Spotify: Difference between revisions

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==Summary of anti-consumer practices==

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===Micro Payments per Stream===

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*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.

::Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.004 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:

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*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" />

::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=":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" />

::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.<ref name=":2" />. The velvet sundown is an ai generation band that produced 80s rock they have gained

*Consumer Deception:

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

===Price ~~Hikes~~ and Subscription Exploitation===

===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 ~~hikes~~ occurred in 50+ markets.

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

::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.

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! style="text-align:right;" |USA Australia

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:

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===~~Genre Manipulation and Cultural Appropriation~~===

===Systemic Exploitation===

~~:Spotify invented vague algorithm-driven genres ''inspired by TikTok'' such as:~~

~~:*'''''Stomp and Holler'''''~~

~~:*'''''Escape Room'''''~~

:*'''''pov: indie'''''

: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.

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~~===Systemic Exploitation===~~

:Despite recent profitability, Spotify relies heavily on price hikes, 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===

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ==Summary of anti-consumer practices==
-----
 ===Micro Payments per Stream===
@@ Line 23: / Line 21: @@
 *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.
+::Spotify pays artists between $0.003 and $0.004 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:
@@ Line 35: / Line 33: @@
 *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" />
+::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=":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" />
+::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.<ref name=":2" />. The velvet sundown is an ai generation band that produced 80s rock they have gained
 *Consumer Deception:
@@ Line 68: / Line 66: @@
 ::Spotify was accused of taking payments from labels to prioritize songs in playlists, mimicking payola scandals without transparency.<ref name=":1" />
-===Price Hikes and Subscription Exploitation===
+===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 hikes occurred in 50+ markets.
+::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 hikes under the guise of "artist fairness," yet retained most revenue. For example, Universal’s streaming revenue grew 8.9% year-over-year in 2024.
+::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"
@@ Line 102: / Line 115: @@
 ! style="text-align:right;" |USA Australia
 |}
+:
 ----
-===Genre Manipulation and Cultural Appropriation===
+===Systemic Exploitation===
-:Spotify invented vague algorithm-driven genres ''inspired by TikTok'' such as:
-:*'''''Stomp and Holler'''''
-:*'''''Escape Room'''''
-:*'''''pov: indie'''''
+: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.
 ----
-===Systemic Exploitation===
-:Despite recent profitability, Spotify relies heavily on price hikes, 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===