01x03 - Episode #1.3

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "The Playlist". Aired: October 13, 2022 - present.*
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A Swedish tech entrepreneur and his partners set out to revolutionize the music industry with a streaming platform.
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01x03 - Episode #1.3

Post by bunniefuu »

Okay, you've heard about Daniel Ek
and his dream.

About how Per Sundin
and the music industry struggled.

How they thought Spotify could save them.

But do you really think
it was that simple?

Think again.

If there's one thing record company
big sh*ts hate, it's change.

And if there's one thing tech guys hate,
it's compromise.

So someone needed to figure out
how the hell this new universe would look.

That someone was me.
I was the missing link.

The world was about to change.

The best thing you can
do is to write your own chorus.

You won again.
Everyone's talking about you.

Everyone already knows how
these trials will end, it's nothing new.

It's kind of like that movie,
what's it called? "Groundhog Day".

Wish I had such great Mondays.
The CEO loves you.

You'll become a partner, I can tell.

Do you know what you need to do?
Go out and celebrate. Let loose.

Shake it up a little. Right?

Trust me. You're not tied down. Enjoy it.

Soon you'll be changing diapers.

I'm on my way.

I don't get why he's not here by five.

Promise me you won't go back
to the office, okay?

Get out. Party. Something.

-We'll see.
-Okay, ciao!

-Here's the contract you got me to print.
-Yes, excellent!

-Would you mind putting it in my office?
-Sure.

-I'll look it over...
-Don't forget the meeting.

-He's waited awhile.
-See you in a couple of weeks.

Very good.

Petra?

I have to push that meeting
later this week.

Okay! Yeah, absolutely.

Ah, Petra. Good.

Congratulations on yet another success.

-Well done.
-Thanks.

Petterson high-ups are calling,
begging me for mercy.

Okay... Who were you talking to just now?

Maxine Silverson.

Sony Music in the New York office.

With a meager 10 million dollar budget
for legal expenses. How about that?

Does that mean we're representing
a record company?

Yes, exactly.

That's right.

They've finally decided to fight back,

and asked us to sniff out
every little internet service

that uses their music illegally.

Who will you give the assignment to?

It's a very interesting
and complex area of law,

It would have to be someone
who can handle that.

Yes, exactly.
But they want a senior partner.

Hey, Carl...

Petra.

Petra...
Do you need anything for the meeting?

What meeting?

Martin Lorentzon. He refuses to leave.

What was that about again?

Spotify. Eh...

-The start-up? Is he still there?
-Yeah, here he comes.

-Cancel it right now.
-No, he's...

-Tell him next week.
-Petra, hello.

-Oh, hi.
-We had a meeting.

That's right,
but there's been a double booking,

but Linda will rebook, so we can meet...

No, it'll be quick.

I want to give you a glimpse of our plans.

We're a streaming service, you might know.

Yes, exactly. And we don't work with
companies at risk of being sued.

No one will be sued.

We'll get the music
rights and become the first

fully legal streaming service in history.

-A legal streaming service?
-Yep!

I'm sorry. What was your name?

Martin Lorentzon. I founded Tradedoubler
and now I'm building Spotify.

We already represent record companies,

so I can't represent you
without a conflict of interest.

We don't want you to represent us.

What do you want then?

I want to hire you.
As our lawyer. Full time.

You'd work for us at Spotify,

drafting all the agreements
with the music industry.

Mm. Uh... Okay.

You want me to quit one
of Scandinavia's top law firms

for a start-up nobody's heard of?

-Yes!
-Okay.

-Thanks for the laugh, it's been a while.
-You're welcome!

But this is way too crazy for me.
So... yeah.

But crazy is good!

Crazy can be good. Here, take my card.

Come by the office and just look
at the player. That's all I ask.

Bye!

-Hello! Going to office drinks?
-Hi! Yeah, you too?

Hey, I think the CEO actually has news.

What kind of news?

-You'll be partner.
-He'll announce it now?

-I think so!
-Really?

Do I have anything in my teeth?

Not a bit.

Thank you!

Hello and welcome!

-Thanks, Linda!
-Thank you!

Attention, everyone!

We've had a good year.

Many of you have shown
that Smith Ardehn is at the forefront,

not least the Corporate Commercial group.

Well done!

-That was the big news?
-Just wait.

