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Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

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Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#81

Post by usrusr »

echelon wrote: post #46
orangepanda wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What is the opportunity for developers? An opportunity to make unsubscribing a more engaging activity

It's the opportunity to take more of your revenue as margin, plain and simple. Contrary to your suggestion, I would argue that most businesses do not want to predatorily extract money from unwilling customers. It's typically the old, calcified businesses that do not innovate (gyms, cable companies, etc.) that engage in this behavior. I want more margin so I can hire more engineers and change the world faster. Google…

> I would argue that most businesses do not want to predatorily extract money from unwilling customers

They'd all rather receive the money from happy customers enthusiastically paying because they love the service so much, but if the third option is no money they all know what their second choice would be.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#83

Post by nerdjon »

olau wrote: post #66
nerdjon wrote: post #45

As a user, why would I choose this? I only see a benefit to developers for this, but from a user prospective going with another system is a downgrade. Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong), disabling a subscription should be able to happen from a central location with a click or 2. If I instead go with the billing through a company not only do they now have my credit card information, but I have…

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

Then let's focus on lowering that percent instead of making the situation worse for consumers.

However to be clear, that percent is in the same area that game consoles and I believe Steam (someone correct me?) charge. And we accept that. When the 30% rule for the App Store came down, our smart phones were basically the same as a game console. Most people did not expect these devices to become the central part of all of our lives. At least not in this way.

Now that it has, than sure the percent needs to be lowered and I am not arguing that (I said in another comment the 30% is worth it for me personally but doesn't mean I am ok with it).

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#84

Post by mnholt »

jmacd wrote: post #79

"Over the coming months, Spotify will work with Google’s product and engineering teams to build this new experience" It's so absolutely bizarre to announce something at this stage. I wonder what is prompting it.

To maximize the amount of media coverage this receives. In a number of months they will announce that it’s done.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#85

Post by rusk »

nerdjon wrote: post #83
olau wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

Then let's focus on lowering that percent instead of making the situation worse for consumers. However to be clear, that percent is in the same area that game consoles and I believe Steam (someone correct me?) charge. And we accept that. When the 30% rule for the App Store came down, our smart phones were basically the same as a game console. Most people did not expect these devices to become the central part of all…

> let's focus on lowering that percent

A noble position but it seems to have been going other way unfortunately. Not sure how you would do that … further regulation or introducing artificial competition in the market. I think the most pro-business approach is to quash the monopoly and open up the market.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#86

Post by ars »

harrisonjackson wrote: post #71
colinmhayes wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spotify keeps more of the money when you use their payment system instead of Google's. Presumably they'll give you a discount for not using google pay.

Or use the extra money to improve their product and pay the musicians more - in a perfect world.

Or more realistically they'll lower prices.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#87

Post by endgame »

olau wrote: post #66
nerdjon wrote: post #45

As a user, why would I choose this? I only see a benefit to developers for this, but from a user prospective going with another system is a downgrade. Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong), disabling a subscription should be able to happen from a central location with a click or 2. If I instead go with the billing through a company not only do they now have my credit card information, but I have…

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

> To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of all transactions. You think that would be reasonable?

Since we are heading to a world with no cash, what's stopping the card companies from doing that after there's no way back? This is why I use cash as much as possible - to delay that day.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#88

Post by nightski »

nerdjon wrote: post #83
olau wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

Then let's focus on lowering that percent instead of making the situation worse for consumers. However to be clear, that percent is in the same area that game consoles and I believe Steam (someone correct me?) charge. And we accept that. When the 30% rule for the App Store came down, our smart phones were basically the same as a game console. Most people did not expect these devices to become the central part of all…

Steam lets developers sell keys without the tax using their own systems. In addition to this you are allowed to list your games on other storefronts for PC.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#89

Post by bmhin »

Shank wrote: post #73
olau wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

> To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of all transactions. You think that would be reasonable? Just so that we're talking on equal terms here, card processors and networks solve a massive amount of problems that existed with cash. Pre-card, many stores setup credit accounts with individuals, had book keeping practices…

Choice is the real thing though more than actual value add. I feel like I see it less now, but recall seeing how vendors would only accept certain cards and not others (frequently, not American Express) which was as far as I know stemming mostly from higher fees they didn't want to pay. Similarly, places would not accept credit cards at all if they had razor margins and didn't want to eat the fee. I still know of a few places like that, often with an ATM near by so the customer can pay a fee if they are caught unaware.

That was the thing though, a business could decline to accept particular cards or cards at all and still perform transactions. That "opportunity" has generally not extended to the app store world in a practical way. If you want to play, they had their cut and customers and vendors didn't have a whole lot of say in what was reasonable. There is no simple default transaction (like cash) that they were trying to out compete.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#90

Post by syspec »

librish wrote: post #16
criddell wrote: post #14

> represents a first-of-its-kind option in payment choice and offers opportunities for both consumers and developers What is the opportunity here? For consumers is it that you can pick who you pay? That doesn't sound like much of an opportunity to me. What is the opportunity for developers?

Presumably that they'll see the difference in price.

Hah! As if... If there is a reduction in price, it will be temporary so they can get users to switch.

After a year or two there will be a PR announcement:

Congratulations to us! Today we're announcing going forward all plans will be priced exactly the same. This means whether you pay via Google or Spotify, you no longer need to worry about confusing pricing options because all plans will have one single price.

As an additional benefit users who pay via Spotify will get a limited edition Snoop Dogg / Jaden Smith / Billy Ray Cyrus NFT usable in Fortnite while logged into Spotify Pro Max

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