Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Spotify

2025-09-17T22:56:18Z

TripleHaven: /* See also */ added hotlink to soundcloud

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Spotify
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2006
| Industry = Audio Streaming
| Official Website = https://spotify.com/
| Logo = Spotify.png
}}
'''[[Wikipedia:Spotify|Spotify]]''' is a global music-streaming service founded in 2006 in Sweden by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It allows users to stream music, podcasts, and other audio content via a freemium model, offering both free, ad-supported access and premium subscription services.

==Consumer-impact summary==
====Freedom====
Users can request to obtain a copy of and delete their user data through the app and website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://support.spotify.com/us/article/data-rights-and-privacy-settings/|title=Data rights and privacy choices|work=Spotify Support|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916033527/https://support.spotify.com/us/article/data-rights-and-privacy-settings/|archive-date=2025-09-16|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the user guidelines, users cannot share their accounts with others (section 13) or reverse-engineering the Spotify client (section 1).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/user-guidelines/|title=Spotify User Guidelines|work=Spotify|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907171037/https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/user-guidelines/|archive-date=2025-09-07|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Privacy====
According to the privacy policy, user data collected includes name, estimated age, address, gender, phone number, and date of birth, with optional data such as voice and usage data being used to "personalize your account".<ref name="SpotifyPP">{{Cite web|url=https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/privacy-policy/|title=Privacy Policy|date=2025-08-27|work=Spotify|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916051241/https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/privacy-policy/|archive-date=2025-09-16|url-status=live}}</ref> This data, including listening history, is retained by Spotify for "as long as necessary" until the user makes a deletion request (with the exception of search queries after 90 days). Spotify also states they share your data with third parties, including [[Google Maps]] to verify addresses when purchasing a premium subscription.<ref name="SpotifyPP" />

====Business model====
For free users, Spotify plays advertisements in-between songs, with those same free users getting 6 song skips per hour and being restricted to shuffle-only play until September 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/news/778176/spotify-free-user-upgrade-play-specific-songs|title=Spotify’s free users can finally play the songs they want|first=Jess|last=Weatherbed|date=2025-09-15|work=TheVerge|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250917210559/https://www.theverge.com/news/778176/spotify-free-user-upgrade-play-specific-songs|archive-date=2025-09-17|url-status=live}}</ref> For premium users, the subscriptions cost between $11.99/m for an individual, $16.99/m for a duo plan, and $19.99/m for a family plan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spotify.com/us/premium/|title=Spotify Premium (US)|work=Spotify|access-date=2025-09-17}}</ref>

====Market control====
According to Statistica, Spotify is currently the most used music streaming service with a 31.7% user share, with others such as Tencent Music and Apple Music falling behind.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://evoca.tv/streaming-service-market-share/|title=Streaming Service Market Share (2025): Global Revenue Data|date=2025-08-25|first=Brooke|last=Gaines|work=EvocaTV|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250814072314/https://evoca.tv/streaming-service-market-share/|archive-date=2025-08-14|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Incidents==

===Privacy violations and data misuse ''(2015)''===
In 2015, Spotify demanded access to users’ contacts, photos, and location via mobile apps, triggering backlash over disproportionate data harvesting.{{CitationNeeded}}