Yes. Although one shouldn't talk
about things

that haven't been formally decided,

for example at a board meeting,
but good news is good news.

And we have a new junior partner.

Petra Hansson, welcome!

-Thank you!
-Congratulations!

Congratulations!

-I am so proud of you.
-Thanks so very much... Oh gosh.

How does it feel?

It feels good. Thank you!
Thank you very much.

So well deserved.

And awesome work.

I'll just... Yeah, see you soon.

Yes, absolutely! Okay.

-Congratulations!
-Thank you for your trust.

It's easy to trust you,

considering the tremendous performance
you've shown this year. Fantastic!

-Many thanks!
-Welcome aboard.

-Thank you.
-Well deserved.

Glad to hear it.
I feel ready for the record company.

-For what?
-Well...

I knew when she...
When I saw Maxine Silverson here,

that you were going to give me that case.

Okay. 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
we senior partners don't appreciate,

it's juniors
who don't understand hierarchy.

Okay? Cheers, welcome aboard.

Thanks!

Guys? Who wants to go to
the football tournament this weekend?

Sorry, did I say guys?

Good.

Yes!

Thanks.

Yes it's ok

Excuse me?

-Can I help you with something?
-No, no need.

Are you here to meet someone, or...?

I was meeting Martin Lorentzon,
but I don't think he's here.

Yeah, Martin's here.
Come along. I can help you.

Let's see.

So... I'm Sophia.

-Are you Martin's assistant or something?
-No, I'm the global marketing manager.

Ouch.

And who are you? Whoa!

Hold on! Hey, wait, that's not okay!

That's... Sorry, come with me.
They mean no harm.

-Great outfit!
-Do I have a bruise here?

-Oh, no, I think you're good.
-Thanks.

Martin, you have a visitor.

-Petra!
-Hi!

-You came!
-Yes, I survived the passage here.

That's great!

You met Sophia. She's brilliant!

It's thanks to her that Spotify is so hot.

She knows everyone in Stockholm. So...

In there we have...
Daniel Ek, our CEO and my co-founder.

-I didn't know you had a co-founder.
-Yes! 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 kind of why you're here, I think.
You're going to meet a real rock. Come on.

Niklas, Petra.
Niklas has handled negotiations so far.

-Hi. Niklas.
-Petra.

He knows all about you.

-Okay...
-I think he's starstruck...

You have a negotiator?
Then you don't need me.

We do need you. It's been lonely
in this mess with all the companies.

For far too long. So we need you. Welcome.

-We're old childhood friends, actually.
-Okay, now I want to see this player.

-Mm.
-Yes, of course.

-Nice to meet you.
-Meet Andreas Ehn and Ludvig Strigeus.

The super geniuses behind
this beta application we've created.

-Hey! Andreas.
-Petra.

-Ludvig.
-Petra. Nice to meet you.

So... Sophia is brilliant,
Daniel is a genius, Niklas is a rock,

Andreas is a genius and Ludvig is a
genius. So do you have anyone who's...

normal, here in the office?

Yeah. Try the player yourself.

Here.

But how...? Wait a minute... Now it's playing.

Isn't it supposed to download...

This is unbelievable!

Okay, wow. I'm super impressed.

Do you want 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... And it's so pretty too.

Come!

Wait, how can it play so quickly?

Martin, the record companies
will do everything they can to stop that.

-They want to crush the digital market.
-We know.

That's why you're here,
why we want to hire you.

Yes, but how long can you afford me?
Six months? A year?

Martin, negotiating with record companies,
it's a bit like getting water-boarded.

They drag it out
until you're completely exhausted

and you just beg and plead
for it to be over.

How long do you think it will take before

your investors give up and I have to
crawl back and ask for my old job back?

We have no investors.

I'm the money.

And I'm prepared to put all the money
I made on Tradedoubler into this.

Now, look. This probably looks like
a start-up to you.

-Come on... Well, yeah...
-Yes! And it is, absolutely.

But it's not just any start-up.

Because it's the only start-up with
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, right?

You've represented musicians...

Not quite, but...

Yeah, you're a genius. You too. You took...

You graduated with top marks
from law school...

You did a master's,
a two-year master's in one year.

-One and a half, actually...
-Yes. See?

It takes most people eight years
to become a partner. You made it in five.

We want to turn the whole industry
upside down, Petra.

