friends, actually.
- Are you going to show me this player?
- Mm.
- Of course. Over here.
- Nice meeting you.
- Meet Andreas Ehn and Ludvig Strigeus.
The super geniuses behind
the beta application we've created.
- Hey! Andreas.
- Hi! Petra.
- Ludvig.
- I'm Petra, nice to meet you.
So, Sophia is brilliant,
Daniel is a genius, Niklas is a hero,
Andreas and Ludvig are also geniuses.
So do you have anyone who might be
I don't know, just normal?
Ehm No.
Why don't you try the player yourself.
Here.
[sharp swoosh sound]
[soft music]
But how but?
Wait a minute It's playing, how come?
It's supposed to download
[soft music]
This is unbelievable!
[soft music]
Okay, wow. I'm super impressed.
Want a coffee?
No. I think I'll sit here
and listen to music.
But okay. Wow.
I'm almost a little shocked.
This is really
How did you make it look so pretty too?
[sharp swoosh sound]
But what's the plan
if they won't give you the rights?
Because you know
Martin, the record companies will do
everything they can to stop this.
- They want to crush the digital market.
- Yes, we know.
And that's why you're here,
that's why we want to hire you, Petra.
Yes, but how long can you afford that?
Six months? A year, if you're lucky.
Martin, negotiating with record companies,
it's a bit like getting water-boarded.
Hmm.
You know, the purpose is to like drag it
out until you're completely exhausted
and disgusted and you just
beg and plead for it to be over.
So, how long do
you think it will take before
your investors give it up and I have to
crawl back and ask for my old job back?
We have no investors.
I'm the money.
Listen, I'm prepared to put all the money
I made in Tradedoubler into this.
Now, look. This probably looks like
a start-up to you.
- Please, of course it does, like a lot.
- Yes! And it is, absolutely.
But it's not just any start-up.
Because it's the only start-up that has
a budget that covers legal costs.
And that's how we'll negotiate
with the record companies.
You've worked in organizations that have
operated in creative fields, haven't you?
You've represented musicians.
No, not quite, but
- Yeah, you're a genius.
- [laughs]
You're amazing. You took
You graduated top
of your class in law school
Hm? You did a master's,
a two-year master's in one year.
- One and a half, to be precise.
- Look at that.
It often takes eight years to become a
partner, you became a partner in five.
We want to turn the whole industry
upside down, Petra.
You have a chance to be part a part
of the new chapter in music history.
To create something.
The only thing we need right now,
is someone who's passionate
about the cause and knows the law.
We both know that you're the right person
in the right place, right now.
How many songs do you have on that server?
All of them.
You cannot have all the songs on it.
Yes. All of them.
Excuse me please guys,
do you mind if I try it again.
Yeah. Here you go.
Thank you, very much.
[mid-tempo music]
[Martin laughs]
[mid-tempo music]
That's my starting salary.
Ow, that hurts!
You can tell the genius in there that from
now on, I'm in charge of the legalities.
Okay.
[mid-tempo music]
- Thank you very much.
- Thanks.
- Bye. Goodbye.
- Take care.
Thank you.
Thanks.
[mid-tempo music]
Do you really think
it's realistic to launch is in four weeks?
- Yeah.
- Do you know something I don't know?
Because getting the licenses
for the music will take longer than that.
But I had to say something, right?
The coders have been ready for months,
We need to keep the buzz going.
- The buzz?
- Yes. Does anyone have any money?
Yeah, we have the technology.
Everything is in place. Thank you.
We just have to keep everyone believing.
Absolutely. Everything's in
place except for one thing
Daniel, the music
is owned by the record companies.
Yeah. And now they wanna talk to us.
No, they wanna demand
royalties until we collapse
just like they do
with all other digital start-ups.
That's the thing, we shouldn't have
to pay any royalties. We're a platform.
It's not like Google pays for
every page they pull up.
But I feel like you
don't understand what I mean.
- Niklas, help me!
- I hear what you're saying.
Please help me,
you have to help me, please.
I get what you're saying. You're saying
they won't budge, but neither will we.
We are the future Petra,
we make the rules now.
And if they don't get it, well, they can
keep getting fucked by Pirate Bay, right?
[laughs]
- Are you guys done now so we can?
- Yeah! We are totally done.
Maybe I'll put the can away.
[laughter]
- Aven?
- Hi, Petra.
- Will you be joining us?
- Yeah.
- Hey.
- Good to see you!
- Yeah, you too.
- Please have a seat.
Hello. Hi.
Hi.
[rustling sound]
Welcome.
- Thank you.
- Thank you!
I am Maxine Silverson,
a senior adviser to the CEO.
And we really
love the BETA-version of Spotify.
- That's great to hear.
- Yeah.
I really think that there's
something special about it.
[Niklas] The first thing to say
is that Spotify is a new model.
It's about access
I cannot believe it.
[Petra] Sitting right
there with Ken Parks.
The attack dog.
He knows every comma, period
and semicolon in the law.
He'll smash you in the head
with a law book until you beg for mercy.
And you just wish
that he was on your side.
I'm sorry?
[Maxine] These are our fees, Daniel.
As I said, we really like
your new music client,
and we would love to work with you, but
If you want to get access to our music,
these are our fees.
And for new clients,
we usually ask for upfront payment.
Upfront?
[Maxine] Yeah, upfront.
Niklas just explained, we have
Do you know how many music
start-ups I've sat with?
In rooms just like this one.
Hundreds.
You know what I haven't heard?
A single one who has a clue
about how they're gonna turn a profit.
- We just explained that.
- Talking about your shitty ad revenue?
For a website that has zero users? And
which you're not charging for our music?
I know what you're gonna say,
"This is a new era.
Google doesn't pay
for the sites it displays."
You know what I say to that?
You're building a business
on the back of our hard work.
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen,
Elvis Presley, Michael fucking Jackson
You want me to rip them off?
Just hand over their music,
so you can make a fucking fortune?
I believe in sustainability.
Is this a sustainable business model?
I don't think so.
You know what, this is bullshit.
Your music is being shared
and stolen every single day.
- Daniel!
- No, listen.
Those artists that you claim to
protect, you say it's for them.
Do you think they're
happy with the situation right now?
You're losing billions every single year,
we come here with a solution,
and this is how you treat us?
If this is your attitude,
no wonder the music business is dying.
You deserve to go down. Fucking dinosaurs.
[footsteps]
I'm sorry.
[door clicks]
[chuckles]
[door closes]
[Ken] The world is changing.
but that doesn't mean you get to break
the cookie jar and take whatever you want.
But we know what we do,
and we know what our music is worth.
But if you want to share, start a nursery.
You want music?
Pay.
[tense music]
That's the year these were last reviewed.
The same year Britney had her first hit.
And only like four people
had heard of the internet
You think you'll get away
with this forever?
[tense music]
You can't use old law for new times.
See you next time.
[Petra] Daniel, we need to go over our
strategy for these meetings.
What? Why?
Because it doesn't work for you to
berate everyone that we need on our side.
[Daniel] So, fuck getting
them on our side then!
If they don't get it, or just
don't want to, well then fuck them.
Want some coffee?
[Niklas] Yes, please.
- Everyone thinks we are about to launch.
- Yeah and we will.
We can't launch without licenses,
that's stupid.
If they won't give us the music,
then we'll just have to take it!
What are they going to do about it?
Not a fucking thing. It's simple.
I don't you'll you'll find it so simple
afterwards when you have to pay damages
for the rest of your life.
Now, listen Daniel.
For these people, there is no music.
There's only ownership and rights.
There's publishing, digital rights.
There's rights over masters,
mechanical rights
Mechanical rights?
A special license for those self-playing
pianos they had in the Wild West.
I'm not a self-playing piano.
You know what?
According to the law, you actually are.
- All good with the accountant?
- Yes, we've just run into a few obstacles.
I've been put on temporary
trading suspension for at least a year.
- What did you just say?
- What?