===Car Thing ''(2019-2024)''===
{{Main|Spotify Car Thing}}
In 2019, Spotify announced the Car Thing, a device marketed as a voice-controlled interface for selecting music and podcasts while driving.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-04-13/spotify-launches-our-newest-exploration-a-limited-release-of-car-thing-a-smart-player-for-your-car/|title=Spotify Launches Our Newest Exploration: A Limited Release of Car Thing, a Smart Player for Your Car|date=2021-04-13|work=Spotify Newsroom|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250801132943/https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-04-13/spotify-launches-our-newest-exploration-a-limited-release-of-car-thing-a-smart-player-for-your-car/|archive-date=2025-08-01|url-status=live}}</ref> The device was officially launched in the U.S. on February 22, 2022, it cost $89.99 and requires a Spotify Premium subscription plan along with a phone with a mobile data connection to be used.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-02-22/car-thing-from-spotify-is-now-officially-available-in-the-u-s/|title=Car Thing From Spotify Is Now Officially Available in the U.S.|date=2022-02-02|work=Spotify Newsroom|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250416142739/https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-02-22/car-thing-from-spotify-is-now-officially-available-in-the-u-s/|archive-date=2025-04-16|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 30, 2022, the device went on sale for $50. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://community.spotify.com/t5/Car-Thing/Summer-Sale-Special-89-99/td-p/5412050|title=Solved: Summer Sale Special $89.99 - The Spotify Community|work=Spotify Community|author=greyorlyte|date=2022-08-01|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126174331/https://community.spotify.com/t5/Car-Thing/Summer-Sale-Special-89-99/td-p/5412050|archive-date=2025-01-26|url-status=live}}</ref> The company discontinued production of the device in July 27, 2022, citing low demand. A spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Based on several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues, we have decided to stop further production of Car Thing units. Existing devices will perform as intended." <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/spotify-exits-short-lived-car-thing-hardware-play-as-reports-q2-maus-of-433m-offsetting-russia-exit-and-service-outage/|title=Spotify exits short-lived Car Thing hardware play, reports Q2 MAUs of 433M, offsetting Russia exit and service outage|first=Ingrid|last=Lunden|date=2022-07-27|work=TechCrunch|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250708172544/https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/spotify-exits-short-lived-car-thing-hardware-play-as-reports-q2-maus-of-433m-offsetting-russia-exit-and-service-outage/|archive-date=2025-07-08|url-status=live}}</ref> In August of 2022, Spotify further reduced the price to $30 in order to sell off all existing stock. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/spotify-car-thing-lowest-price-ever-get-one-still-can/|title=Spotify Car Thing is at its lowest price ever, get one while you still can|first=Rajesh|last=Pandey|work=Android Police|date=2022-08-25|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250405054611/https://www.androidpolice.com/spotify-car-thing-lowest-price-ever-get-one-still-can/|archive-date=2025-04-05|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 20, 2022, security researchers released a report on how they achieved root on the Car Thing, uncovering how the device could potentially be hacked. Spotify responded on October 21, 2022, saying that the product is unsupported, end-of-life, and therefore no bugs would be accepted pertaining to the product. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oddsolutions.github.io/Spotify-Car-Thing-Root/|title=Spotify Car Thing - Root and Custom OS toolkit|work=GitHub|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250801132952/https://oddsolutions.github.io/Spotify-Car-Thing-Root/|archive-date=2025-08-01|url-status=live}}</ref> The product had gone from its launch to "end-of-life" in the span of 8 months.
[[File:Spotify Car Thing Email.jpg|left|thumb|433x433px|Screenshot of email from Spotify, sent to Car Thing users.]]

On May 23rd, 2024, Spotify announced, via email to users, that support for the Car Thing would end in December of that year, rendering the device inoperable after that point.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://x.com/mypussyfarts/status/1793679258105348378?mx=2|title=what the fuck do you mean stop operating some people actually use the car thing DAILY @Spotify|author=@mypussyfarts|date=2024-05-23|work=X|access-date=2025-09-17}}</ref>

The Car Thing support page advised Car Thing owners to "contact your state or local waste disposal department to determine how to dispose of or recycle Car Thing in accordance with applicable laws and regulations," rendering the device obsolete. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://support.spotify.com/us/article/car-thing-discontinued/|title=Car Thing discontinued|work=Spotify Support|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250828003549/https://support.spotify.com/us/article/car-thing-discontinued/|archive-date=2025-08-28|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 28, 2024 a class action lawsuit was filed against Spotify, due to a lack of refunds offered on the Car Thing. “All of the claims herein arise out of Spotify’s decision to unilaterally and without recourse cut off its support of the Car Thing and announce its plan to terminate its functionality on December 9, 2024,” the lawsuit reads. "Many owners of the Car Thing have complained in public forums and to Spotify about the discontinuance of the product and have requested that Spotify address and remedy the problem by providing a refund, equivalent replacement, or allow the Car Thing to be open sourced for use outside of Spotify’s control. Spotify has stated that it will not refund, or replace, the Car Thing, instead recommending that Consumers “reset your Car Thing to factory settings and safely dispose of your device following local electronic waste guidelines.” <ref>[[:File:Spotify-car-thing-lawsuit-class-action-mazumder-may-2024.pdf]]</ref>

On May 31, 2024, Spotify began offering refunds for the Car Thing. In December 2024, the Spotify website for Car Thing read, "Contact customer service by no later than January 14, 2025 to discuss your refund options." <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://carthing.spotify.com/|title=Car Thing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225024757/https://carthing.spotify.com/|archive-date=2024-12-25|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Spotify support web page for Car Thing states that they are discontinuing the hardware product as part of ongoing efforts to streamline their product offerings.<ref name=":0" />

{{Clear}}

===Voice & environment surveillance patent ''(2021)''===
<blockquote>The audio signals may be recorded in real-time, or may correspond to previously-recorded audio signals...