You have a chance here to be part
of writing a chapter of music history.

Create something.

The only thing we need right now,

is someone just as passionate
about the cause and the legal issues.

We both know you're the right person
in the right place, right now.

-How many songs do you have on the server?
-All of them.

You don't have all the songs.

Yes. All of them.

Excuse me, boys,
I wonder if I can try it again.

Yeah. Here you go.

Thanks, how sweet.

That's my starting salary.

Ow, that stings!

You can tell the genius in there that
I'm in charge of legalities.

Okay.

-Many thanks.
-Thanks.

-Bye. Goodbye.
-Welcome!

Bye.

Thank you.

"Nemas problemas"?!
Launch is in four weeks?

-Yeah.
-Do you know something I don't?

Getting the licenses
will take longer than that.

I had to say something, right?

The coders are ready.
We need to maintain the buzz.

-The buzz?
-Yes. Does anyone have money?

Yes, we have the technology.
Everything is in place. Thank you.

-We have to keep them believing.
-Everything's in place except one thing.

-The music is owned by companies.
-Yes. They might want to talk now.

They'll demand royalties till we die
like the other digital start-ups.

We shouldn't have to pay any royalties.
We're a platform.

It's not like Google pays for
every page they pull up.

You don't understand.

-Niklas, help me!
-I understand.

Help me here...

You're saying they won't budge,
but neither will we.

We are the future, we make the rules now...

And if they don't get it, well, they can
keep getting f*cked by Pirate Bay, right?

-Are you guys done now so we can...?
-Yeah! We are totally done.

Maybe I'll put this away.

-Aven?
-Hello, Petra.

-Will you be joining us?
-Yeah.

-Hello.
-Good to see you!

-You too.
-Please have a seat.

Hello. Hi.

Hi.

Welcome.

-Thank you.
-Thank you!

I am Maxine Silverson,

a senior adviser to the CEO. And we really
loved the BETA-version of Spotify.

-That's great to hear.
-Yeah.

I think there's something special
about it.

The first thing to say
is that Spotify is a new model.

It's about access...

There sat Ken Parks.

The att*ck dog.

He knows every comma, full stop,
and semicolon of the law.

He can throw the book at you
until you beg for mercy.

As soon as you see him,
you wish he was on your side.

I'm sorry?

This is 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 an access to our music,
these are our fees.

And for new clients,
we usually ask for upfront payment.

-Upfront?
-Yes, 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?
One who knows how they'll turn a profit.

-We just explained that.
-Your shitty ad revenue?

For a website with zero users?
Where you're not charging for our music?

I know what you're gonna say,
"This is a new era.

Google doesn't pay for sites it displays."

You know what I say?

You're building a business
on the back of our hard work.

Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen,
Elvis Presley, Michael f*cking Jackson...

You want me to rip them off?

Hand over their music,
so you can make money?

I believe in sustainability.

Is this sustainable business?
I don't think so.

That's bullshit.

Your music is shared and stolen
every single day.

-Daniel!
-Listen.

There artists you claim to protect,
you say it's for them.

Are they happy with the situation?
You lose billions every year.

We have a solution,
and you treat us like this?

If this is your attitude,
no wonder the music business is dying.

You deserve to go down. f*cking dinosaurs.

I'm sorry.

The world is changing.

That doesn't mean you can break
the cookie jar and take what you want.

But we know what we do,
and what our music is worth.

But if you want to share start a nursery.

You want music? Pay.

1998.

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?

You can't use old law for new times.

See you next time.

We need to talk about our strategy
in these meetings.

Why?

Because berating everyone we need onside
doesn't work.

Then f*ck getting them onside!

If they don't get it, then screw them.

Want coffee?

Yes, please.

-Everyone thinks we are about to launch.
-We will.

We can't launch without licenses,
that's stupid.

If they won't give us the music,
we'll take it!

What are they going to do about it?
Nothing. It's simple.

I doubt you'll find it simple
when you have to pay

damages for the rest of your life.
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.

It's not like I'm a self-playing piano.

You know what?
According to the law, you actually are.

-What did the accountant say?
-We've just run into a few obstacles.

I've been put on temporary
trading suspension for at least a year.

-What did you say?
-Huh?

Wait 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...

Well, I risk being
accused of stock dumping.

