information Daniel EK: From Pirate/UTorrent to Spotify IPO

[offthehandle]

https://stvp-static-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/sites/2/2012/05/2964.pdf

Transcript from 2012 talk at Stanford

https://ecorner.stanford.edu/video/a-playlist-for-entrepreneurs-entire-talk/

“I don't pirate any content any longer. I used to do that, that's kind of obvious. And now I have to go through a lot of hoops in order to get the content legally. So again, I think it's pretty obvious why it exists and why it's hugely popular, and I totally understand that.”

“When I started Spotify, I didn't actually know that I needed licenses from record labels, and I was like oh, well, it's easy, you stream it, yeah, exactly.”


- Daniel Ek, Founder of Spotify, cofounder and CTO at Stardoll, former CEO of uTorrent.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/28/spotify-files-for-ipo.html

 

[GILSAN]

I guess that when you are CEO of uTorrent and move on to other more legal stuff, you don't leave all your baggage behind...

 

[offthehandle]

Interesting “direct listing”, original investors to cash out and pass the liability. Funny, bypassing usual IPO route w investment banking backing.

In January had lawsuit pending. Settled?

“Spotify was sued by Wixen Music Publishing Inc last week for allegedly using thousands of songs without a license and compensation to the music publisher. Wixen is seeking damages worth at least $1.6 billion.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ntial-filing-for-u-s-ipo-source-idUSKBN1ES1IP

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/03/01/spotify-files-ipo-as-direct-listing-on-nyse.html

https://gizmodo.com/spotify-is-officially-going-public-ceo-says-they-will-1823416676

 

[offthehandle]

https://thetrichordist.com/2014/10/...daniel-ek-utorrent-and-kim-dotcom-megaupload/

“Perhaps it is ironic that Kim Dotcom is the arch nemesis of the record industry while Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is celebrated as the former Co-Founder and CEO of uTorrent. uTorrent is described as “the world’s most popular BitTorrent client with more than 100 million downloads””

“In other words, infringement as a business model where the cost of goods goes unpaid and creators are uncompensated. uTorrent is self described as “a free-of-charge, ad-supported, closed source BitTorrent Client.”

“It could be argued that uTorrent and Megaupload have participated in business models enabling one of the largest transfers of wealth in history from individual creators to Silicon Valley companies and operatives.”

 

[offthehandle]

http://fortune.com/2018/03/06/spotify-app-crackdown-dogfood/

The original pirates are fighting off new pirates. Funny how things work out. Anybody buying the shares.... lol.