For example, such metadata might include an emotional state...... in one example aspect, the content metadata indicates an emotional state of a speaker providing the voice.</blockquote>Back in 2021, Spotify was granted US patent 10891948 B2 for ''"identification of Taste Attributes from an audio signal"[[:File:US10891948.pdf]] .'' This describes tech that:

#analyzes what users say
#Analyzes background noise to determine where you are(bus stop, coffee shop, home, etc)
#Scores incoming data to guess a user's mood or emotional state.

The patent describes listening to birds chirping, printers printing, cars on a street. This technology enables Spotify to create detailed profiles of their users' activities, how they feel, and social interactions without users understanding that their data is being collected in this way.

This is marketed as a music recommendation system. The patent demonstrates that Spotify's capabilities go far further than music taste evaluation, with the ability for personal surveillance.

According to a statement Spotify gave at news media they are not currently using this in their service, however they have not committed to never using this technology on their service.<ref>{{cite web |last=Heater |first=Alex |title=Spotify is patenting a surveillance system disguised as a music recommendation engine |url=https://www.soundguys.com/spotify-surveillence-patent-51768/ |website=SoundGuys |date=2021-04-14 |access-date=2025-06-16}}</ref>

===Fake artists and playlist manipulation ''(2024-)''===
In recent years, Spotify has experimented with the addition of lower, and with ways to lower the average royalty cost paid out per user, by manipulating playlists to serve users content with smaller royalties attached.

*Perfect Fit Content (PFC) Program:

::An internal initiative to seed playlists with AI generated or low cost music (''e.g., ambient, jazz. The velvet sundown'') from Swedish and English producers. These tracks replaced human artists to reduce royalty payouts.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The truth about Spotify |url=https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-ugly-truth-about-spotify-is-finally|date=2024-12-19|first=Ted|last=Gioia|work=The Honest Broker|access-date=2025-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250905090427/https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-ugly-truth-about-spotify-is-finally|archive-date=2025-09-05|url-status=live}}</ref>

*Fake artist networks:

::Investigators found 20 individuals operating under 500 aliases (''e.g., Trumpet Bumblefig, Vattio Bud. The velvet sundown.'' ) generating millions of streams. One obscure Swedish jazz artist outperformed Grammy winning albums. {{CitationNeeded}}
::Employees claimed that listeners <q>wouldn’t know the difference</q> between authentic and PFC tracks.<ref name=":1" />

*Playlist manipulation
::The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) criticized Spotify for bundling music with audiobooks to lower royalty rates, calling it a "predatory" practice.{{CitationNeeded}}

==See also==
*[[Apple Music]]
*[[Deezer]]
*[[Pandora]]
*[[SoundCloud]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Spotify]]

BlueCruise hands-free driving

2025-08-20T22:36:30Z

TripleHaven: /* Consumer response */

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Ford
|StartDate=2021
|Status=Active
|ArticleType=Service
|Description=Ford BlueCruise was launched in 2021.
}}Ford BlueCruise is a active driving assistance system launched by Ford in 2021 for certain vehicle models. BlueCruise allows drivers to activate active cruise control on certain major roadways, enabling them to drive hands-free.

==Background==
BlueCruise was first launched with the release of the 2021 Ford F-150. The system launched as a subscription, costing consumers 75 dollars a month to continue using a program which came factory installed in every 2021 Ford F-150.

==Consumer Backlash==
Ford faced criticism from consumers. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Seabaugh |first=Christian |date=2023-05-23 |title=We’re Paying $650/Year to Subscribe to Our Ford F-150 Lightning |url=https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-lariat-yearlong-review-update-5-subscription-services |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250820223011/https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-lariat-yearlong-review-update-5-subscription-services |archive-date=2025-08-20}}</ref>

===Ford's response===
Ford lowered the subscription price of the BlueCruise service to 49.99 a month or 450.00 a year. Additionally, Ford added the option to purchase the system as a one-time fee.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Zac |date=2024-10-02 |title=Ford's BlueCruise Driving Aid Now Available for One-Time Purchase |url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a62490773/ford-bluecruise-now-available-as-one-time-purchase/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250820223324/https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a62490773/ford-bluecruise-now-available-as-one-time-purchase/ |archive-date=2025-08-20}}</ref>

