Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The $180 million mystery that reshaped music forever Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution premieres Tuesday 15 October

17/09/2024

The $180 million mystery that reshaped music forever Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution premieres Tuesday 15 October

17 September, 2024

Media releases

Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution

premiering Tuesday 15 October on SBS and SBS On Demand New SBS Original Documentary Series INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE

FIRST LOOK: HERE

IMAGES: HERE

It's the new millennium and music is facing an existential threat: illegal piracy. In Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution Walkley Award-winning journalist Marc Fennell (The Kingdom, Framed, The Mission) uncovers the bizarre story of the Aussie start up, Guvera, that promised to revolutionise music forever, but instead vanished in a $180 million mystery. The two-part blackly comic docuseries premieres at 8.35pm Tuesday, 15 October on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Through exclusive interviews, never-before seen footage and photographs, incredible archive and dramatic reenactments, Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution charts the spectacular rise and fall of Guvera - the Gold Coast tech start-up that challenged Spotify and was nicknamed the iTunes Killer - which once had A-list superstars like Alice Cooper and Mos Def lining up behind it with one mission: to destroy internet piracy.

In the 2 x 1 hour docuseries, Marc is joined by iconic Australian musician Ben Lee as they take a nostalgic trip to the 90s, the golden age, before piracy threatened to take down the multi-billion-dollar music industry and an unlikely saviour. Guvera, emerged from the Gold Coast.

With an audacious plan to revolutionise the music industry by promising free, legal mp3 downloads (and later streaming), Guvera's colourful founders offered a beacon of hope in an era dominated by illegal file sharing platforms like Napster and Pirate Bay. In a few short years, Guvera would take the world by storm - becoming the main player in the music downloading and streaming market and beating Spotify to launch in key markets. With its superstar following, glitzy parties and lucrative brand sponsorships, including Harley Davidson and The Australian Open, it raised an eye watering $180 million, but what was really going on behind closed doors?

As Marc digs deeper, red flags start to emerge, uncovering a web of shady business dealings, ethical question marks, a company on the brink, and many lives left in its wake. With candid interviews with former Guvera staff, devastated investors, music industry experts, and behind the scenes footage, the documentary delves into the darker side of the start-up and a fake-it-till-you-make-it story so familiar with other famous tech start-ups, fuelled by the unwavering belief that one big idea can change the world.

Presenter and Producer Marc Fennell said, We've seen the explosion of social media, streaming and AI fundamentally shift how we interact, but the story of Guvera has largely been forgotten. The ambitions this company had were gargantuan, and their successes and failures have been too easily overlooked. There was a period where Australia could have been home to the next Spotify (before Spotify became a thing).

It's a roller-coaster of a story with euphoric highs and devastating lows. But most importantly, Guvera's catastrophic implosion also reveals a brutal reality about Australia - our attitudes towards money, innovation, and risk.

Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution will be subtitled in five languages, streaming on SBS On Demand in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean.

Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution premieres on Tuesday 15 October at 8:35pm on SBS with both episodes available to stream free on SBS On Demand. The second and final episode will air on Tuesday 22 October at 8:35pm on SBS.

For a PDF of this media release, click here.
LINK: https://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/2024/09/17/the-180-million-mystery-that...
See more stories from sbs

Asia, Australia & Oceanic Stories

11/10/2024

SBS announces appointment of Nakul Legha as Head of Scripted

SBS announces appointment of Nakul Legha as Head of Scripted 11 October, 2024 Media releases SBS has announced that Nakul Legha has been appointed Head of ...

10/10/2024

Ernie Dingo, Mark Coles Smith, Aaron Fa'Aoso, Bianca Hunt and Rae Johnston showcase Australia's beauty in new season of Going Places

Ernie Dingo, Mark Coles Smith, Aaron Fa'Aoso, Bianca Hunt and Rae Johnston s...

10/10/2024

New AGL campaign highlights ways to be more energy efficient and save money

New AGL campaign highlights ways to be more energy efficient and save money 10 October, 2024 Media releases The bespoke campaign, created by SBS CulturalCo...

10/10/2024

Screen Australia announces $8.1 million of production funding for 15 projects

10 10 2024 - Media release Screen Australia announces $8.1 million of production funding for 15 projects L-R: Love Adjacent director Louise Alston, Watching Y...

09/10/2024

The unmissable true crime event, The Jury: Death on the Staircase, premieres Wednesday 6 November on SBS and SBS On Demand

The unmissable true crime event, The Jury: Death on the Staircase, premieres Wed...

