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submitted 3 months ago by fpslem@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

When Bloomberg reported that Spotify would be upping the cost of its premium subscription from $9.99 to $10.99, and including 15 hours of audiobooks per month in the U.S., the change sounded like a win for songwriters and publishers. Higher subscription prices typically equate to a bump in U.S. mechanical royalties — but not this time.

By adding audiobooks into Spotify’s premium tier, the streaming service now claims it qualifies to pay a discounted “bundle” rate to songwriters for premium streams, given Spotify now has to pay licensing for both books and music from the same price tag — which will only be a dollar higher than when music was the only premium offering. Additionally, Spotify will reclassify its duo and family subscription plans as bundles as well.

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[-] aesthelete@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago

They suck ass. Stop paying them money.

[-] scaryjelly@lemm.ee 13 points 3 months ago

Because of financial problems i switched from streaming back to my old ipod. Moding this old player was one of the best decisions in my career as music listner. The best thing about it is that my phone can run low on battery but i am still able to listen to chumbawamba.

Decentrelize your hardware!

[-] AnxiousDuck@feddit.it 12 points 3 months ago

Is there a (possibly libre) way to maintain a structured music library not tied to a streaming service??

I would happily leave but I fear for my huge library of artists and albums that I have discovered...

[-] Dry_Monk@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago

It's not easy, fast, or free, but it is worth it. I currently still have a Spotify account, but I'm weaning myself off. I've been going the Bandcamp + jellyfin route. Buy an album a month (about the price of monthly streaming) and add it to my personal library. Next month, check what I've been listening to most on Spotify and buy that. It's twice as expensive (for now) but I'm supporting artists more directly and have an exit strategy for Spotify. Curious about other's approaches!

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[-] unreasonabro@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Spotify could charge ten times their current price - indeed, should have been, for nearly the entire catalogue of western music? even at $100/mo it would have been a steal - and even so, they wouldn't be paying artists significantly more, or even at a reasonable rate.

The model is the problem. The middleman is the problem. The service itself is the problem. It can never work in a way that pays artists fairly as long as it requires human oversight, administration and intervention, let alone all the wasteful shit like advertising and legal overhead/payola for politicians.

Get an AI to do it right, though... puffpuff, pass

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[-] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago

Don't use spotifly.

Give your money to SomaFM instead.

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[-] Senseless@feddit.de 9 points 3 months ago

So.. is there an alternative to Spotify for music streaming inside the EU that also has a large DB of metal? Ideally a service that gives a bigger share to the artists.

[-] baseless_discourse@mander.xyz 13 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

bandcamp is nice. They give much more to artist, and allow you to download flac. So that you can enjoy your music without worrying about your listening habits feeding the machine.

Our share is 15% on digital items, and 10% on physical goods. Payment processor fees are separate and vary depending on the size of the transaction, but for an average size purchase, amount to an additional 4-7%. The remainder, usually 80-85%, goes directly to the artist or their label, and we pay out daily.

https://bandcamp.com/fair_trade_music_policy

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[-] Gluten6970@lemm.ee 9 points 3 months ago

And this is why I refuse to listen to ads or pay for spotify.

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[-] andros_rex@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago

Spotify seems to be trying to transition to podcasts anyway - it’s harder to get it to recommend music. My guess is that eventually the Spotify and the record labels will have more disagreements about royalties, and that Spotify will pivot more towards podcasting - independent folks who have far less power in negotiations.

[-] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 8 points 3 months ago

https://www.xmanagerapp.com/

Patch your spotify install to get free premium. If they're gonna raise prices and lower what they pay musicians, there's no valid reason not to.

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this post was submitted on 09 May 2024
1478 points (98.8% liked)

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