We can't talk about this here.
Take a room over there. Okay?

I'll find a sponsor.

The launch is gonna be so f*cking great.

Word's already out,
everyone wants to come.

Awesome! Good job!

-It's going to be awesome!
-Great!

Thanks!

Okay, and how long do we have?

-If we're lucky, 4-5...
-Months?

weeks.

Okay, my bad.
We have four weeks to launch.

I'll get the money.
How did the meeting go?

Ask Daniel, he just told the
head lawyer at Sony to go to hell.

-No...
-Basically.

-No, not really.
-Daniel...

Come on!
I get so tired of all these know-it-alls.

-What do we do?
-We have to compromise.

-No.
-Why not?

-Sacrifice the company instead?
-No, we have a strategy.

It's not working, Daniel.

When you hired me as a lawyer, you wanted
someone who could get the licenses.

We'll never get the licenses like this.

We need to be the adults in the room,
not some whiny kids.

Show the industry
that we've got solutions.

I know these people!
I've worked with them.

I know how they work.
I must be in charge of negotiations.

Whatever you need to get a deal done,
Petra, do it.

Ignoring Sony for now,
there are other companies.

We have Universal, Warner, EMI.

We just need one
and the others will come by themselves.

Then I think we should focus on Warner.

Just look at the results
of last year's CPR.

No other company has been
hit as hard by piracy as Warner.

If anyone needs this deal, it's them.

Perfect.

Good, Niklas. And one more thing,
Niklas and I will take that meeting.

Okay.

Hey, sorry. I was in a meeting.

I'm here now.

Are you here now?

Yeah, for lunch?

Well...

Hi! It's so good to see you.

-Hello!
-Hi. Oh, sorry! Gosh. Sit down.

-Lively... Ouch, what the f*ck?
-So nice that you came.

Can't you go out with your toys instead?

Sorry about that.

So this is the place
you left your top job at Smith for?

Don't take this the wrong way,
but the meeting with Sony...

Why didn't they let you negotiate?
That was embarrassing.

Yes, I agree. But now it's sorted.
I'm negotiating 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.

Hey. Why do you think the CEO
put me in that meeting?

He's furious you left, he'll do anything
to ensure you don't get a deal.

He's contacted Stockholm's
record companies...

He's also an idiot.

Petra... you won't win this.

The best you can do
is come back before it's too late.

Why so certain?

They'll never let go of their music.

-I guess we'll see.
-Mhm.

Besides, it's fun here.

Fun? Are you a lawyer
or some kind of a daycare worker?

-Petra. Do you have a moment?
-Yeah.

Mm. What is it?

-Warner wants to meet with us.
-Okay.

-I'm sorry, but I have to go.
-What? We were just...

Yeah, I know.

And I have an appointment that I,
that I completely forgot about and...

-Alright.
-I'm sorry, but...

-I'll take this.
-Hey, thanks a lot for the sushi.

This was too brief but see you again soon.

Don't forget what I talked about.
It's important.

-Petra.
-Yeah?

-Check this out.
-What is this?

-Andreas and I have been working on it.
-What is it?

User statistics.

-Can I take this with me?
-Yeah.

Thank you. See you later.

What the hell...?

Daniel, what are you doing here?

-Thought I'd join the meeting.
-We talked about this.

I won't talk. You do the talking.

Okay.

Daniel!

We have an opening with Warner!
We can't wait, Daniel.

A paywall? A f*cking paywall?

We need 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!

You have to give them something.

You can't just take all the songs
and then give nothing back.

Hi.

What happened?

Hey, tell us, what's going on?

That meeting I wasn't supposed to be at...

Petra has told all the record companies
we should have a f*cking paywall service.

She undermines me at meetings, so do you!
You're trying to sell a product...

Andreas. Do you have a moment?

For what?

Why don't you come with me
to Daniel's office.

-Bring your laptop.
-Okay.

Why?

I want you to present this thing
that you and Ludvig did.

Which thing?

The user statistics.

These are our user statistics.

On the left is the artist's stats
and yesterday's data.

On the right is today's data.

You can see live how a song is trending
and what songs people prefer,

and how we can help them find
what they want.

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.

It's a very powerful tool for negotiation.

This feature is for the users.
And the artists.

-No, Daniel.
-Spotify is theirs.

The problem is that users and artists
don't own the music.