Wait, hold on a second. Tradedoubler
is what keeps this place afloat.
Yes, that's right.
But I had to sell a bit more
than I thought and [chuckles]
Well, I risk being
accused of stock dumping.
We can't talk about this here.
Let's go to one of the other rooms. Okay?
Okay.
We just need a sponsor
and the launch party
is gonna be so fucking great.
[Daniel] Hmm, cool.
Word's already out,
I think people are getting excited.
[Daniel] Well done! Good job!
- It's going to be awesome!
- That's great!
Thanks!
[sighs]
Okay, and about how long do we have left?
- If we're lucky, four, five
- [Petra] Months?
No. Weeks.
I know, it's my fault.
We have four weeks to launch.
I'll get the money.
How did the meeting go?
Ask Daniel, he snapped and told the
head lawyer at Sony to go to hell.
- [Daniel] No, I didn't.
- [Petra] You did.
- No, not directly.
- Daniel
Please! I get so fucking tired of these
people who think they know everything.
- [Martin] So what the hell do we do?
- We obviously have to compromise.
- No way.
- [Petra] Would you rather
- sacrifice the company instead?
- We won't sacrifice, we have a strategy.
And that strategy isn't working, Daniel.
Here's the thing,
when you brought me in as a lawyer,
you wanted someone
who could get the licenses.
We'll never get the
licenses acting like this.
It's crucial to be the adults in the room,
and not some whiny kids.
We need to show the industry
that we've bring solutions.
I know these people!
I've worked with them.
I know how they work. I need to be in
charge of conversation when we negotiate.
Whatever you need to get the deal
done, Petra, do it.
Well to begin, we want to ignore Sony
for now, and focus on other companies.
We have Universal, Warner, EMI.
We just need to get one of these companies
over and the others will come themselves.
[Niklas]
Then I think we should focus on Warner.
I looked at the results
of last year's CPR.
There's no other company that's been
hit as hard by piracy as Warner.
If anyone needs this
deal, it's clearly them.
[Daniel] Perfect.
Good, Niklas. And one more thing, Niklas
and I will take care of that meeting.
[soft music]
[sighs]
Okay.
[phone rings]
[phone ringing]
Hey Aven, I was
just about to go out to lunch.
[Aven] I brought you some.
Wait, you're here now?
Hi.
[indistinct chatter]
Okay
Hi! It's so good to see you.
- Hello!
- Hi. Okay, so sorry! Gosh. Sit down.
- Lively Ouch, what the fuck?
- So nice that you came.
- Take the toys outside.
- Ah sure. Yes, sure.
[sighs]
So this is the place
you left your nice job at Smith for?
Don't take this the wrong way,
but the meeting with Sony
Why didn't they let you run the
negotiations? That was embarrassing.
It was, I agree. But now it's sorted.
I'm handling negotiations from now on.
Okay. I hope so. He's tough, Ken Parks.
I really wouldn't want to be
in your position.
So Well, it may not seem like it, but
these guys are doing something really big.
It's gonna change the music industry.
I promise you.
Look. Why do you think the boss
put me in that meeting?
He's furious you left, he'll do anything
to make sure you don't get a deal.
He's already contacted half of
Stockholm's record companies.
He's also an idiot.
Petra you can't win this.
I mean the best you can do
is come back before it's too late.
You sure about that?
You know damn well the record companies
would never let go of their music.
- I guess we'll see.
- Mhm. Okay.
Besides, it's a lot of fun here.
Fun? Are you a lawyer
or some kind of daycare worker?
- Petra. Can we talk?
- Yeah.
Mm. What is it?
- Warner wants to meet with us.
- Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
- I'm sorry, but I have to go.
- What? We haven't finished lunch
Yeah, I know.
And I have an appointment that I,
that I completely forgot about and
- Alright.
- I'm totally sorry, but
- I'll clean up.
- Hey, thanks a lot for the sushi.
Okay, it was too short this time
but see you again soon.
- Don't forget what I told you. I mean it.
- I won't.
- Petra.
- Yeah?
- Check this out.
- What's this?
Something Andreas
and I have been working on.
And what is it?
User statistics.
- Can I take this with me?
- Hmm mh.
Thank you. See you later.
[indistinct chatter]
[elevator door opens]
What the fuck?
Daniel, what are you doing here?
- Thought I'd join the meeting.
- Didn't we agree on this?
I won't say a word, I promise.
You do the talking.
Okay.
[door clicks]
Daniel!
We have an opening with Warner now!
We don't have time to wait, Daniel.
A paywall? A fucking paywall?
Well we needed to come up with something
new, and they listened, didn't they?
I swear, for as long as I live, not a
single song will be behind a paywall.
Come on Daniel!
Daniel, you have to give them something.
You can't just take all the songs
and then give nothing back.
[footsteps]
[indistinct chatter]
Hi.
[indistinct chatter]
[Martin] What happened?
[Martin] Okay so, what's going on?
[Daniel] Remember that meeting I
wasn't supposed to be at,
[Daniel] Petra has told all the
record companies that she should have
this fucking paywall service.
[Daniel] She undermines
me at these meetings
[Daniel] and so do you!
[Daniel] You're trying to sell a product
Andreas. Do you have a moment?
- [Andreas] What's up?
- Uhm
Why don't you come with me
to Daniel's office.
- Bring your laptop.
- Okay.
Why?
I wanted to show them that thing
you and Ludvig have been working on.
Which thing?
The user statistics.
Uhm [clears throat]
[Andreas] These are our user statistics.
On the left, you can see an artist's
stats, data from yesterday.
And on the right is the data for today.
You can see live how a song is trending
and what songs people prefer,
and how we can help them find
what they're looking for.
It's a functionality I thought would take
a while to implement, but it was quick.
This gives record companies a
whole new insight into their own market.
Do you realize how powerful
that is in negotiations?
[Daniel] This feature is for the users.
And the artists.
- Look, Daniel
- Spotify belongs to them.
Well the problem is, it's not the
users and the artists who own the music.
I will not give this data to the record
companies and I will not accept a paywall!
Paywall? No, that doesn't work.
We won't get
a single user from Pirate Bay to our side.
Okay well, how the hell were you
planning on paying the musicians?
If people are willing to
pay for beer and candy,
they can be willing to pay for music.
I'm absolutely convinced that you'd want
to pay for something better than piracy.
If people were as willing to pay for music
like beer and candy, they'd do it. Then
we won't be here.
And frankly Petra, I don't
think that you get the point.
We're a tech company, we don't
want to be the music industry.
I'm not interested in
giving them a fucking thing!
What I want is their
product on our platform.
That's it!
You are in the music industry,
you have been since you
came up with the whole idea of Spotify. If
you can't see that, then I'm sorry to say
I think you're in the
wrong fucking industry!
It's not a part of Spotify's vision to
work for the record labels, is it?
[Martin]
It's not part of your vision, Daniel.
[tense music]
There are a lot of people
working to make this happen.
And they've put an incredible
amount of effort into Spotify.
If it takes a little
compromise to make this happen,
then that's what we have to do, right?
I will handle all the negotiations
from now on.
[tense music]
Okay.
Well then in that case, I guess I don't
have much more to add. And, I guess
I jumped on board because I thought
we were building something long-term.
Because I thought it was fun,
because I really thought that this,
this was something really good.
That it was smart, that it was intuitive.
But if you refuse to listen, then
Then I don't even know what I'm
doing here. Sorry, but I'm done.
No, we are listening. Right, Daniel?
Daniel!
[tense music]
[Petra] I'll send you the agreements
and files I started later.
- [Martin] Petra, you have a contract
- Come on, please Martin.
You can't even pay my salary.
[indistinct chatter]
[soft music]
Save me ♪
Somebody save me ♪
Save me, somebody save me ♪
I promised myself
After the last romance ♪
That I won't give it a second chance ♪
They said you seek, you're sure to
Find and I know how true that is ♪
Cos the closer I get to you baby ♪
You're driving me clean out of my mind ♪
I say save me ♪
Somebody, save me ♪
Anybody save me ♪
Somebody save me ♪
Those who love always give the most ♪
[Petra] Carl.