==Consumer response==

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Ph-I-C}}

BlueCruise hands-free driving

2025-08-20T22:36:16Z

TripleHaven: added basic info

BlueCruise hands-free driving

2025-08-20T22:04:08Z

TripleHaven: Created page with "{{IncidentCargo |Company=Ford |StartDate=2021 |Status=Active |ArticleType=Service |Description=Ford BlueCruise was launched in 2021. }} {{Ph-I-Int}} ==Background== {{Ph-I-B}} ==[Incident]== {{Ph-I-I}} ===[Company]'s response=== {{Ph-I-ComR}} ==Lawsuit== {{Ph-I-L}} ==Consumer response== {{Ph-I-ConR}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Ph-I-C}}"

{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Ford
|StartDate=2021
|Status=Active
|ArticleType=Service
|Description=Ford BlueCruise was launched in 2021.
}}
{{Ph-I-Int}}
==Background==
{{Ph-I-B}}

==[Incident]==
{{Ph-I-I}}

===[Company]'s response===
{{Ph-I-ComR}}

==Lawsuit==
{{Ph-I-L}}

==Consumer response==
{{Ph-I-ConR}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Ph-I-C}}

Spotify

2025-08-18T01:29:55Z

TripleHaven: /* Genre Manipulation and Cultural Appropriation */ deleted this section due to a lack of sourcing, pov:indie and escape room are not considered genres by any other reputable source, they're just names of playlists of songs with a similar "vibe". Therefore the idea that there is cultural appropriation (or that TikTok is involved at all) is unsubstantiated. Stomp and Holler seems to be the only proper genre of the three where Spotify coined the name.

{{incomplete}}

{{InfoboxCompany
| Name = Spotify
| Type = Public
| Founded = 2006
| Industry = Audio Streaming
| Official Website = https://spotify.com/
| Logo = Spotify.png
}}

----

'''[[Wikipedia:Spotify|Spotify]]''' is a global music-streaming service founded in 2006 in Sweden by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It allows users to stream music, podcasts, and other audio content via a freemium model, offering both free, ad-supported access and premium subscription services.

==Summary of anti-consumer practices==

===Micro Payments per Stream===

*Label Retained Royalties:

::Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.005 per stream, requiring approximately 4 million monthly streams to earn $1,160, which is equal to a month of the U.S. minimum wage. High profile artists like Taylor Swift and Thom Yorke withdrew music in protest.

*Policy Changes Harming Indies:

::70% of Spotify’s revenue goes to rights holders (e.g., record labels), but artists receive only 11% to 16% after the labels take their cuts. For example, Universal Music kept 73% of Spotify payouts.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Criticism of Spotify |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Spotify |website=Wikipedia}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=The truth about Spotify |url=https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-ugly-truth-about-spotify-is-finally}}</ref>

::Spotify stopped paying royalties in 2023 for tracks with less than 1,000 annual streams, and diverted the approximately $40 million per year to major labels. This disproportionately impacted emerging artists.

===Fake Artists and Playlist Manipulation===

*Perfect Fit Content (PFC) Program:

::An internal initiative to seed playlists with AI generated or low cost music (''e.g., ambient, jazz'') from Swedish producers. These tracks replaced human artists to reduce royalty payouts.<ref name=":2" />

*Fake Artist Networks:

::Investigators found 20 individuals operating under 500 aliases (''e.g., Trumpet Bumblefig, Vattio Bud'') generating millions of streams. One obscure Swedish jazz artist outperformed Grammy winning albums.<ref name=":2" />

*Consumer Deception:

::Employees admitted listeners <q>wouldn’t know the difference</q> between authentic and PFC tracks, degrading content quality.<ref name=":2" />

===Licensing Violations and Legal Battles===

*Unpaid Royalties:

::In 2017 Spotify faced a $1.6 billion lawsuit from Wixen Music Publishing for hosting 10,000+ unlicensed songs by artists like Tom Petty and Neil Young.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Spotify Under Fire |url=https://www.recordingacademy.com/advocacy/news/spotify-under-fire-failing-properly-license-music--again |website=Recording Academy}}</ref>

*Repeated Non Compliance:

::Despite a 2015 pledge to fix <q>bad publishing data</q> Spotify’s $43 million settlement (2017) for unpaid mechanical licenses was deemed "inadequate" by industry groups.<ref name=":3" />
*Bundling Schemes:

::The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) condemned Spotify for bundling music with audiobooks to lower royalty rates, calling it "predatory".

