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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

#551

Post by bscphil »

judge2020 wrote: post #438
gowld wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pandora and Google Play Music (and maybe Spotify too I don't know) put ads in the audio stream (and video, if you are looking at the app screen while listening to music for some reason). Seems simpler to do this than get into a technical arms race with users.

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.

If I'm not mistaken the audio ads still use ad servers, so if you're on a network where someone is running a PiHole or something similar, the ads will be blocked. So running Spotify on an another person's network could get your account suspended if they're blocking ads, I guess.

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

#552

Post by whalesalad »

bicubic wrote: post #58
dessant wrote: post #13

They allow advertisers to run JS on your device, and ads are a trendy way to deliver malware. People are using ad blockers not just to hide annoyances and to improve performance, but to protect themselves from bad actors. https://spotifyforbrands.com/en-US/ad-experiences/ > JavaScript or iFrame Tags: All third-party tags and tracking URLs need to be in https format. I was on the fence about this because there is a le…

Between the dwindling Netflix catalog and increasingly hostile subscription service experience on Spotify, I have found myself flying the black flag again. I still have subscriptions to both, but I will be cancelling them this year. I don't want their shitty analytics payloads, I don't want their shitty anti-adblocker tech. I don't want their shitty tactics of deleting random songs off my playlists. I just want the c…

> hostile subscription service experience on Spotify

???

I pay $14.99 a mo and my wife and I enjoy as much music as we can stomach. It's the one subscription I never even think about. Their service never goes down and they are constantly trying to improve the product.

> Sonarr + Couchpotato + Plex + Subsonic is somehow a more consumer-friendly experience than their 'legitimate' counterparts.

???

If you have the time to configure all of that stuff (and support it, and find pirated content) you need to seriously up your billable rate and reconsider the value of your time.

Then again if you just enjoy doing it yourself and running your own gear, that is fine too, but admit it. I don't think this has anything to do with the market being hostile.

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

#553

Post by munk-a »

zanny wrote: post #541
fastball wrote: post #518

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

ToS's (online, at least) aren't legally enforceable. If they were actually legally binding companies would be sueing users for violating them all the time. Theres a reason the extent of ToS enforcement is just account closure, its because they have no legal standing and just act as a safeguard against actual legal challenges.

The legal enforceability of the TOS isn't really important here, when you use a service there are conditions with that service. Go ahead and try walking into starbucks, paying for half of a tall americano and walking out the door with half of a tall americano. Service providers have the inherent right to place conditions and limits on the services they provide.

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

#554

Post by granshaw »

dvtrn wrote: post #337
unethical_ban wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then pay for the plan! That's the point! Or don't. I've pirated music and movies. I just don't get too mad about it. My point, put another way: I respect the desire to block JS ads, AND I respect the will a non-critical app in a competitive market to make stupid decisions with their ad policy. AND people who don't like that policy can move to Amazon/Google/Apple/other music platforms, or pay Spotify Premium.

Then pay for the plan! That's the point! Pardon my language, but it's a fucked up point to say pay a service money if you don't want their software to conduct clandestine operations on a device that probably contains all sorts of sensitive and private data that NOBODY has claim to but you, and the people you've expressly desired to share it with. That's the point it would seem to me reading these comments; I realize…

It's more like the kid giving you 2 options:

- Unspiked lemonade for $.25 - Spiked lemonade for free

Companies are free to sell what they want, for the amount they want. At least there's more than one option here.

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

#555

Post by gboudrias »

So... they just became profitable, and now they're about to spite a lot of users for about 10% of their revenue? I hope this day haunts them.

I can't believe how many people are discussing this as if ads are the utmost legitimate moneymaker. Ads are parasitic by their very nature, their purpose is to forcibly occupy some mind real-estate. Nobody wants to see ads, yet a large industry exists based on making people see them anyway.

I'm happy when I learn that more and more people are using adblock, and I hope companies that rely on ads to survive disappear. Spotify has chosen to put itself in that camp. I think it's foolishly short-sighted, and I hope time proves me right. The alternative is a future where the ads win... who really wants that?

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

#556

Post by [deleted] »

misiti3780 wrote: post #247
phailhaus wrote: post #165

The amount of people here outraged that Spotify is preventing them from blocking ads on the free tier is astounding. Pay for the service if you don't want ads.

+1 spotify literally costs (per month) < 2 venti lattes from your favorite cafe, and less than a beer at most bars in NYC and 1/2 of this thread is complaining

[deleted]

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

#557

Post by wasdfff »

erikstrottmann wrote: post #515
dewey wrote: post #485

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iTunes can do that too if you use iCloud Music.

iTunes has two options for cloud syncing your library: $10/month Apple Music (which includes downloading or streaming both music you uploaded and the whole Apple Music catalog) and $25/year iTunes Match (which lets you downloading or streaming music you uploaded, but not the whole Apple Music catalog)

I wonder who the target is for itunes match. I always figured people with massive physical libraries aren’t using iTunes to begin with.

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

#558

Post by lucb1e »

This is your friendly reminder to make backups of things you don't want to lose. This happened to me when Grooveshark quit, so now I have a small script that pulls all song metadata from my Spotify account. I can always still buy music, switch services, etc., but I can't get my collection back if they see my account mistakenly as blocking ads (I'm a paying customer but you never know).

Same with Telegram (or your favorite chat service) by the way. Almost nobody backs that up. Especially if you're not paying and they can read your plaintexts (and find something potentially unwanted in there), be sure to make regular backups.

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

#559

Post by wasdfff »

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.

There are headphones where %30 volume would do some damage.

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

#560

Post by MattyS »

I have no idea what the ads on Spotify are like now as I haven't used it in over 3 years but it was pretty annoying where you're listening to heavy metal and then an ad for a pop band comes on. And are they still doing that crap where a free account can't pick any specific songs?
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