The Playlist

To be honest, I was sceptical when I started watching. 'How can they make a 6 part series about Spotify interesting?' I thought. Then I ended up binge-watching the whole thing!

The story takes us on a journey following Spotify from the idea to the most popular music streaming site in the world, and it does this with an exciting format. Each episode dedicates itself to one of the people who were essential to the companys success and the compromises they have on the course of the project. While part fiction it still feels like large parts of the story is based on real events.

The acting was quite good overall except for some cringy parts and I was really impressed by Christian Hillborgs performance of the co-founder Martin Lorentzon, giving me real "Wolf of Wallstreet" vibes!

Being a Swedish production and without a Hollywood budget they had to get clever with the set design. There is an often recurring hallway which transports the characters in between sets which I really like, kind of like a fast travel sequence in a video game. Some of the scenes were re-used 2 or even 3 times in different episodes, each time following a different character. It did feel a bit a bit cheap sometimes but didn't stop each episode from feeling unique.

Finally, a show well worth a watch and is very self-aware. I was impressed how they were bold enough to even outright criticize Spotify in the last episode.

The 6 episode mini series, based on the story of the rising of streaming platform Spotify, deals with contradictory and complex matters as value of music and musicians' labor, debates on the copyrigt, and people's right of free access to the streamed music.

The playlist, unlike the majority of other examples of the similar kind of screen productions, doesn't focus on aggrandising its main object; it is pretty far away from a praising story on Spotify.

Interestingly, one of the episodes contains a story set in 2024 and 2025. Swedish directors, via this episode, reveal their predictions on the near future of Spotify, music industry and related struggles for rights.

Pleasantly surprised by the show, binged the whole show in a day, though I wish I forgot the last episode. The last episode literally added to value to the this mini series in my opinion, it felt like a bit of and afterthought.

Interesting to see it shot from the different perspectives of different characters.

I was engaged right from the offset.

The acting was very good and believable. The sound track was obviously obviously inspired by The Social Network score, but not ad good.

Would definitely say it's worth a watch, but I'm a little biased as I generally enjoy Movies/show about tech start ups.

The playlist is an entertaining show but ultimately a fantasy based on truth.

First 5 episodes are great but 6th episode got an agenda and is biased.

That's the moment the record became scratched.

Take it for what it is, a fiction based on a true story.

That said, the soundtrack, casting, picture, the whole production is amazing.

Then again, let me think for myself, music is first and foremost supposed to be natural emotions expressed by art, not a must-succeed business for everyone.

Also, I thought I was watching a biography, not a spotify parody.

Could have been way better but sadly fell short.

The series is pretty good overall, especially if you're interested in how a startup works or the music industry. The last episode simply shows that it's not all paradise and underlines the problems of the platform. I think that everyone who said in their reviews that the last episode is terrible just got too attached to Daniel Ek and his Spotify dream - maybe some people would've preferred for the series to end with a big happy party, but I personally appreciated that the creators chose to also explore the nastier sides of the business rather than sugarcoat Spotify's influence and effects. Dismissing the last episode just because it's not some satisfying fantasy kind of proves the whole point that the ep. Is trying to make and reinforces Ek's own disillusionment.