Spotify will now suspend or terminate accounts it finds are using ad blockers • Hacker News Board

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

#961

Post by hacym » Thu, Feb 14, 2019, 3:21 PM UTC

delecti wrote: post #581

hacym wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the outrage is more so that Spotify thinks it can tell you how your computer is operating. Other companies have found ways to circumvent adblockers, which is the route they should be taking here... Not telling users that their computers have to conform to some set of standards so that they can inject ads into your experience.

You can buy (rent, access, whatever) their product with one of two forms of payment: money or ads. If you don't like how their ads are delivered (admittedly fair) then pay, if you don't find either of those acceptable then you don't get their product. Disabling ads is requesting a completely free third option, which isn't something they choose to allow. I don't understand the entitlement you seem to feel to demand th…

I think that you are mistaking me explaining other people's opinion on the situation as me saying what is right and what is wrong. The two can be (and are) two independent things. Being able to comprehend multiple sides of the argument doesn't mean that I am entitled, it just means that I don't think it's as black and white as you seem to.

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

#962

Post by KozmoNau7 » Thu, Feb 14, 2019, 7:11 PM UTC

cr0sh wrote: post #677

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…

I wish there was an option to pay a per-day rate. I like Spotify for what it does (it would be nice if I could purchase the CD of the music I listen to - alas), but there are times when I go for days or weeks without listening to it. I'm still debating on if I want to spend $10.00 a month on something I may not use often enough to justify it? For now, in the spirit of everything, and to not be blocked, I turned off m…

$10/month really isn't much. Compare to buying music, that's less than two album downloads from Bandcamp at normal prices. For those $10 you get completely unlimited access to all the music in Spotify's library, generated playlists and radios based on your tastes and listening habits.

Honestly, 10$/month is bordering on suspiciously cheap for what you actually get.

It's the same sort of odd psychology when it comes to paying for apps compared to paying for dinner. $2 for an app seems expensive, but $50 for a dinner for two is generally not even questioned.

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

#963

Post by fastball » Tue, Feb 19, 2019, 7:33 PM UTC

codedokode wrote: post #745

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.

How is blocking ads with software different from turning down the volume during commercials? Also, nobody can be forced to listen to something.

There isn't a difference, except that Spotify can drop you as a customer. Which is what they're doing. Which is fine.

The debate in this thread is not "what can you technically do?", but rather "who has the moral high ground?"