“Let me tell you how it will be

There's one for you, nineteen for me

‘Cause I'm the taxman

Yeah, I'm the taxman

Should five percent appear too small?

Be thankful I don't take it all”

- “Taxman”, The Beatles

In 2013, Spotify was at a crossroads.

The streaming service, which had endured “years of frustrating negotiations” with the record labels prior to its U.S.…