===Privacy Violations and Data Misuse===

*Invasive Data Collection:

::In 2015, Spotify demanded access to users’ contacts, photos, and location via mobile apps, triggering backlash over disproportionate data harvesting.

*Pay-for-Play Allegations:

::Spotify was accused of taking payments from labels to prioritize songs in playlists, mimicking payola scandals without transparency.<ref name=":1" />

===Voice & environment surveillance patent===
<blockquote>The audio signals may be recorded in real-time, or may correspond to previously-recorded audio signals...

For example, such metadata might include an emotional state...... in one example aspect, the content metadata indicates an emotional state of a speaker providing the voice.</blockquote>Back in 2021, Spotify was granted US patent 10891948 B2 for ''"identification of Taste Attributes from an audio signal"[[:File:US10891948.pdf]] .'' This describes tech that:

#analyzes what users say
#Analyzes background noise to determine where you are(bus stop, coffee shop, home, etc)
#Scores incoming data to guess a user's mood or emotional state.

The patent describes listening to birds chirping, printers printing, cars on a street. This technology enables Spotify to create detailed profiles of their users' activities, how they feel, and social interactions without users understanding that their data is being collected in this way.

This is marketed as a music recommendation system. The patent demonstrates that Spotify's capabilities go far further than music taste evaluation, with the ability for personal surveillance.

According to a statement Spotify gave at news media they are not currently using this in their service, however they have not committed to never using this technology on their service.<ref>{{cite web |last=Heater |first=Alex |title=Spotify is patenting a surveillance system disguised as a music recommendation engine |url=https://www.soundguys.com/spotify-surveillence-patent-51768/ |website=SoundGuys |date=2021-04-14 |access-date=2025-06-16}}</ref>

===Price Rises and Subscription Exploitation===

*Forced Price Increases:

::Under pressure from record labels (''e.g., Universal Music''), Spotify raised U.S. prices by 31% for duo plans and 25% for family plans (2023–2024). Similar rises occurred in 50+ markets.

*Label Profit Extraction:

::Labels pushed for price rises under the guise of "artist fairness," yet retained most revenue. For example, Universal’s streaming revenue grew 8.9% year-over-year in 2024.

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="5" border="3, solid, gray"
|-
|+Spotify Subcription Price Increase (2023-2024)
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align:left;" |Plan Type
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" |Price Increase
! scope="col" style="text-align:right;" |Key Markets Affected
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" |Premium Individual
! style="text-align:center;" |10%
! style="text-align:right;" |USA UK EU
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" |Premium Duo
! style="text-align:center;" |31%
! style="text-align:right;" |Global
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" |Premium Family
! style="text-align:center;" |25%
! style="text-align:right;" |50+ countries
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:left;" |Student
! style="text-align:center;" |20%
! style="text-align:right;" |USA Australia
|}

:

----

===Systemic Exploitation===

:Despite recent profitability, Spotify relies heavily on price rises, algorithmic manipulation and royalty suppression. These anti consumer practices come out of a profit-driven business model which prioritizes labels and shareholders over artists and listeners. The PFC program epitomizes Spotify's continued fight agianst musicians. Regulatory intervention—like the EU's antitrust actions—remains critical to force transparency and fairness.

----

===Car Thing===
{{Main|Spotify Car Thing}}
In 2019, Spotify announced the Car Thing, a device marketed as a voice-controlled interface for selecting music and podcasts while driving.<ref>https://newsroom.spotify.com/2021-04-13/spotify-launches-our-newest-exploration-a-limited-release-of-car-thing-a-smart-player-for-your-car/</ref> The device was officially launched in the U.S. on February 22, 2022, it cost $89.99 and requires a Spotify Premium subscription plan along with a phone with a mobile data connection to be used.<ref>https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-02-22/car-thing-from-spotify-is-now-officially-available-in-the-u-s/</ref> On June 30, 2022, the device went on sale for $50. <ref>https://community.spotify.com/t5/Car-Thing/Summer-Sale-Special-89-99/td-p/5412050</ref> The company discontinued production of the device in July 27, 2022, citing low demand. A spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Based on several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues, we have decided to stop further production of Car Thing units. Existing devices will perform as intended." <ref>https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/spotify-exits-short-lived-car-thing-hardware-play-as-reports-q2-maus-of-433m-offsetting-russia-exit-and-service-outage/</ref> In August of 2022, Spotify further reduced the price to $30 in order to sell off all existing stock. <ref>https://www.androidpolice.com/spotify-car-thing-lowest-price-ever-get-one-still-can/</ref>