24/09/2024

Don't miss the exclusive Australian premiere of Paris Has Fallen on SBS and SBS On Demand

Don't miss the exclusive Australian premiere of Paris Has Fallen on SBS and ...

18/09/2024

Karmic lessons and laughs with new SBS podcast Comedy Karma'

Karmic lessons and laughs with new SBS podcast Comedy Karma' 18 September, 2024 Media releases Join the ever-curious stand-up comedian Aditya Gautam a...

18/09/2024

Telespazio and ABS Partner to Deliver Enhanced Connectivity Services for the Brazilian Air Force System

Telespazio and ABS Partner to Deliver Enhanced Connectivity Services for the Bra...

17/09/2024

The $180 million mystery that reshaped music forever Red Flag: Music's Failed Revolution premieres Tuesday 15 October

The $180 million mystery that reshaped music forever Red Flag: Music's Fai...

17/09/2024

Screen Australia and Paramount+ Announce New Murder Mystery, Playing Gracie Darling

16 09 2024 - Media release Screen Australia and Paramount Announce New Murder M...

13/09/2024

Azercosmos and ABS Forge Partnership to Boost Satellite Services in Africa

Azercosmos and ABS Forge Partnership to Boost Satellite Services in Africa...

12/09/2024

SBS reveals new landmark documentary-drama series ROBODEBT coming in 2025

SBS reveals new landmark documentary-drama series ROBODEBT coming in 2025 12 September, 2024 Media releases Award-winning producers CJZ secure major fundin...

11/09/2024

Endemol Shine Australia and Screen Australia announce Early Career Writers Program

10 09 2024 - Media release Endemol Shine Australia and Screen Australia announce...

04/09/2024

Can life give love a chance? SBS Original romantic drama series Four Years Later premieres Wednesday 2 October

Can life give love a chance? SBS Original romantic drama series Four Years Later...

04/09/2024

Screen Australia invests over $2 million in Australian Games Industry

04 09 2024 - Media release Screen Australia invests over $2 million in Australian Games Industry Zodiac Mountain Screen Australia has announced over $2 milli...

30/08/2024

Trailblazers: SBS's new vodcast series chronicles African-Australian migrants making their mark

Trailblazers: SBS's new vodcast series chronicles African-Australian migrant...

30/08/2024

SBS warms up for FIFA World Cup 2026 with new weekly show, exclusive qualifier matches and a dedicated SBS On Demand World Cup hub

SBS warms up for FIFA World Cup 2026 with new weekly show, exclusive qualifier ...

29/08/2024

SBS Board statement regarding SBS Non-Executive Director Mr Aaron Fa'Aoso

SBS Board statement regarding SBS Non-Executive Director Mr Aaron Fa'Aoso 29 August, 2024 Media releases SBS Non-Executive Director Mr Aaron Fa'Aos...

28/08/2024

Beat the Monday blues with SBS's new line-up of entertainment and comedy

Beat the Monday blues with SBS's new line-up of entertainment and comedy 29 August, 2024 Media releases 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Never Mind th...

28/08/2024

Screen Australia and ABC announce four new children's programs

28 08 2024 - Media release Screen Australia and ABC announce four new children's programs Andy Lee at Richmond Primary School with his nephews Freddy Mile...

27/08/2024

Shaun Micallef Joins Australian Comedy Icons on the Adventure of a Lifetime in Shaun Micallef's Origin Odyssey

Shaun Micallef Joins Australian Comedy Icons on the Adventure of a Lifetime in S...

22/08/2024

SBS and IMAA partnership unlocks new training for Australia's independent media agencies

SBS and IMAA partnership unlocks new training for Australia's independent me...

22/08/2024

Screen Australia announces $3 million for 13 documentaries

22 08 2024 - Media release Screen Australia announces $3 million for 13 documentaries We Are Jeni Screen Australia has announced 11 documentaries through the...

20/08/2024

Exclusive to SBS On Demand, watch LIVE coverage of the US Democratic National Convention: a PBS News special from Chicago, Illinois

Exclusive to SBS On Demand, watch LIVE coverage of the US Democratic National Co...

19/08/2024

Production starts on RFDS season three

19 08 2024 - Media release Production starts on RFDS season three RFDS cast. Photo Credit John Platt. Pre-production on the third season of the Seven Network...

15/08/2024

Maggie and Arthur return to the ABC for a second season of Mother and Son

15 08 2024 - Media release Maggie and Arthur return to the ABC for a second season of Mother and Son Denise Scott and Matt Okine in Mother and Son Fans of t...