Together from coast to coast ♪
Love makes me cold and hurt inside ♪
Hi, Linda.
These tears of ours are justified
Begging ya to save me ♪
- Welcome Petra.
- Thank you.
A lot of us here at the office
are happy to see you again.
That's nice to hear.
This little excursion you went on
shows in itself that you
have initiative and flexibility.
And that that can be good.
But at the same time, it was good
you realized your mistake, Petra.
Those startups, they rarely succeed.
So, having said that,
here's the plan I have for you.
You're going to take over
the Corporate Commercial group
and Aven and her group
are going to work under you.
And, of course,
you will also be entitled to
the annual bonus as a full senior partner.
- Senior?
- Yeah. You're worth it, Petra.
- Can I think about it?
- No.
You may not do that.
You're not gonna fuck me over twice.
If you're not here after
the board meeting, well
I really hope you understand
the gravity of this.
- I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow.
- You will? Good.
- Thanks.
- Bye.
[footsteps]
Thanks.
- Cheers!
- Cheers!
Hmm.
Ew, what the hell is this, Niklas?
This is a very unusual Belgian beer.
That some monks brewed in a
monastery with a very secret recipe.
- Yeah, okay.
- [Niklas laughs]
You've only come here to get me drunk
and then persuade me to come back.
Admit it. That's what this is.
No. I'm a good enough negotiator to
know I can't talk you into coming back.
[laughs]
And I also know that Daniel can be
a really stubborn bastard.
But, I know he'll come around.
He just needs some time.
We don't have time.
And he knows that, he does. Jesus, Petra.
He knows exactly what kind of mess
we're in. Huh?
That's why we need you.
Or I need you. I can't do this by myself.
I think it's crazy out there.
But I'm positive that there must be a
right way to do this, Niklas.
I mean on the one hand,
there's Daniel with
his wild west fantasies
where he'll screw every musician and
probably go bankrupt within six months.
And on the other hand, the record
companies want to control everything
and stop every new idea
regarding music consumption in the future.
The whole world is
inevitably going digital.
And pretty soon, all music
will end up on these platforms.
That I'm sure of it.
[indistinct chatter]
There has to be a
way to launch this platform.
It's just so frustrating
that I can't think of it.
Thanks.
[footsteps]
Hmm Great.
- Good morning, sorry I'm late.
- Would you mind shutting the door?
- Yep.
- Yeah, uhm
Oh gosh, I'm sorry!
Go ahead and sit down.
Welcome everyone now to our
ninth board meeting. Specifically special
welcome to you, Petra Hansson, who
Oh fuck! Sorry!
Excuse me I inherited
this from my grandmother and,
well, it's She's dead, so
I care about it, thank you very much?
Thank you. I'm sorry.
Petra, can we keep going?
Absolutely. I apologize,
I'm so sorry. It just
[boss] Okay. As you can see here,
we have a lot to discuss, more than we
have time to devote to the meeting,
this morning. So, let's
start with point number one
- Excuse me!
- [boss] Petra!
[footsteps]
Hi! Hey! Niklas. Come with me.
What the hell?
- Hi. Come with me to Daniel's office.
- What's up?
[Martin] Absolutely.
[Daniel] Other companies take
some time to make the money
- [Sophia] Petra? Hi.
- [Daniel] Petra?
- Hi. Sorry to interrupt your meeting.
- What are you doing here?
I just I'd like to present something.
Here, Daniel, you take this.
What is it?
You will basically just start making your
own necklace. Come on, go ahead.
- Petra, seriously?
- Yes! Here you go, guys So, uh
Please, we don't have
time for this, I just
This here, is an album.
This is also an album.
And every bead is a song or a stream.
But maybe I don't want
a monochrome necklace.
I'll just keep one bead from there,
and then maybe I'll
take one bead from here,
then maybe I'll take one from here,
then I'll take the yellow one there
Then maybe I'll take
- No, that's depressing, I won't take that.
- [Martin laughs]
This one puts me in a good mood.
It just makes me feel like this
- Alive now!
- [Martin laughs]
- What's the point of all this?
- I'm coming to that.
All these beads can be used
as many times
as you like for different necklaces.
- [Sophia chuckles]
- Oh my God, Sophia! Wow!
Look at this playlist we have right here,
made from great songs that were previously
only available in separate albums.
- I don't get this, playlists aren't new.
- No, they aren't.
- Unfortunately, I'm going to cut this one.
- No! You're not!
Why not?
- Because it's mine.
- You want to keep it?
- Yes.
- Why though?
Because it's nice,
because it's mine, because I made it.
Ah ha! You want to keep it because you
made it? Because it's yours?
Because it might even feel a bit unique
and special and even personal?
This here is a playlist
that a user has spent hours creating.
That user who spent hours on it will
pay to keep this one and create new ones.
- Seriously?
- Yes.
You came here to say that
Spotify should be a paid service, again?
No, Daniel. Spotify is free.
But what we charge for is Spotify Premium.
- Premium?
- Yes.
You've been right all along,
Spotify should be free.
We should give our users
access to the full catalog,
otherwise, we'll lose them
to the pirates and we
we don't want that, we
want to keep our users, right?
But that doesn't stop us from
being able to charge for certain elements.
You should get paid for the fantastic work
You all do here daily.
You, and you, and you,
what you're doing here,
we're going to charge for that.
The music won't be put behind a paywall,
but some parts of the technology will be.
[Niklas] Yeah, that's fucking great.
So we keep a free membership level
to attract new users.
Exactly, Niklas!
That's exactly how we should be thinking.
You haven't paid for it yet.
Let's create a hybrid.
We're give the same freedom
as the pirates, so access for all,
but then, we're use Andreas and Ludvig's
brilliant technology to sharpen
the benefits of the Premium service,
so that eventually,
everyone will want to pay for it.
Our end game will be to get
as many people as possible
over to the paying subscription.
I might come back if we're doing this.
This is taking the business
in a fucking dangerous direction.
Oh Jesus, come on!
[Petra] No, it isn't, Andreas,
this gives us a business.
[Sophia] I'd pay for that.
- [Niklas] Yeah, me too.
- We don't need to compromise.
To do business, you have to be able
to negotiate with your suppliers.
Exactly! And you also need a
sustainable business model and here,
here you have one.
The dream was not to take
everything that is good
and lock it up and then charge for it.
Daniel, Petra is right. It's now or never.
- You would have paid for this?
- Absolutely.
[laughs]
- Alright, let's go! Welcome back!
- [laughs]
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
Sometimes it's gonna be days like this ♪
Sometimes it's gonna be rain like this ♪
Sometimes you're
Gonna feel pain like this ♪
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it ♪
'Cause when you feeling low
And you can't get no lower ♪
That's when you know you're close
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it ♪
Hello, hi.
Oh, hi.
This is our new lawyer, Tom Herluison.
MD for Smith and Ardehn.
- Yeah, we know each other.
- Oh you do?
Yeah. What happened to Ken Parks?
He's in New York,
he works as a free agent now.
- Okay.
- So
Okay, shall we start?
Yeah, let's start!
It's good to see you all!
And since our last meeting we've started
- or created a new
- The answer is no.
Sorry?
I looked through your paperwork,
and your offer is still not good enough.
The answer is no.
Oh
[tense music]
[Petra] "No"?
These negotiations have been in the works
for over two years, close to an agreement
and then, suddenly, "no"?
What the hell was that about?
Did they simply want to destroy
every startup?
If Spotify ever was to see the light
of day, I'd have to take a risk.
I needed to find someone on the inside.
who understood the big picture.
An attack dog.
[whirring sound]
[siren blaring]
[buzzing sound]
[door clicks]
The problem is your guy made Spotify
so good and they want a piece of it.
A big one.