On October 20, 2022, security researchers released a report on how they achieved root on the Car Thing, uncovering how the device could potentially be hacked. Spotify responded on October 21, 2022, saying that the product is unsupported, end-of-life, and therefore no bugs would be accepted pertaining to the product. <ref>https://oddsolutions.github.io/Spotify-Car-Thing-Root/</ref> The product had gone from its launch to "end-of-life" in the span of 8 months.
[[File:Spotify Car Thing Email.jpg|left|thumb|433x433px|Screenshot of email from Spotify, sent to Car Thing users.]]

On May 23rd, 2024, Spotify announced, via email to users, that support for the Car Thing would end in December of that year, rendering the device inoperable after that point.<ref name=":0">https://x.com/mypussyfarts/status/1793679258105348378?mx=2</ref>

The Car Thing support page advised Car Thing owners to "contact your state or local waste disposal department to determine how to dispose of or recycle Car Thing in accordance with applicable laws and regulations," rendering the device obsolete. <ref>https://support.spotify.com/us/article/car-thing-discontinued/</ref> On May 28, 2024 a class action lawsuit was filed against Spotify, due to a lack of refunds offered on the Car Thing. “All of the claims herein arise out of Spotify’s decision to unilaterally and without recourse cut off its support of the Car Thing and announce its plan to terminate its functionality on December 9, 2024,” the lawsuit reads. "Many owners of the Car Thing have complained in public forums and to Spotify about the discontinuance of the product and have requested that Spotify address and remedy the problem by providing a refund, equivalent replacement, or allow the Car Thing to be open sourced for use outside of Spotify’s control. Spotify has stated that it will not refund, or replace, the Car Thing, instead recommending that Consumers “reset your Car Thing to factory settings and safely dispose of your device following local electronic waste guidelines.” <ref>https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/spotify-car-thing-lawsuit-class-action-mazumder-may-2024.pdf</ref>

On May 31, 2024, Spotify began offering refunds for the Car Thing.

The Spotify website for Car Thing now reads "Contact customer service by no later than January 14, 2025 to discuss your refund options." <ref>https://carthing.spotify.com/</ref> The Spotify support web page for Car Thing states that they are discontinuing the hardware product as part of ongoing efforts to streamline their product offerings.<ref name=":0" />

{{Clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Spotify]]

SoundCloud

2025-08-16T17:23:09Z

TripleHaven: added references

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2008-10-28
|Industry=Entertainment
|Logo=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Soundcloud_logo.svg/1280px-Soundcloud_logo.svg.png
|Type=Private
|Website=https://soundcloud.com/
|Description=Music streaming service.
}}

SoundCloud is a music streaming platform founded in 2007. The SoundCloud website was made public in October 2008.

==Consumer-impact summary==

===Subscription Tiers===

*SoundCloud has three membership tiers for listeners. Free, which is ad-supported, Go, which is ad-free, and Go+, which is ad-free and gives access to locked songs not available with other subscriptions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=SoundCloud |date=2025 |title=What type of subscription is for me? |url=https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051072534-What-type-of-subscription-is-for-me |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250727092854/https://help.soundcloud.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051072534-What-type-of-subscription-is-for-me |archive-date=2025-8-16}}</ref>
*SoundCloud has three membership tiers for artists. Without a paid subscription, SoundCloud limits the hours of music which can be uploaded to an account. The upload limit for the Basic package is is 2 hours, 3 for Artist, and Artist Pro users have no limit.<ref name=":0" />

===User Downloads===

*SoundCloud allows artists to enable direct downloads on their tracks. Listeners of any membership tier can use direct downloads on the website.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCall |first=Vivian |date=January 14th, 2021 |title=How to download SoundCloud songs from the website onto your computer, or from the mobile app with SoundCloud Go |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-download-soundcloud-songs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816170647/https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-download-soundcloud-songs |archive-date=August 16th, 2025 |work=Business Insider}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===Generative AI===
In January 2024, SoundCloud announced integration with AI music tools Fadr, Soundful and Voice-Swap, allowing users to directly post AI generated content to the platform. <ref>{{Cite news |last=Paine |first=Andre |title=SoundCloud integrates with assistive AI tools to enable direct uploads for artists |url=https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/soundcloud-integrates-with-assistive-ai-tools-to-enable-direct-uploads-for-artists/089164 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816171344/https://www.musicweek.com/digital/read/soundcloud-integrates-with-assistive-ai-tools-to-enable-direct-uploads-for-artists/089164 |archive-date=August 16th, 2025 |work=MusicWeek}}</ref>

