Don’t cross the streams: Netflix to make series about the rise of Spotify
As the streaming wars heat up, media firms are increasingly looking to get ahead of their rivals. But now it appears Netflix may be willing to bury the hatchet – by producing a series about its audio streaming rival Spotify.
Netflix today said it will air an untitled scripted show that documents the rise of the Swedish firm from its early startup days to its current position as one of the world’s leading music services.
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The limited series is inspired by Spotify Untold, a book by Swedish business journalists Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud.
The show will be produced by Yellow Bird – the production company behind upcoming Netflix series Young Wallander – and directed by Per-Olav Sorensen.
“The founding tale of Spotify is a great example of how a local story can have a global impact,” said Tesha Crawford, director of international originals northern Europe at Netflix.
“We are really excited about bringing this success story to life and we look forward to continuing our great collaboration with director Per-Olav Sorensen and the team at Yellow Bird UK.”
The series will be centred on Spotify co-founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon as they developed a free and legal music streaming platform at the height of piracy.
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Berna Levin, executive producer at Yellow Bird, said: “The story of how a small band of Swedish tech industry insiders transformed music – how we listen to it and how it’s made – is truly a tale for our time.
“Not only is this a story about the way all our lives have changed in the last decade, it’s about the battle for cultural and financial influence in a globalised, digitised world.”