They want to own a part of Spotify?
How much?
50%. Or you don't get the rights.
They think you're
desperate enough to agree.
Well, Daniel will never give away
50% of his business.
What's the time in Stockholm now?
I don't know, why?
We'll call him.
If Daniel opens the door,
maybe they'll do the same.
And with your help
If you and I team up.
[mid-tempo music]
I think it's six in the morning.
And he'll be up for sure.
Go ahead, call him.
- Some more champagne?
- Yeah, why not?
[mid-tempo music]
[beeping tones]
[dialing tone]
- [Daniel] Daniel.
- Hi, Daniel. It's Petra.
I'm in New York with Ken
and you're on speaker.
Hey Daniel! Everything okay?
Yep, thanks. I'm fine.
Good to know.
They want 50%.
Forget it.
Daniel, listen to me.
So, if we have Ken on our side,
we will be able to negotiate and
get it down to a ten or fifteen percent.
We'll have
completely different conditions.
That's still too much. I can't give them
a part of what I built. I can't do that.
[Ken] You know,
my grandfather was a farmer,
in Southern California.
Wheat. Only wheat.
He was kinda old school.
He thought he was pretty smart, so
when a couple of Mexican guys
came and asked to buy a piece of land
He charged them a fortune for it,
thought he ripped them off real good.
These guys worked hard,
they planted apricots, almonds, oranges
My grandfather just had fields of wheat.
By harvest time,
these Mexicans had enough money
to buy another little
parcel of land off him.
And then another. And another.
Now there's a Mexican family
living in my grandfather's house.
He died flat on his ass in San Diego.
Last time I checked
I wasn't a Mexican or a farmer.
The point is they don't control
the tech, we do,
and once they open the door to us
they can't close it, and we're in, Daniel.
Even if it costs us 15% of Spotify?
They're making you
a part of the system, Daniel.
Once they do that,
you can't fail. They won't let you.
It's against their interest.
Max 15%.
[upbeat music]
[Petra] Two weeks later, Ken joined
Spotify and became a member of our team.
Daniel of course, needed to offer him
a piece of the company.
Ken knew every record label boss
from LA to Ulan Bator.
He knew their strengths and weaknesses.
Their strategies, their tricks,
and even their bank balance.
By the time we launched, every one of them
had signed an agreement with Spotify.
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
[crowd partying]
They're finally here!
Free drinks for everyone!
[Petra] Thank you.
[Niklas] Nice work, Petra!
Thank you Niklas, you're here.
- [Daniel] Hey.
- [Niklas] I'm gonna say hi to Ken.
You did a great job.
Thank you.
- Hi!
- Hi!
I just wanted to say I'm really impressed
with everything you've put together.
- Thanks. Thanks a lot.
- Yeah.
[upbeat music]
- Hi, hello. I'll have a gin and tonic.
- A gin and tonic.
[Andreas] You ruined it.
I'm sorry, what did you say?
You ruined it. Spotify was
supposed to be something new.
Spotify is something new.
Not since you sold it out to the
record companies. That wasn't our vision.
If we hadn't secured the licenses, we'd
never have been able to launched today.
- You know that.
- It was entirely unique,
something beautiful, and you destroyed it.
You think we can
talk about this another time?
I'd be happy to have this
conversation, but not today.
You don't give a shit, do you? Right?
No, actually I do. I just think that
you and I look at things very differently.
We do. The others buy your
"I'm a lawyer, I'm always right"
thing, but I don't.
- Here you go.
- Thanks!
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
[Petra] Ever since I made those
deals, I've heard it a thousand times,
"Spotify is bad.
Spotify is ripping off the artists.
Spotify doesn't appreciate
the value of music."
But I was there. I saw the deals that on
the table. So what you really should ask,
is how the hell would
things have turned out without me?
[crowd partying]
I hate that bullshit
story Petra just told. Hate it.
And besides, that's not how it happened.
[closing music]
[closing music]
Subtitle translation by: Adefoluke Adebayo
[upbeat music]
[Petra] Okay, so you've heard about
Daniel Ek and his dream.
and you've heard about the struggles of
Per Sundin and the music business
and how they saw
that Spotify could save them.
But if you really thought
it was that simple?
Think again.
Remember, the one thing
music execs hate, is change.
And the one thing tech guys hate,
is compromise.
Somebody had to figure out what
the hell this new universe looks like.
That was me. I was the missing link.
Believe me, it wasn't easy.
but sometimes, the only thing you
can do is to write your own chorus.
Heard you won again,
everybody's talking about you.
Everybody already knows how
these trials will end, it's nothing new.
It's kind of like that movie,
what's it called? "Groundhog Day" I think.
Wish my Mondays were that great.
The CEO loves you.
You're gonna be partner, I'm sure of it.
You know what you need to do?
Let loose and go out. Celebrate.
Shake it up a little. Okay?
Trust me, it'll be too
late when you're changing diapers
and picking up your
kids from kindergarten.
I'm coming.
I don't get how he
can't make it before five.
Hey, promise me you won't go back
to the office, okay?
Get out, party. Whatever.
- We'll see.
- Ciao!
- Here's the contract you asked me to print
- Oh cool, excellent! Would you mind
- putting these files in my office?
- Yeah.
- I'll take a look at the contract later.
- Don't forget the meeting. He's been
- waiting a while now.
- See you in a couple of weeks.
Very good.
Petra?
[upbeat music]
I'm going to have to reschedule
that meeting for later in the week okay?
Okay! Yeah, that's fine.
Ah, Petra. Good.
Congratulations on another success.
- Well played, really well done.
- Thanks.
The bosses at Petterson are calling
me and begging me for mercy now.
Okay Who were you talking to just now?
Maxine Silverson.
From the Sony Music office in New York.
They have a modest ten million dollar
budget for legal expenses. How about that?
Does that mean we're representing
a record company?
Yes, exactly.
That's right.
The record companies
finally decided to fight back
and they've asked us to basically
sniff out every little internet service
that uses their music illegally.
And who are you going
to give the assignment to sir?
It's a very interesting
and complex area of law. I'm thinking
it has to be someone
who can handle that type of case.
Yes, exactly. But the
thing is, they want a senior partner.
[boss] Yes, Carl
[suspense music]
Petra.
[assistant] Petra Ah
Do you need anything for the meeting?
What meeting Linda?
Martin Lorentzon. He refuses to leave.
Oh wait, what was that about again?
Spotify. Eh
- The start-up thing? Is he still there?
- Yeah and he's coming over now.
- Okay, you have to cancel it right now.
- I can't, he's very persistent
- Tell him I'll meet him next week.
- [Martin] Petra, hey!
- Yeah, hi.
- We have a meeting booked.
Yeah we did, unfortunately,
there's been a double booking,
Linda will reschedule for you,
so we can meet
Oh no it won't take long.
I just want to give
you a glimpse of our plans.
We're a streaming service
as you probably know.
I do, but this law firm doesn't
work with companies at risk of being sued.
No, no one will be sued.
We're gonna get the music
rights and become the first
fully legal streaming
service in the world.
- A fully legal streaming service?
- Yep!
Okay I'm sorry,
what did you say your name was?
Martin Lorentzon. I founded Tradedoubler
and now I'm building Spotify.
We already have a
couple of record companies as clients
so I can't represent you
without creating a conflict of interest.
No, you don't understand,
we don't want you to represent us.
Then what can I do for you?
I want to hire you.
As our lawyer. Full time.
You'd be working for us at Spotify,
negotiating and drafting our agreements
with the music industry.
Mm. Uh Okay.
You want me to quit one
of Scandinavia's top law firms
to go work at a start-up
that nobody has heard of?
- Yes!
- [laughs] Okay.
- Thanks for the laugh, it's been a while.
- Of course.
But this is way too crazy for me, okay?
No offence.
But crazy is good!
Crazy can be good.
Believe me. Here, take my card.
Come by the office and just look
at the player. That's all I ask.