In May 2025, an article published by Futurism accused SoundCloud of updating their Terms of Service to allow all content on the platform to be used to train generative AI.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 9th, 2025 |title=SoundCloud Quietly Updated Their Terms to Let AI Feast on Artists' Music |url=https://futurism.com/soundcloud-ai-terms-of-service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816171715/https://futurism.com/soundcloud-ai-terms-of-service |archive-date=August 16th, 2025 |work=Futurism}}</ref> SoundCloud later clarified that it's use of AI was strictly to provide “personalized recommendations, content organization, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification”, not to train generative AI models.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=May 14th, 2025 |title=SoundCloud Updates AI Policy in Terms of Use After Backlash |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/soundcloud-updates-ai-policy-in-terms-of-use-after-backlash/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250816172013/https://pitchfork.com/news/soundcloud-updates-ai-policy-in-terms-of-use-after-backlash/ |archive-date=August 16th, 2025 |work=Pitchfork}}</ref>

==See also==

*[[Spotify]]
*[[Apple Music]]
*[[Amazon Music]]

==References==
<references />
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

User:TripleHaven

2025-08-16T16:53:21Z

TripleHaven: Created page with "hi"

SoundCloud

2025-08-16T16:52:15Z

TripleHaven:

SoundCloud

2025-08-16T16:49:32Z

TripleHaven: Added consumer-impact summary and incidents

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2008-10-28
|Industry=Entertainment
|Logo=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Soundcloud_logo.svg
|Type=Private
|Website=https://soundcloud.com/
|Description=Music streaming service.
}}

SoundCloud is a music streaming platform founded in 2007. The SoundCloud website was made public in October 2008.

==Consumer-impact summary==

=== Subscription Tiers ===

* SoundCloud has three membership tiers for listeners. Free, which is ad-supported, Go, which is ad-free, and Go+, which is ad-free and gives access to locked songs not available with other subscriptions.
* SoundCloud has three membership tiers for artists. Without a paid subscription, SoundCloud limits the hours of music which can be uploaded to an account. The upload limit for the Basic package is is 2 hours, 3 for Artist, and Artist Pro users have no limit.

=== User Downloads ===

* SoundCloud allows artists to enable direct downloads on their tracks. Listeners of any membership tier can use direct downloads on the website.

==Incidents==
===Generative AI===
In January 2024, SoundCloud announced integration with AI music tools Fadr, Soundful and Voice-Swap, allowing users to directly post AI generated content to the platform.

In May 2025, an article published by Futurism accused SoundCloud of updating their Terms of Service to allow all content on the platform to be used to train generative AI. SoundCloud later clarified that it's use of AI was strictly to provide “personalized recommendations, content organization, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification”, not to train generative AI models.

==See also==

* [[Spotify]]
* [[Apple Music]]
* [[Amazon Music]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

SoundCloud

2025-08-16T16:07:43Z

TripleHaven: Created page with "{{CompanyCargo |Founded=2008-10-28 |Industry=Entertainment |Logo=https://press.soundcloud.com/images/419679/ |Type=Private |Website=https://soundcloud.com/ |Description=Music streaming service. }} {{Ph-C-Int}} ==Consumer-impact summary== {{Ph-C-CIS}} ==Incidents== {{Ph-C-Inc}} This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the {{PAGENAME}} category..."

{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2008-10-28
|Industry=Entertainment
|Logo=https://press.soundcloud.com/images/419679/
|Type=Private
|Website=https://soundcloud.com/
|Description=Music streaming service.
}}
{{Ph-C-Int}}

==Consumer-impact summary==
{{Ph-C-CIS}}

==Incidents==
{{Ph-C-Inc}}

This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Example incident one (''date'')===
{{Main|link to the main article}}
Short summary of the incident (could be the same as the summary preceding the article).
===Example incident two (''date'')===
...

==Products==
{{Ph-C-P}}

==See also==
{{Ph-C-SA}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]