14/08/2024

2025 SBS Journalism Cadetship opens for applications

2025 SBS Journalism Cadetship opens for applications 14 August, 2024 Media releases Dedicated to the memory of late SBS journalist Bridget Munro. Austral...

12/08/2024

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts today, live and free on SBS Viceland and SBS on Demand

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift starts today, live and free on SBS Viceland and...

06/08/2024

Got a podcast idea? Australia's Podcaster of the Year is listening!

Got a podcast idea? Australia's Podcaster of the Year is listening! 6 August, 2024 Media releases The fourth annual call-out for distinctive podcasts i...

06/08/2024

Bruce Beresford's Film Overture starts production in Western Australia

06 08 2024 - Media release Bruce Beresford's Film Overture starts production in Western Australia Overture cast (L-R) Susie Porter, Luke Bracey and Bryan ...

01/08/2024

SBS commits to 10-year renewable energy power purchase agreement with ZEN Energy

SBS commits to 10-year renewable energy power purchase agreement with ZEN Energy 1 August, 2024 Media releases The SBS-ZEN Energy wind power partnership pr...

01/08/2024

Introducing Our Award-Winning Media Management Software at IBC!

IBC 2024: 13-16 Sep 2024, RAI AmsterdamDelivering innovation and connecting communities, IBC2024 is where the future of the global media and entertainment indus...

31/07/2024

SBS names interim sales leadership as Adam Sadler steps down

SBS names interim sales leadership as Adam Sadler steps down 31 July, 2024 Media releases SBS Director of Media Sales Adam Sadler has announced he will ste...

31/07/2024

Join Techtel at ABE 2024: Get to know Inflo

When: Tuesday 22 to Thursday 24 October 2024 Where: Queen Elizabeth II Grandstand, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Sydney Booth: Techtel booth: 17 Registration: G...

25/07/2024

Julia Zemiro, Gina Chick and Susie Youssef team up to explore more Great Australian Walks on SBS

Julia Zemiro, Gina Chick and Susie Youssef team up to explore more Great Austral...

24/07/2024

NITV to share the culture, ceremony and critical conversations of the Garma Festival with all Australians

NITV to share the culture, ceremony and critical conversations of the Garma Fest...

24/07/2024

More than 5.7 million viewers tune into SBS's coverage as Slovenian Tadej Pogacar dominates

More than 5.7 million viewers tune into SBS's coverage as Slovenian Tadej Po...

22/07/2024

Medical Misogyny: Unpacking Gender Bias in Healthcare with SBS News Hysterical' Podcast

Medical Misogyny: Unpacking Gender Bias in Healthcare with SBS News Hysterical&...

17/07/2024

Screen Australia and YouTube Australia announce Online Creators set to Skip Ahead

17 07 2024 - Media release Screen Australia and YouTube Australia announce Onlin...

15/07/2024

Tour de France 2024: Viewership reach on SBS surpasses 5 million Australians

Tour de France 2024: Viewership reach on SBS surpasses 5 million Australians 15 July, 2024 Media releases More than 5 million Australians have tuned into t...

12/07/2024

Screen Australia and ABC announce new comedy series Optics

12 07 2024 - Media release Screen Australia and ABC announce new comedy series Optics Optics. Photo credit: Joel Pratley ABC and Screen Australia have annou...

11/07/2024

Australia's beloved journalist takes a deep dive into one of the nation's last taboos - death as he plans his own funeral

Australia's beloved journalist takes a deep dive into one of the nation'...

10/07/2024

Shipwreck Hunters Australia back on the water for Season 2

10 07 2024 - Media release Shipwreck Hunters Australia back on the water for Season 2 Shipwreck Hunters Australia Screen Australia and The Walt Disney Compan...

09/07/2024

Three new ground-breaking dramas coming to screens with fresh collection of Digital Originals underway

Three new ground-breaking dramas coming to screens with fresh collection of Digi...

09/07/2024

Tour de France 2024 captivates Australians with almost 4 million viewers tuning in so far

Tour de France 2024 captivates Australians with almost 4 million viewers tuning ...

09/07/2024

Applications Open for Digital Originals, and three new dramas coming to screens

09 07 2024 - Media release Applications Open for Digital Originals, and three new dramas coming to screens (L-R) Moonbird director, co-creator and co-writer N...

05/07/2024

New NITV Radio podcast: Ngiyang. Meet the people reclaiming the Wiradyuri language.

New NITV Radio podcast: Ngiyang. Meet the people reclaiming the Wiradyuri langua...