I won't give this data to the record
companies and I will not accept a paywall!

Paywall? That won't work. We won't get
a single user from Pirate Bay.

And how the hell were you
planning on paying the musicians?

If people will pay for beer and candy,

They'll pay for music.

I'm convinced people will want to pay
for something better than piracy.

If they did want to, they would have,
and we wouldn't be here.

I don't think 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 f*cking thing!

I want their product on our platform.
That's it!

You are in the music industry,
you have been since you

came up with Spotify.
If you can't see that, I'm sorry,

you're in the wrong industry!

It's not part of Spotify's vision to start
working for the record labels, is it?

It's not part of your vision, Daniel.

There are lots of us
fighting to make this work.

We've put huge effort into Spotify.

If it takes a little
compromise to get there,

that's what we'll do.

I will handle all negotiations
from now on.

Okay.

Well, then I guess I don't have
much more to add. And, I guess...

I jumped on this because I thought
we were building something long-term.

Because I thought it was fun,
and that this,

this was something really good.

Intelligent, intuitive.
But if you refuse to listen, then...

Then I have nothing to add.
Sorry, but I'm done.

No, we are listening.
Right, Daniel? Daniel!

I'll send you the agreements
and files I started later.

-You have a contract with us.
-Please, Martin.

You can't even pay my salary.

Carl.

Hi, Linda.

-Welcome.
-Thank you.

Many of us here at the office
are happy to see you again.

Nice to hear.

This little excursion of yours

shows that you have initiative
and a will to change.

And that can be good.

But at the same time, it's good
you realized your mistake, Petra.

Those projects rarely succeed.

Having said that, the plan is this,

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 enjoy

the annual bonus as a full senior partner.

-Senior?
-Yes. You're worth it, Petra.

-Can I consider it?
-No.

You can't.
You're not gonna f*ck me over twice.

If you're not at tomorrow's board meeting...

I really hope you understand
the gravity of this.

-See you at the meeting tomorrow.
-You will? Good.

-Thanks.
-Bye.

Thanks.

-Cheers!
-Cheers!

Ew, what the hell is this, Niklas?

This is a very unusual Belgian beer.

Brewed in some monastery by
some monks on some terribly secret recipe.

Yeah, okay.

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.

I also know that Daniel can be
the most stubborn bastard.

But he'll give in.

He just needs time.

We don't have time.

But he knows that too. Damn, 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.

Anyone can figure that out.

There must be a right way to do this,
Niklas.

On the one hand,

there's Daniel with
his wild west fantasies

where he'll screw the musicians
and go bankrupt within six months.

On the other hand, the record companies
that want to control everything

and stop every new idea
regarding music consumption in the future.

Meanwhile,
the whole world is going digital.

Sooner or later, all music
will end up on these platforms.

I'm sure of it.

There has to be a way.

It's just so frustrating
that I can't think of it.

Thanks.

Great.

-Hi, sorry I'm late.
-Would you mind shutting the door?

-Yep.
-Good. So...

Oh gosh, sorry!

Take a seat.
Welcome to our ninth board meeting,

a special welcome to you,
Petra Hansson, who...

Balls! Sorry!

Excuse me... I inherited
this from my grandmother and,

well, it's... She's dead, so...

Thank you so much. Thank you. I'm sorry.

Petra, can we keep going?

Absolutely. I apologize. It just...

Okay. As you can see here,

we have a few too many points
for the time...

-Excuse me!
-Petra!

Hey! Niklas. Can you come with me?

Petra, come on!

-Come to Daniel's office.
-What are you doing here?

You're here? Absolutely.

Petra? Hi.

-Hi. Sorry to interrupt your meeting.
-What are you doing here?

I'd like to present something.
Here, Daniel, you have this.

What is it?

Just start making your own necklace.
Go ahead.

-A necklace?
-Yes! Here you go, guys... So, uh...

-We don't have time for this...
-This, it's 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.

This one puts me in a good mood.
It just makes me feel alive!

-What's your point?
-All these beads can be used

as many times
as you like for different necklaces.

Sophia!

Wow, look at this playlist!

Lots of great songs that were previously
only available in separate albums.

-I don't get it, playlists aren't new.
-No, they aren't.

-Sorry, I have to cut this one up.
-No!

Why not?

-It's mine.
-You want to keep it?