[mid-tempo music]
[Martin] Bye!
- Hello! You ready for drinks?
- Hi! Yeah, how about you?
Hmm mh.
Hey, listen,
I think the boss has some news.
What kind of news?
- You're making partner.
- He's going to say that now?
- I think so!
- Are you positive?
Do I have anything between my teeth?
Not a bit.
- [indistinct chatter]
- Thank you!
Hello, glad you came Petra.
- Cheers ladies.
- Thank you!
[boss] Attention everyone!
Well, we've had a good year, yeah?
Many of you have shown
that Smith Ardehn is at the forefront,
especially our Corporate Commercial group.
Great job, well done!
[clapping]
- So was that the big news?
- Just hold on.
[boss] You know they
say you shouldn't talk about
decisions that haven't been formally
confirmed at the board meeting,
but good news is good news right?
We have a new junior partner.
Petra Hansson, welcome!
[clapping]
- Congrats! This is amazing
- Thank you!
Petra, congratulations!
Wow I can't believe it.
How does it feel?
Amazing. Thank you!
- Thanks.
- This is great.
- So happy for her.
- I'm so proud of you.
- Mm.
- You deserve it.
Guys I'll just Yeah, see you soon.
[mid-tempo music]
Yes, absolutely! Of course.
- Congratulations! Great job.
- Well, thank you for your trust.
It was actually an easy decision
considering the tremendous performance
you've shown us this year. Fantastic!
- Thank you so much!
- Welcome aboard.
- Yes, thank you.
- Well deserved.
Glad to hear that.
Well, I feel ready for the record company.
- [chuckles] For what?
- Well
I knew the minute I
saw Maxine Silverson here that
you were going to give me that case.
- Right.
- [chuckles] Okay.
And what didn't you understand about
the "junior" part of junior partner?
- Partner is partner, right?
- And junior is junior.
And just so you know, if there's one thing
senior partners don't appreciate, it's
a junior partner who doesn't
understand and/or respect hierarchy.
Okay? Cheers, welcome aboard.
Thanks!
Guys? Who wants to go to
a soccer game this weekend?
- [soft music]
- [background laughter]
[boss] Sorry, did I say guys?
[laughter]
[suspenseful music]
[indistinct chatter]
[footsteps]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
[man2] Yes!
[man3] Thanks.
[whirring sound]
[indistinct chatter]
Excuse me?
- Can I help you with something?
- No, no need. Don't worry.
Are you here to meet someone, or?
Yes, I was supposed to meet Martin
Lorentzon, but I don't think he's here.
Oh yeah, Martin's here.
Follow me, I'll take you.
Hmm.
[Sophia] He's right over here.
Uhm yeah. By the way, I'm Sophia.
- Are you Martin's assistant?
- No, I'm the global marketing manager.
[background noise]
And who are you?
- Hold that.
- Whoa! Uhm
[yelps] That's not okay!
No, of course
Sorry, come with me. Sorry about that.
They mean no harm. [laughs]
- Dope power suit!
- Do I have a mark here now?
- Oh, no, I think you're good.
- Thanks.
Martin, you have a visitor.
- Petra!
- Hi!
- You came!
- Yes, I survived the walk to your office.
[laughs] That's great!
I see you met Sophia. She's brilliant!
She's got everybody talking about Spotify.
She knows all of Stockholm.
So
In there, we have
Daniel Ek, our CEO and my co-founder.
- I didn't know you had a co-founder.
- I do, he's a genius.
He just has a hard time compromising
with the music industry.
But you know
Maybe every genius
needs a little guidance.
It depends.
That's why we need you here, right?
You're going to meet a real hero. Come on.
Niklas, Petra.
Niklas here has
handled the negotiations so far.
- Hi. Niklas.
- Petra.
He knows all about you. [chuckles]
Yeah, I think he's a
little star struck right now.
It looks like you have a negotiator,
so you don't really need me.
We do need you, believe me. Been
wrestling with the record companies alone
for far too long.
So you are more than needed.
Welcome.
[chuckles]
- We're old childhood friends, actually.
- Are you going to show me this player?
- Mm.
- Of course. Over here.
- Nice meeting you.
- Meet Andreas Ehn and Ludvig Strigeus.
The super geniuses behind
the beta application we've created.
- Hey! Andreas.
- Hi! Petra.
- Ludvig.
- I'm Petra, nice to meet you.
So, Sophia is brilliant,
Daniel is a genius, Niklas is a hero,
Andreas and Ludvig are also geniuses.
So do you have anyone who might be
I don't know, just normal?
Ehm No.
Why don't you try the player yourself.
Here.
[sharp swoosh sound]
[soft music]
But how but?
Wait a minute It's playing, how come?
It's supposed to download
[soft music]
This is unbelievable!
[soft music]
Okay, wow. I'm super impressed.
Want a coffee?
No. I think I'll sit here
and listen to music.
But okay. Wow.
I'm almost a little shocked.
This is really
How did you make it look so pretty too?
[sharp swoosh sound]
But what's the plan
if they won't give you the rights?
Because you know
Martin, the record companies will do
everything they can to stop this.
- They want to crush the digital market.
- Yes, we know.
And that's why you're here,
that's why we want to hire you, Petra.
Yes, but how long can you afford that?
Six months? A year, if you're lucky.
Martin, negotiating with record companies,
it's a bit like getting water-boarded.
Hmm.
You know, the purpose is to like drag it
out until you're completely exhausted
and disgusted and you just
beg and plead for it to be over.
So, how long do
you think it will take before
your investors give it up and I have to
crawl back and ask for my old job back?
We have no investors.
I'm the money.
Listen, I'm prepared to put all the money
I made in Tradedoubler into this.
Now, look. This probably looks like
a start-up to you.
- Please, of course it does, like a lot.
- Yes! And it is, absolutely.
But it's not just any start-up.
Because it's the only start-up that has
a budget that covers legal costs.
And that's how we'll negotiate
with the record companies.
You've worked in organizations that have
operated in creative fields, haven't you?
You've represented musicians.
No, not quite, but
- Yeah, you're a genius.
- [laughs]
You're amazing. You took
You graduated top
of your class in law school
Hm? You did a master's,
a two-year master's in one year.
- One and a half, to be precise.
- Look at that.
It often takes eight years to become a
partner, you became a partner in five.
We want to turn the whole industry
upside down, Petra.
You have a chance to be part a part
of the new chapter in music history.
To create something.
The only thing we need right now,
is someone who's passionate
about the cause and knows the law.
We both know that you're the right person
in the right place, right now.
How many songs do you have on that server?
All of them.
You cannot have all the songs on it.
Yes. All of them.
Excuse me please guys,
do you mind if I try it again.
Yeah. Here you go.
Thank you, very much.
[mid-tempo music]
[Martin laughs]
[mid-tempo music]
That's my starting salary.
Ow, that hurts!
You can tell the genius in there that from
now on, I'm in charge of the legalities.
Okay.
[mid-tempo music]
- Thank you very much.
- Thanks.
- Bye. Goodbye.
- Take care.
Thank you.
Thanks.
[mid-tempo music]
Do you really think
it's realistic to launch is in four weeks?
- Yeah.
- Do you know something I don't know?
Because getting the licenses
for the music will take longer than that.
But I had to say something, right?
The coders have been ready for months,
We need to keep the buzz going.
- The buzz?
- Yes. Does anyone have any money?
Yeah, we have the technology.
Everything is in place. Thank you.
We just have to keep everyone believing.
Absolutely. Everything's in
place except for one thing
Daniel, the music
is owned by the record companies.
Yeah. And now they wanna talk to us.
No, they wanna demand
royalties until we collapse
just like they do
with all other digital start-ups.
That's the thing, we shouldn't have
to pay any royalties. We're a platform.
It's not like Google pays for
every page they pull up.
But I feel like you
don't understand what I mean.
- Niklas, help me!
- I hear what you're saying.
Please help me,
you have to help me, please.
