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Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

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Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#531

Post by mlthoughts2018 »

dx87 wrote: post #526
mlthoughts2018 wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is like saying you cannot mute your TV when a commercial comes on. Actually it’s worse. It’s saying you cannot even look away. It’s my TV / my phone / my screen. Me. MINE. If someone else emits some information they make freely available, that in no way entails they have any say whatsoever about what I permit to be visible on MY screen.

Just like you can decide what is shown on your screen, they can decide to not let freeloaders use their service. You always have the option of paying for a subscription if having full control over what is shown on your screen is that important to you.

What do you mean freeloader? They chose to distribute the content for free, not me.

If they mistakenly thought this would allow them to guarantee certain things to appear on some private citizen’s personal property, it sounds like a very foolish decision on their part. It might mean they have to shut down the free version of their content or something.

If they try to circumvent my ability to control what is shown on the screen that I own though, it will fail comically, as there will just be an arms race of new technology I can use to ensure my freedom to control what shows up on my screen, to such a degree they would bankrupt themselves trying to control what goes on my screen.. seems a stupid waste on their part, wishing to control someone’s private property like that.

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#532

Post by gmueckl »

heynk wrote: post #510
judge2020 wrote: post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already do this, there are constant interruptions for 30-second audio ads. Currently, you can turn the audio down, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do something akin to the black mirror episode "fifteen million merits" where you have to look at/listen to the ads for them to go away. The main gripe is using adsense which can still often be used to deliver malware.

I've paid for Spotify for a while, so its been some time since I've heard an ad. But from what I remember, if you put the volume below ~30%, the ad pauses.

That was one of the annoyances that finally made me pay for the service. The other one was that they were constantly changing what the free plan allows you to do back then.

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#533

Post by sieabahlpark »

fastball wrote: post #518
v_lisivka wrote: post #511

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I still have right to NOT use service provided by Spotify or and another third-party service, completely or partially.

You do NOT have a right to use the service "partially" (by blocking ads), as blocking ads on their free plan is against the ToS.

He has all the right to, that's why he's not in prison.

Spotify gets to dictate who gets to use their product though.

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#534

Post by skedaddle »

nickdandakis wrote: post #388
ouid wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1-2 coffees? it's 10 bucks. where are you that 1 coffee is 10 dollars? 10 dollars is not a trivial amount of money, and its WAY above most people's pre-spotify music budget. If you don't spend that money, you have an extra $120 bucks at the end of the year.

Is that really your problem? Even if coffee doesn't cost $5, and it costs $2.50, that's 4 coffees. Or even $1 coffee, that's 10 coffees. Unlimited music streaming for a month is absolutely worth 10 coffees. The coffee example is brought up because _most_ people that claim that $120/year is a lot for them, spend a lot more than that a year on coffee. That's not to say $10/month is trivial. I'm sure it's not a trivial…

It's because they already get unlimited music streaming for free, from multiple sources. The value added by Spotify's premium plan is ad-free unshuffled playback and the offline option, so you have to see whether you have $10 in your monthly budget for just those features. I see the value there but it's also relevant to note that your phone can already do all that if you just buy music.

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#535

Post by ddebernardy »

cletus wrote: post #255

Good. Spotify has a pretty cheap paid option that removes all of that. To those who justify wanting the paid service for nothing by saying Spotify won't "take responsibility" or "assume liability" for their ads or those ads "might deliver malware" or are "intrusive" as a weak rationalization, you present a false dichotomy. There are at least three options: 1. Pay for the service 2. Suffer through the ads 3. Don't use…

Best I'm aware, radios offer unlimited music broadcasting all day long and are doing just fine without subscribers.

I've never used Spotify, but if its free, supported by ads option means serving web-based stuff, then it might want to look into getting rid of that and serving audio ads every few songs instead. Ad Blockers wouldn't be a problem in that scenario, and Podcasters have long shown that the what essentially amounts to radio ads are a perfectly valid way to monetize audio content.

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#536

Post by praneshp »

DoctorPenguin wrote: post #497
josteink wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or pay for your account?

Today I could easily afford that. But thinking back a few decades when I was young and didn't have much money at my disposal I would say using stuff for free isn't that bad. Especially when piracy is so much easier than getting your account suspended for using an adblocker.

> But thinking back a few decades when I was young and didn't have much money at my disposal

Setting aside the possibility of malware for a second, would you have taken spotify/pandora with ads back then?

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#537

Post by alacombe »

rchaud wrote: post #293
michaelmior wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1-2 coffees a month Where do you buy coffee that one coffee costs $10?! (or even $5?) I still don't think it's a lot of money, but not quite so trivial.

Toronto Starbucks: $4.95 for a grande cafe macchiato, which becomes $5.60 w/ tax. Even the cheapest black coffee is $3 I believe.

We're talking about the greenback, not our cheap canadian pesos...

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#539

Post by interestica »

scarejunba wrote: post #458
interestica wrote: post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their customer bases aren't distinct streams. They want existing users to upgrade to a premium version. They're not going to be helped by banning those that are already in their system and a click away from an upgrade. Or, like myself, someone who tested out other similar systems and then decided to upgrade again. Does trying to use my account on a system with an adblocker (that I may not know about) warrant a ban?

This is just the “exposure” argument. Not every client converts to being a paid user. The kind that use free service and then block ads may not convert at a high enough rate to justify providing the service. Especially since it also cannibalizes the other product (paid streaming). The marketing team can then decide they’re not worth it.

It's much deeper than exposure. It's closer to an "ecosystem" model. You're likely to create playlists in a service. You will find channels that you like. You will find that some artists are not available in other services. You will find that an interface is better. You might find their "you-might-also-like" algorithm is better. I tried Google's music system for about a year before switching back to Spotify (the irony being that Google Play Music didn't play well with Google's Assistant if you have more than one Google account).

Re: Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers

#540

Post by alacombe »

g45y45 wrote: post #424
gowld wrote: post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your beliefs are that coffee is infinitely more valuable than media, even though you need both in your life?

I need coffee, I don't need to pay for media. I want media, and I find it.

You need your psychoactive drug fix (caffeine), not coffee.
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