Dina LaPolt has spent the last 20 years fighting for the rights of songwriters and musicians. And she’s had to fight hard.

She’s tussled with the notoriously brutal Suge Knight of Death Row Records, and even sued the behemoth that is the United States Department of Justice.

Yet perhaps the biggest battles in her life have been personal ones: she’s overcome a drug and alcohol addiction, and recently survived a near-death experience after contracting an infection in her spine that led to septic shock.

Today, LaPolt is one of the most respected lawyers operating in the global music business, with a client list that includes everyone from Britney Spears to Fifth Harmony, Steven Tyler and Deadmau5.

Here, in an exclusive interview, she gives her views on everything from Spotify’s IPO to YouTube’s promises, as well as US copyright law, women in the music industry and much more.

Read more here.