I get what you're saying. You're saying
they won't budge, but neither will we.
We are the future Petra,
we make the rules now.
And if they don't get it, well, they can
keep getting fucked by Pirate Bay, right?
[laughs]
- Are you guys done now so we can?
- Yeah! We are totally done.
Maybe I'll put the can away.
[laughter]
- Aven?
- Hi, Petra.
- Will you be joining us?
- Yeah.
- Hey.
- Good to see you!
- Yeah, you too.
- Please have a seat.
Hello. Hi.
Hi.
[rustling sound]
Welcome.
- Thank you.
- Thank you!
I am Maxine Silverson,
a senior adviser to the CEO.
And we really
love the BETA-version of Spotify.
- That's great to hear.
- Yeah.
I really think that there's
something special about it.
[Niklas] The first thing to say
is that Spotify is a new model.
It's about access
I cannot believe it.
[Petra] Sitting right
there with Ken Parks.
The attack dog.
He knows every comma, period
and semicolon in the law.
He'll smash you in the head
with a law book until you beg for mercy.
And you just wish
that he was on your side.
I'm sorry?
[Maxine] These are our fees, Daniel.
As I said, we really like
your new music client,
and we would love to work with you, but
If you want to get access to our music,
these are our fees.
And for new clients,
we usually ask for upfront payment.
Upfront?
[Maxine] Yeah, upfront.
Niklas just explained, we have
Do you know how many music
start-ups I've sat with?
In rooms just like this one.
Hundreds.
You know what I haven't heard?
A single one who has a clue
about how they're gonna turn a profit.
- We just explained that.
- Talking about your shitty ad revenue?
For a website that has zero users? And
which you're not charging for our music?
I know what you're gonna say,
"This is a new era.
Google doesn't pay
for the sites it displays."
You know what I say to that?
You're building a business
on the back of our hard work.
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen,
Elvis Presley, Michael fucking Jackson
You want me to rip them off?
Just hand over their music,
so you can make a fucking fortune?
I believe in sustainability.
Is this a sustainable business model?
I don't think so.
You know what, this is bullshit.
Your music is being shared
and stolen every single day.
- Daniel!
- No, listen.
Those artists that you claim to
protect, you say it's for them.
Do you think they're
happy with the situation right now?
You're losing billions every single year,
we come here with a solution,
and this is how you treat us?
If this is your attitude,
no wonder the music business is dying.
You deserve to go down. Fucking dinosaurs.
[footsteps]
I'm sorry.
[door clicks]
[chuckles]
[door closes]
[Ken] The world is changing.
but that doesn't mean you get to break
the cookie jar and take whatever you want.
But we know what we do,
and we know what our music is worth.
But if you want to share, start a nursery.
You want music?
Pay.
[tense music]
That's the year these were last reviewed.
The same year Britney had her first hit.
And only like four people
had heard of the internet
You think you'll get away
with this forever?
[tense music]
You can't use old law for new times.
See you next time.
[Petra] Daniel, we need to go over our
strategy for these meetings.
What? Why?
Because it doesn't work for you to
berate everyone that we need on our side.
[Daniel] So, fuck getting
them on our side then!
If they don't get it, or just
don't want to, well then fuck them.
Want some coffee?
[Niklas] Yes, please.
- Everyone thinks we are about to launch.
- Yeah and we will.
We can't launch without licenses,
that's stupid.
If they won't give us the music,
then we'll just have to take it!
What are they going to do about it?
Not a fucking thing. It's simple.
I don't you'll you'll find it so simple
afterwards when you have to pay damages
for the rest of your life.
Now, listen Daniel.
For these people, there is no music.
There's only ownership and rights.
There's publishing, digital rights.
There's rights over masters,
mechanical rights
Mechanical rights?
A special license for those self-playing
pianos they had in the Wild West.
I'm not a self-playing piano.
You know what?
According to the law, you actually are.
- All good with the accountant?
- Yes, we've just run into a few obstacles.
I've been put on temporary
trading suspension for at least a year.
- What did you just say?
- What?
Wait, hold on a second. Tradedoubler
is what keeps this place afloat.
Yes, that's right.
But I had to sell a bit more
than I thought and [chuckles]
Well, I risk being
accused of stock dumping.
We can't talk about this here.
Let's go to one of the other rooms. Okay?
Okay.
We just need a sponsor
and the launch party
is gonna be so fucking great.
[Daniel] Hmm, cool.
Word's already out,
I think people are getting excited.
[Daniel] Well done! Good job!
- It's going to be awesome!
- That's great!
Thanks!
[sighs]
Okay, and about how long do we have left?
- If we're lucky, four, five
- [Petra] Months?
No. Weeks.
I know, it's my fault.
We have four weeks to launch.
I'll get the money.
How did the meeting go?
Ask Daniel, he snapped and told the
head lawyer at Sony to go to hell.
- [Daniel] No, I didn't.
- [Petra] You did.
- No, not directly.
- Daniel
Please! I get so fucking tired of these
people who think they know everything.
- [Martin] So what the hell do we do?
- We obviously have to compromise.
- No way.
- [Petra] Would you rather
- sacrifice the company instead?
- We won't sacrifice, we have a strategy.
And that strategy isn't working, Daniel.
Here's the thing,
when you brought me in as a lawyer,
you wanted someone
who could get the licenses.
We'll never get the
licenses acting like this.
It's crucial to be the adults in the room,
and not some whiny kids.
We need to show the industry
that we've bring solutions.
I know these people!
I've worked with them.
I know how they work. I need to be in
charge of conversation when we negotiate.
Whatever you need to get the deal
done, Petra, do it.
Well to begin, we want to ignore Sony
for now, and focus on other companies.
We have Universal, Warner, EMI.
We just need to get one of these companies
over and the others will come themselves.
[Niklas]
Then I think we should focus on Warner.
I looked at the results
of last year's CPR.
There's no other company that's been
hit as hard by piracy as Warner.
If anyone needs this
deal, it's clearly them.
[Daniel] Perfect.
Good, Niklas. And one more thing, Niklas
and I will take care of that meeting.
[soft music]
[sighs]
Okay.
[phone rings]
[phone ringing]
Hey Aven, I was
just about to go out to lunch.
[Aven] I brought you some.
Wait, you're here now?
Hi.
[indistinct chatter]
Okay
Hi! It's so good to see you.
- Hello!
- Hi. Okay, so sorry! Gosh. Sit down.
- Lively Ouch, what the fuck?
- So nice that you came.
- Take the toys outside.
- Ah sure. Yes, sure.
[sighs]
So this is the place
you left your nice job at Smith for?
Don't take this the wrong way,
but the meeting with Sony
Why didn't they let you run the
negotiations? That was embarrassing.
It was, I agree. But now it's sorted.
I'm handling negotiations from now on.
Okay. I hope so. He's tough, Ken Parks.
I really wouldn't want to be
in your position.
So Well, it may not seem like it, but
these guys are doing something really big.
It's gonna change the music industry.
I promise you.
Look. Why do you think the boss
put me in that meeting?
He's furious you left, he'll do anything
to make sure you don't get a deal.
He's already contacted half of
Stockholm's record companies.
He's also an idiot.
Petra you can't win this.
I mean the best you can do
is come back before it's too late.
You sure about that?
You know damn well the record companies
would never let go of their music.
- I guess we'll see.
- Mhm. Okay.
Besides, it's a lot of fun here.
Fun? Are you a lawyer
or some kind of daycare worker?
- Petra. Can we talk?
- Yeah.
Mm. What is it?
- Warner wants to meet with us.
- Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
- I'm sorry, but I have to go.
- What? We haven't finished lunch
Yeah, I know.
And I have an appointment that I,
that I completely forgot about and
- Alright.
- I'm totally sorry, but
- I'll clean up.
- Hey, thanks a lot for the sushi.
Okay, it was too short this time
but see you again soon.
- Don't forget what I told you. I mean it.
- I won't.
- Petra.
