I expect it could be hard to gauge whether anything sucks if you're Imagine Dragons.

It's probably like asking 'why aren't there more record pressing plants that can press 100 copies of my band's record for not much money and keep the lights on"..

A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Sun Jan 30, 2022 11:12 am We can. Just don't use it. It's really not hard.

Indeed, and conversely, bands can not be on it.

Agree with much of the above re: using Spotify as more of a supplement than the #1 way to listen to music.

That said, there's always https://resonate.is/, which is co-operatively owned and has a stream-to-own model. I admittedly haven't looked into it much, but might be worth checking out if ya haven't already.

endtimerelay wrote: Sun Jan 30, 2022 5:43 pm Agree with much of the above re: using Spotify as more of a supplement than the #1 way to listen to music.

That said, there's always https://resonate.is/, which is co-operatively owned and has a stream-to-own model. I admittedly haven't looked into it much, but might be worth checking out if ya haven't already.

Thanks for sharing. I will check it out. What I am getting at with this thread is that there has to be a model that could work that has the same slick user experience of Spotify, but the ethics of Bandcamp. I know that I would gladly pay much more than $10/month. I use Spotify for day to day, but also, purchase directly from the artists via Bandcamp and shop record stores all of the time. I still discover music like I always have: This place, and recommendations from like minded friends.

Sounds like the Neil Young thing has been gaining traction and with Joni Mitchell tagging in and non-negligible quantities of punters binning their subscriptions, the old boomers may have compelled Spotify to sup from the big bag of dicks after all. The direction of Spotify's share price certainly seems to be bag of dick flavoured. I see the usual arseholes are screaming cancel culture over it all.

Sadly, it is way better than everything else I've tried.

Devil's advocate: is using Spotify worse than buying used records? Used records get the artist zero dollars instead of pennies. And we're paying the government more taxes every time they are sold, though I guess there are taxes in that subscription fee.

I'm definitely the problem. I buy like 20 records a year, tops. I haven't once bought an album digitally and I honestly don't see myself ever doing it. I use Spotify because it's super convenient and I love that when you get past the last track it auto generates a playlist of similar things. This has probably turned me on to more music I was unaware of than from friends suggesting stuff. Here's the reality though. It's not keeping me from buying anything. I also use it to play shit randomly when I have people over instead of the old antiquated CD changer (which I also still use occasionally). If Spotify went away I'd just hear way less music. And probably closer to zero new music. If anything, it's helping me choose half of those 20 per year records I've been buying.

As others have said, I use it like I used to use radio. It's more often background than anything else or I use it when I drive. I do wish they paid the artists. I'd put up with a few commercials if they starting paying everyone a fair amount.

I cannot imagine that in today's digital world that Spotify is any worse than radio was for artists back in the day. I mean at least artists have a medium by which they can be heard/found pretty easily. In the days of radio everything was by word of mouth only because only a very few recording artists ever got to be on the radio at all, a little more on college radio perhaps.

I understand that Spotify doesn't pay well (none of them do) and that tech people are getting rich of the work of artists. But isn't that how it's always been in all areas of the art world? Artists make art and rich people buy it and resell it.

I use Spotify in my car and my home. In my car because I'm on the road a lot, at home when cooking so I don't have to flip over records with chicken juice or anchovies on my hands. I tend to buy the record if I like it enough, *if* a record is even available. And I tend to stay away from re-issues unless I know the source because pressings are shit a lot of the time these days.

tommy wrote: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:46 am Devil's advocate: is using Spotify worse than buying used records? Used records get the artist zero dollars instead of pennies. And we're paying the government more taxes every time they are sold, though I guess there are taxes in that subscription fee.

In the beforetime Steve mentioned something to this effect about used record stores. It's factual, but record stores are much more than a place where one can just buy a used record. It's an integral part to a music community that offers more than just records, and any money taken in goes to keeping this integral hub operational. Spotify isn't integral to the music community, and I'd much rather have my coins go to John Laurie or Charles Taylor or Ethan Diamond than Daniel Ek.

I've never given one cent to Spotify. For myself they are a completely useless factor in how I enjoy and consume music. Not trying to sound cool; it just isn't worth it.

rsmurphy wrote: Mon Jan 31, 2022 11:24 am I've never given one cent to Spotify. For myself they are a completely useless factor in how I enjoy and consume music. Not trying to sound cool; it just isn't worth it.

A-fucking-men.