-Yes.
-Why?

Because it's nice,
because it's mine, because I made it.

Because you made it? Because it's yours?

It might even feel unique
and special and even personal?

This is a playlist
that a user has spent hours creating.

That user will pay to keep this one
and create new ones.

-Seriously?
-Yes.

You're here to say
Spotify should be paid, again?

No, Daniel. Spotify is free.

What we charge for is Spotify Premium.

-Premium?
-Yes.

You've been right all along,
Spotify should be free.

We give users access to the full catalog,

or we'll lose them to the pirates.

We want to keep our users, right?

But that doesn't stop us from
being able to charge for certain elements.

We'll charge for the great work
you do here. You, and you, and you,

what you're doing here,
we'll charge for that.

The music will not be put behind a
paywall, but parts of the tech will be.

That's f*cking 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 giving the same freedom
as the pirates, access for all,

and we're using Andreas and Ludvig's
brilliant technology to sharpen

the benefits of the Premium service,

so eventually everyone will want to pay.

Our end game will be to get as many people
as possible over to the paid subscription.

I might come back if... we're doing this.

This takes the business
in a dangerous direction.

No, it isn't, Andreas,
it gives us a business.

I would pay for it.

-Me too.
-We don't need to compromise.

To do business, you have to be able
to negotiate with your suppliers.

Exactly! And you need a
sustainable business model and here,

here you have one.

The dream was not to take everything good

and lock it up and charge for it.

Daniel, Petra is right. It's now or never.

-You would have paid for this?
-Definitely.

All right, let's go! Welcome back!

Nice.

Hello, hi.

Oh, hi.

This is our new lawyer, Tom Hagerson.
MD for Smith Ardehn.

-We know each other.
-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...
-The answer is no.

Sorry?

I looked through your paperwork,
and your offer is still not good enough.

The answer is no.

"No."

We almost had a contract,
and then, suddenly, "no?"

What the hell was that about?

Were they living in denial?

Did they just want to destroy
all startups?

If Spotify was ever going to see the light
of day, I'd be forced to take a risk.

I needed to find someone on the inside.

Someone who saw the big picture.

An att*ck dog.

The problem is your guy made Spotify
so good, 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?

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.

I think it's six in the morning.
And he'll be up for sure.

Call him.

-Some more champagne?
-Yeah, why not?

-Daniel.
-Hello, Daniel. It's Petra.

I'm in New York with Ken
and you're on speaker.

Hey Daniel! Everything okay?

Yeah, thanks. I'm fine.

Good to know.

They want 50%.

Forget it.

Daniel, listen to me.
If we have Ken on our side,

we will be able to negotiate
and get it down to 10 or 15%.

We'll have
completely different conditions.

That's still too much.
I can't give them part of what I built.

You know,

my grandfather was a farmer,
in Southern California.

Wheat. Only wheat.
He was kinda old school.

He thought he was smart.

when a couple of Mexican guys
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 d*ed 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.

Once you do that, you can't fail.
They won't let you.

It's against their interest.

Max 15%.

Two weeks later, Ken joined Spotify
and became a member of our team.

Daniel needed to offer him
a piece of the company.

Ken knew every record label champ
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.

They're finally here!

Free drinks for everyone!

-How are you?
-Good, nice to see you.

Damn, Petra! Great job!

Without you, we wouldn't be here!

Good Job

Thanks.

You too.

-Hello!
-Hello!

Hey I just wanted to tell you
what a great job you've done. Amazing.

Thank you very much.

-Hello. I'll have a gin and tonic.
-A gin and tonic.

You ruined it.

What did you say?

You ruined it. It was meant to be
something new.

Spotify is something new.

You sold it out. That wasn't our vision.

Andreas, with no licenses, we couldn't
have launched. You know that.

It was entirely unique,
beautiful, and you destroyed it.

Can't we talk about this another day?

I'm happy to talk, but not today.

You don't give a sh*t, do you?
Isn't that right?

That's not true. But I think that
you and I see things very differently.

We do. You know, the others buy your

"I'm a lawyer, I'm always right" talk,
but I don't.

-Here you go.
-Thank you!

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 heard what they
really thought. So ask yourselves...

How the hell would things have gone
without her?

I hate the monkey story Petra just pulled.
Hate it. Besides...

that's not how it happened.
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