- Yeah?
- Check this out.
- What's this?
Something Andreas
and I have been working on.
And what is it?
User statistics.
- Can I take this with me?
- Hmm mh.
Thank you. See you later.
[indistinct chatter]
[elevator door opens]
What the fuck?
Daniel, what are you doing here?
- Thought I'd join the meeting.
- Didn't we agree on this?
I won't say a word, I promise.
You do the talking.
Okay.
[door clicks]
Daniel!
We have an opening with Warner now!
We don't have time to wait, Daniel.
A paywall? A fucking paywall?
Well we needed to come up with something
new, and they listened, didn't they?
I swear, for as long as I live, not a
single song will be behind a paywall.
Come on Daniel!
Daniel, you have to give them something.
You can't just take all the songs
and then give nothing back.
[footsteps]
[indistinct chatter]
Hi.
[indistinct chatter]
[Martin] What happened?
[Martin] Okay so, what's going on?
[Daniel] Remember that meeting I
wasn't supposed to be at,
[Daniel] Petra has told all the
record companies that she should have
this fucking paywall service.
[Daniel] She undermines
me at these meetings
[Daniel] and so do you!
[Daniel] You're trying to sell a product
Andreas. Do you have a moment?
- [Andreas] What's up?
- Uhm
Why don't you come with me
to Daniel's office.
- Bring your laptop.
- Okay.
Why?
I wanted to show them that thing
you and Ludvig have been working on.
Which thing?
The user statistics.
Uhm [clears throat]
[Andreas] These are our user statistics.
On the left, you can see an artist's
stats, data from yesterday.
And on the right is the data for today.
You can see live how a song is trending
and what songs people prefer,
and how we can help them find
what they're looking for.
It's a functionality I thought would take
a while to implement, but it was quick.
This gives record companies a
whole new insight into their own market.
Do you realize how powerful
that is in negotiations?
[Daniel] This feature is for the users.
And the artists.
- Look, Daniel
- Spotify belongs to them.
Well the problem is, it's not the
users and the artists who own the music.
I will not give this data to the record
companies and I will not accept a paywall!
Paywall? No, that doesn't work.
We won't get
a single user from Pirate Bay to our side.
Okay well, how the hell were you
planning on paying the musicians?
If people are willing to
pay for beer and candy,
they can be willing to pay for music.
I'm absolutely convinced that you'd want
to pay for something better than piracy.
If people were as willing to pay for music
like beer and candy, they'd do it. Then
we won't be here.
And frankly Petra, I don't
think that you get the point.
We're a tech company, we don't
want to be the music industry.
I'm not interested in
giving them a fucking thing!
What I want is their
product on our platform.
That's it!
You are in the music industry,
you have been since you
came up with the whole idea of Spotify. If
you can't see that, then I'm sorry to say
I think you're in the
wrong fucking industry!
It's not a part of Spotify's vision to
work for the record labels, is it?
[Martin]
It's not part of your vision, Daniel.
[tense music]
There are a lot of people
working to make this happen.
And they've put an incredible
amount of effort into Spotify.
If it takes a little
compromise to make this happen,
then that's what we have to do, right?
I will handle all the negotiations
from now on.
[tense music]
Okay.
Well then in that case, I guess I don't
have much more to add. And, I guess
I jumped on board because I thought
we were building something long-term.
Because I thought it was fun,
because I really thought that this,
this was something really good.
That it was smart, that it was intuitive.
But if you refuse to listen, then
Then I don't even know what I'm
doing here. Sorry, but I'm done.
No, we are listening. Right, Daniel?
Daniel!
[tense music]
[Petra] I'll send you the agreements
and files I started later.
- [Martin] Petra, you have a contract
- Come on, please Martin.
You can't even pay my salary.
[indistinct chatter]
[soft music]
Save me ♪
Somebody save me ♪
Save me, somebody save me ♪
I promised myself
After the last romance ♪
That I won't give it a second chance ♪
They said you seek, you're sure to
Find and I know how true that is ♪
Cos the closer I get to you baby ♪
You're driving me clean out of my mind ♪
I say save me ♪
Somebody, save me ♪
Anybody save me ♪
Somebody save me ♪
Those who love always give the most ♪
[Petra] Carl.
Together from coast to coast ♪
Love makes me cold and hurt inside ♪
Hi, Linda.
These tears of ours are justified
Begging ya to save me ♪
- Welcome Petra.
- Thank you.
A lot of us here at the office
are happy to see you again.
That's nice to hear.
This little excursion you went on
shows in itself that you
have initiative and flexibility.
And that that can be good.
But at the same time, it was good
you realized your mistake, Petra.
Those startups, they rarely succeed.
So, having said that,
here's the plan I have for you.
You're going to take over
the Corporate Commercial group
and Aven and her group
are going to work under you.
And, of course,
you will also be entitled to
the annual bonus as a full senior partner.
- Senior?
- Yeah. You're worth it, Petra.
- Can I think about it?
- No.
You may not do that.
You're not gonna fuck me over twice.
If you're not here after
the board meeting, well
I really hope you understand
the gravity of this.
- I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow.
- You will? Good.
- Thanks.
- Bye.
[footsteps]
Thanks.
- Cheers!
- Cheers!
Hmm.
Ew, what the hell is this, Niklas?
This is a very unusual Belgian beer.
That some monks brewed in a
monastery with a very secret recipe.
- Yeah, okay.
- [Niklas laughs]
You've only come here to get me drunk
and then persuade me to come back.
Admit it. That's what this is.
No. I'm a good enough negotiator to
know I can't talk you into coming back.
[laughs]
And I also know that Daniel can be
a really stubborn bastard.
But, I know he'll come around.
He just needs some time.
We don't have time.
And he knows that, he does. Jesus, Petra.
He knows exactly what kind of mess
we're in. Huh?
That's why we need you.
Or I need you. I can't do this by myself.
I think it's crazy out there.
But I'm positive that there must be a
right way to do this, Niklas.
I mean on the one hand,
there's Daniel with
his wild west fantasies
where he'll screw every musician and
probably go bankrupt within six months.
And on the other hand, the record
companies want to control everything
and stop every new idea
regarding music consumption in the future.
The whole world is
inevitably going digital.
And pretty soon, all music
will end up on these platforms.
That I'm sure of it.
[indistinct chatter]
There has to be a
way to launch this platform.
It's just so frustrating
that I can't think of it.
Thanks.
[footsteps]
Hmm Great.
- Good morning, sorry I'm late.
- Would you mind shutting the door?
- Yep.
- Yeah, uhm
Oh gosh, I'm sorry!
Go ahead and sit down.
Welcome everyone now to our
ninth board meeting. Specifically special
welcome to you, Petra Hansson, who
Oh fuck! Sorry!
Excuse me I inherited
this from my grandmother and,
well, it's She's dead, so
I care about it, thank you very much?
Thank you. I'm sorry.
Petra, can we keep going?
Absolutely. I apologize,
I'm so sorry. It just
[boss] Okay. As you can see here,
we have a lot to discuss, more than we
have time to devote to the meeting,
this morning. So, let's
start with point number one
- Excuse me!
- [boss] Petra!
[footsteps]
Hi! Hey! Niklas. Come with me.
What the hell?
- Hi. Come with me to Daniel's office.
- What's up?
[Martin] Absolutely.
[Daniel] Other companies take
some time to make the money
- [Sophia] Petra? Hi.
- [Daniel] Petra?
- Hi. Sorry to interrupt your meeting.
- What are you doing here?
I just I'd like to present something.
Here, Daniel, you take this.
What is it?
You will basically just start making your
own necklace. Come on, go ahead.
- Petra, seriously?
- Yes! Here you go, guys So, uh
Please, we don't have
time for this, I just
This here, is an album.
This is also an album.
And every bead is a song or a stream.
But maybe I don't want
a monochrome necklace.
