--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, as someone growing up in a…" description: "\"For me, as someone growing up in a working-class suburb in Stockholm, I couldn't afford all the music. So back in '98, '99, I was really thinking about..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/daniel-ek-13168_art_for-me-as-someone-growing-up-in-a-workin_3200877.png" --- # For me, as someone growing up in a working-class suburb in… ![“For me, as someone growing up in a working-class suburb in Stockholm, I couldn't afford all the music. So back in '98, '99, I was really thinking about how I could get all the music and do it in a legal way while at the same time compensating the artist.” quote by Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/daniel-ek-13168_art_for-me-as-someone-growing-up-in-a-workin_3200877.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/daniel-ek-13168_art_for-me-as-someone-growing-up-in-a-workin_3200877.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/daniel-ek-13168_art_for-me-as-someone-growing-up-in-a-workin_3200877.png) > “For me, as someone growing up in a working-class suburb in Stockholm, I couldn't afford all the music. So back in '98, '99, I was really thinking about how I could get all the music and do it in a legal way while at the same time compensating the artist.” [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sought a legal way to access all music while fairly paying artists. **In simple terms:** Wanted affordable music and fair artist payment. Key Takeaway Create a service that balances user access and artist compensation. Themes music access legality fairness technology Mood thoughtful optimistic Type analytical strategic When to use this quote - streaming services - music libraries - artist royalties Key Concepts digital distribution copyright law Questions to Reflect On - What models best reward creators? - How to keep prices low for users? A Different Perspective Balancing cost and compensation is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afford Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afford-music-1386182/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Compensating Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensating-artist-5942670/) [Couldn Afford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-afford/) [Legal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legal/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Legal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-legal-2600231/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-music-298722/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I certainly never doubted the ability for the guys to get together and make good music, but there was so much legal business with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bush/i-certainly-never-doubted-the-ability-for-the-guys-to-get-together/) [John Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bush/) > [Post COVID-19, there will be a rise in the number of people only listening to songs. 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I got asked to do a couple of indie films,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-iha/when-i-lived-in-new-york-there-wasn-t-as-much-tv-or-film-around-i-got/) [James Iha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-iha/) > [I think we have to change our thinking and the music industry has to shift and look at how people are acquiring their music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warryn-campbell/i-think-we-have-to-change-our-thinking-and-the-music-industry-has-to/) [Warryn Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warryn-campbell/) > [“I started thinking more about music. I thought I'd accepted the fact that, as part of "Being Gretchen," I didn't really like music, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-started-thinking-more-about-music-i-thought-i-d-accepted-the-fact/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [I'm very much thinking in music most of the time, but I really would love to start filming because when I was a teenager,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trentem-ller/i-m-very-much-thinking-in-music-most-of-the-time-but-i-really-would/) [Trentemøller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trentem-ller/) ## More by Daniel Ek > [The main reason people want to pay for Spotify is really portability. People are saying, 'I want to have my music with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/the-main-reason-people-want-to-pay-for-spotify-is-really-portability/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [The value of a company is the sum of the problems you solve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/the-value-of-a-company-is-the-sum-of-the-problems-you-solve/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [I was deeply uncertain of who I was and who I wanted to be. I really thought I wanted to be a much cooler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/i-was-deeply-uncertain-of-who-i-was-and-who-i-wanted-to-be-i-really/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [This is a way for artists to communicate directly to their fans. 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Then they tell their friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/with-spotify-people-don-t-get-it-until-they-try-it-then-they-tell/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [At Spotify, we really want you to democratically win as a musician. We want you to win because your music is the best music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/at-spotify-we-really-want-you-to-democratically-win-as-a-musician-we/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [There are half a billion people that listen to music online and the vast majority are doing so illegally. But if we bring those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/there-are-half-a-billion-people-that-listen-to-music-online-and-the/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [It's hard to criticize someone who's hugely successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/it-s-hard-to-criticize-someone-who-s-hugely-successful/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [I was born in Sweden, and in Sweden we are known for the piracy services.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/i-was-born-in-sweden-and-in-sweden-we-are-known-for-the-piracy/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [We are passionate about making it so that users enjoy the music that they want to enjoy but at the same time fairly compensates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/we-are-passionate-about-making-it-so-that-users-enjoy-the-music-that/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [“The Value of the company is the sum of the problems you solve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/the-value-of-the-company-is-the-sum-of-the-problems-you-solve/) [Daniel EK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [I'm not saying you can't be successful in the music industry without Spotify. But when I look at the future of music, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/i-m-not-saying-you-can-t-be-successful-in-the-music-industry-without/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) > [If you write to me and it takes a day for me to write back, don't take it personally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ek/if-you-write-to-me-and-it-takes-a-day-for-me-to-write-back-don-t-take/) [Daniel Ek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) [Explore all 51 Daniel Ek quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ek/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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