I'll just keep one bead from there,
and then maybe I'll
take one bead from here,
then maybe I'll take one from here,
then I'll take the yellow one there
Then maybe I'll take
- No, that's depressing, I won't take that.
- [Martin laughs]
This one puts me in a good mood.
It just makes me feel like this
- Alive now!
- [Martin laughs]
- What's the point of all this?
- I'm coming to that.
All these beads can be used
as many times
as you like for different necklaces.
- [Sophia chuckles]
- Oh my God, Sophia! Wow!
Look at this playlist we have right here,
made from great songs that were previously
only available in separate albums.
- I don't get this, playlists aren't new.
- No, they aren't.
- Unfortunately, I'm going to cut this one.
- No! You're not!
Why not?
- Because it's mine.
- You want to keep it?
- Yes.
- Why though?
Because it's nice,
because it's mine, because I made it.
Ah ha! You want to keep it because you
made it? Because it's yours?
Because it might even feel a bit unique
and special and even personal?
This here is a playlist
that a user has spent hours creating.
That user who spent hours on it will
pay to keep this one and create new ones.
- Seriously?
- Yes.
You came here to say that
Spotify should be a paid service, again?
No, Daniel. Spotify is free.
But what we charge for is Spotify Premium.
- Premium?
- Yes.
You've been right all along,
Spotify should be free.
We should give our users
access to the full catalog,
otherwise, we'll lose them
to the pirates and we
we don't want that, we
want to keep our users, right?
But that doesn't stop us from
being able to charge for certain elements.
You should get paid for the fantastic work
You all do here daily.
You, and you, and you,
what you're doing here,
we're going to charge for that.
The music won't be put behind a paywall,
but some parts of the technology will be.
[Niklas] Yeah, that's fucking great.
So we keep a free membership level
to attract new users.
Exactly, Niklas!
That's exactly how we should be thinking.
You haven't paid for it yet.
Let's create a hybrid.
We're give the same freedom
as the pirates, so access for all,
but then, we're use Andreas and Ludvig's
brilliant technology to sharpen
the benefits of the Premium service,
so that eventually,
everyone will want to pay for it.
Our end game will be to get
as many people as possible
over to the paying subscription.
I might come back if we're doing this.
This is taking the business
in a fucking dangerous direction.
Oh Jesus, come on!
[Petra] No, it isn't, Andreas,
this gives us a business.
[Sophia] I'd pay for that.
- [Niklas] Yeah, me too.
- We don't need to compromise.
To do business, you have to be able
to negotiate with your suppliers.
Exactly! And you also need a
sustainable business model and here,
here you have one.
The dream was not to take
everything that is good
and lock it up and then charge for it.
Daniel, Petra is right. It's now or never.
- You would have paid for this?
- Absolutely.
[laughs]
- Alright, let's go! Welcome back!
- [laughs]
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
Sometimes it's gonna be days like this ♪
Sometimes it's gonna be rain like this ♪
Sometimes you're
Gonna feel pain like this ♪
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it ♪
'Cause when you feeling low
And you can't get no lower ♪
That's when you know you're close
Sometimes you gotta work hard for it ♪
Hello, hi.
Oh, hi.
This is our new lawyer, Tom Herluison.
MD for Smith and Ardehn.
- Yeah, we know each other.
- Oh you do?
Yeah. What happened to Ken Parks?
He's in New York,
he works as a free agent now.
- Okay.
- So
Okay, shall we start?
Yeah, let's start!
It's good to see you all!
And since our last meeting we've started
- or created a new
- The answer is no.
Sorry?
I looked through your paperwork,
and your offer is still not good enough.
The answer is no.
Oh
[tense music]
[Petra] "No"?
These negotiations have been in the works
for over two years, close to an agreement
and then, suddenly, "no"?
What the hell was that about?
Did they simply want to destroy
every startup?
If Spotify ever was to see the light
of day, I'd have to take a risk.
I needed to find someone on the inside.
who understood the big picture.
An attack dog.
[whirring sound]
[siren blaring]
[buzzing sound]
[door clicks]
The problem is your guy made Spotify
so good and they want a piece of it.
A big one.
They want to own a part of Spotify?
How much?
50%. Or you don't get the rights.
They think you're
desperate enough to agree.
Well, Daniel will never give away
50% of his business.
What's the time in Stockholm now?
I don't know, why?
We'll call him.
If Daniel opens the door,
maybe they'll do the same.
And with your help
If you and I team up.
[mid-tempo music]
I think it's six in the morning.
And he'll be up for sure.
Go ahead, call him.
- Some more champagne?
- Yeah, why not?
[mid-tempo music]
[beeping tones]
[dialing tone]
- [Daniel] Daniel.
- Hi, Daniel. It's Petra.
I'm in New York with Ken
and you're on speaker.
Hey Daniel! Everything okay?
Yep, thanks. I'm fine.
Good to know.
They want 50%.
Forget it.
Daniel, listen to me.
So, if we have Ken on our side,
we will be able to negotiate and
get it down to a ten or fifteen percent.
We'll have
completely different conditions.
That's still too much. I can't give them
a part of what I built. I can't do that.
[Ken] You know,
my grandfather was a farmer,
in Southern California.
Wheat. Only wheat.
He was kinda old school.
He thought he was pretty smart, so
when a couple of Mexican guys
came and asked to buy a piece of land
He charged them a fortune for it,
thought he ripped them off real good.
These guys worked hard,
they planted apricots, almonds, oranges
My grandfather just had fields of wheat.
By harvest time,
these Mexicans had enough money
to buy another little
parcel of land off him.
And then another. And another.
Now there's a Mexican family
living in my grandfather's house.
He died flat on his ass in San Diego.
Last time I checked
I wasn't a Mexican or a farmer.
The point is they don't control
the tech, we do,
and once they open the door to us
they can't close it, and we're in, Daniel.
Even if it costs us 15% of Spotify?
They're making you
a part of the system, Daniel.
Once they do that,
you can't fail. They won't let you.
It's against their interest.
Max 15%.
[upbeat music]
[Petra] Two weeks later, Ken joined
Spotify and became a member of our team.
Daniel of course, needed to offer him
a piece of the company.
Ken knew every record label boss
from LA to Ulan Bator.
He knew their strengths and weaknesses.
Their strategies, their tricks,
and even their bank balance.
By the time we launched, every one of them
had signed an agreement with Spotify.
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
[crowd partying]
They're finally here!
Free drinks for everyone!
[Petra] Thank you.
[Niklas] Nice work, Petra!
Thank you Niklas, you're here.
- [Daniel] Hey.
- [Niklas] I'm gonna say hi to Ken.
You did a great job.
Thank you.
- Hi!
- Hi!
I just wanted to say I'm really impressed
with everything you've put together.
- Thanks. Thanks a lot.
- Yeah.
[upbeat music]
- Hi, hello. I'll have a gin and tonic.
- A gin and tonic.
[Andreas] You ruined it.
I'm sorry, what did you say?
You ruined it. Spotify was
supposed to be something new.
Spotify is something new.
Not since you sold it out to the
record companies. That wasn't our vision.
If we hadn't secured the licenses, we'd
never have been able to launched today.
- You know that.
- It was entirely unique,
something beautiful, and you destroyed it.
You think we can
talk about this another time?
I'd be happy to have this
conversation, but not today.
You don't give a shit, do you? Right?
No, actually I do. I just think that
you and I look at things very differently.
We do. The others buy your
"I'm a lawyer, I'm always right"
thing, but I don't.
- Here you go.
- Thanks!
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music]
[Petra] Ever since I made those
deals, I've heard it a thousand times,
"Spotify is bad.
Spotify is ripping off the artists.
Spotify doesn't appreciate
the value of music."
But I was there. I saw the deals that on
the table. So what you really should ask,
is how the hell would
things have turned out without me?
[crowd partying]
I hate that bullshit
story Petra just told. Hate it.
And besides, that's not how it happened.
[closing music]
[closing music]
Subtitle translation by: Adefoluke Adebayo