this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2024
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Fuck Subscriptions

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Naming and shaming all "recurring spending models" where a one-time fee (or none at all) would be appropriate and logical.

Expect use of strong language.

Follow the basic rules of lemmy.world and common sense, and try to have fun if possible.

No flamewars or attacking other users, unless they're spineless corporate shills.

Note that not all subscriptions are awful. Supporting your favorite ~~camgirl~~ creator or Lemmy server on Patreon is fine. An airbag with subscription is irl Idiocracy-level dystopian bullshit.

New community rule: Shilling for cunty corporations, their subscriptions and other anti-customer practices may result in a 1-day ban. It's so you can think about what it's like when someone can randomly decide what you can and can't use, based on some arbitrary rules. Oh what, you didn't read this fine print? You should read what you're agreeing to.

==========

Some other groovy communities for those who wish to own their products, their data and their life:

Right to Repair/Ownership

Hedges Development

Privacy

Privacy Guides

DeGoogle Yourself

F-Droid

Stallman Was Right

Some other useful links:

FreeMediaHeckYeah

Louis Rossman's YouTube channel

Look at content hosted at Big Tech without most of the nonsense:

Piped

Invidious

Nitter

Teddit

 

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (3 children)

If it were a paid account yeah, it'd be extremely shitty. But seeing as it's a free account, it's their prerogative to try and get people to pay for the service. Besides, I don't get this entitlement that spotify has to provide music for free. They're a (admittedly greedy) middle-man that wants to get paid. If one wants free music and everything, well, time to self-host.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (3 children)

it's their prerogative to try and get people to pay for the service.

Except that this attempt could easily be shown to largely land on folks with accessibility needs. That's a big no-no under many laws.

An interesting comparison is pay-to-ride elevators. For most folks an elevator is a nice convenience they would not mind occasionally paying for.

But for some folks, the elevator is completely essential. This dynamic resulted in making pay-to-ride elevators illegal in most places, today.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Due to the uniquely fucked up way music licensing works, it's likely they license the lyrics through a separate company than the music and probably don't even directly license it themselves (Tidal for example uses Musicmatch's lyric library and api). There's a cost associated with this that is likely outside their control. It's shitty, but it is plalusibly reasonable they implemented this as a cost savings measure.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's a good point. That might actually make the case for "undue burden".

A court case about it could be a way for Spotify to pass the problem to their licensors, in theory.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You keep claiming this “undue burden”, can you provide a source to the exemption in the legislation that states this is possible? Multiple people have asked and you keep just screaming at them.

Prove your point or kindly fuck off and stop making the most obvious fucking lies.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

employer

Is Spotify an employer to their customers…?

Radio to the general public?

An elevator in a building…?

Did you do what they did and google something and read the first two lines only….?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You asked simply what they were referring to, ya fucking dick. I gave you an answer.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Which has nothing to do with Spotify’s relationship to their customer, or elevators in buildings….

That’s not an answer, that’s googling something and providing something everyone here has probably seen. And that’s probably exactly what they saw and decided to parrot without comprehending it has nothing to do with the topic, now there’s entire discussions of people defending and discussing it.

Idiots that see your link, are going to think that it agrees with the moron since it’s shown as “proof”.

What a bunch of fucking morons here yeesh. You’re also talking about licensing like it applies as well along with them, so yeah not you aren’t “just” doing that, you’re perpetuating this misinformation.

Thats FOR EMPLOYERS AND NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BLOODY TOPIC AT HAND.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You don’t need lyrics to listen to music however. If she’s deaf and can’t hear the music then I don’t know why she needs Spotify.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Much like many disabilities, deafness isn't a hard binary between hearing Vs deaf, but a spectrum dependent on many factors. For example, someone may have hearing loss in a particular frequency range, which may affect their ability to hear lyrics. I would also expect that someone's relationship to music may be impacted by whether they were born deaf or acquired deafness later in life.

The point that other are making about this as an accessibility problem is that a lot of disability or anti-discrimination has provisions for rules or policies that are, in and of themselves, neutral, but affect disabled people (or other groups protected under equality legislation) to a greater degree than people without that trait. In the UK, for example, it might be considered "indirect discrimination".

You might not need lyrics to listen to music, but someone who is deaf or hard of hearing is likely going to experience and enjoy music differently to you, so it may well be necessary for them.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I don’t even know the lyrics to some of my favorite songs. I think the whole complaining about unlimited, free lyrics is ridiculous. Spotify isn’t a charity and just because someone can’t enjoy music as much due to not reading lyrics isn’t an accessibility thing.

Guess Spotify should just get rid of the free tier and then this wouldn’t even be an issue.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Spotify isn’t a charity

Ohh, they're trying to be a shit-hole. Now I understand.

You guys, there's a reason we don't clean toilets. Toilets are supposed to be dirty.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

But for some folks, the elevator is completely essential. This dynamic resulted in making pay-to-ride elevators illegal in most places, today.

So this is absolutely fucking hilarious and shows your surface level knowledge (or just googling something and having zero knowledge…) they are only illegal if they are the only means of transportation, every single one of the buildings with one these will also have regular elevators, so they meet the code.

All the law did was prevent single elevator buildings from being able to discriminate. If a non-abled body person has another conveyance method, they can charge whatever they want. This is how amusement rides are able to charge AND have non ada accessible rides. And incase you didn’t know, elevator codes do cover amusement rides in most jurisdictions as well…

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

But seeing as it’s a free account, it’s their prerogative

Oh, so not charging money magically exempts companies from meeting ADA accessibility requirements for their public accommodations?

Edit: what I'm taking issue with is the notion that being on the free tier of service changes anything. Maybe Spotifiy has an obligation or maybe it doesn't, but either way, it's the same regardless of how much or little the customer pays. Being a second-class customer does not make you a second-class citizen who doesn't get equal protection under the law!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Do radio stations provide lyrics?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Some do. It’s pretty rare, but stations that are more talk-show or interview style shows might have transcripts on their site afterwards. (The Final Straw Radio, my beloved)

Music stations? Probably not. At least I’m not aware of any that do. But I also don’t like hearing the disk jockey chat between music so I don’t listen to that type of radio ever.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

ADA accessibility requirements for their public accommodations

Source that providing lyrics to songs is a requirement?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Providing a substantially inferior outcome to someone with an ADA need absolutely violates ADA rules.

When stuff like this has gone to court it hasn't been pretty for the offending organization.

There's a bigger question about how much of what Spotify currently provides falls under ADA. Web services used to get a free pass. They largely don't anymore.

Source: some of this stuff is my problem, professionally. And no, I'm not going to look up a primary source for anyone. That's Spotify's lawyers job.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

So no, just talking out of your ass then.

You can Google the lyrics to songs on any device you can view them on Spotify.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

If you could google the subtitles to any film or tv show, should that absolve Netflix of the responsibility to provide them?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Do lyrics fall under the same regulation as subtitles? If Netflix were free, would it still be subject to those requirements?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Perhaps they should. Let's join hands, friend. I believe we can change things for the better.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You obviously don't give a shit, dude, I don't know why it matters to you so much that people want their lyrics back. Do you own stock in Spotify or something?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't know why you can't just provide proof for the claim you're defending.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Proof of what, social good will?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You're lost. Go back to the top and try again.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't care about the technicalities of the ADA, dude. You can jerk off to legal documents all you want, I want lyrics to songs for deaf people, a feature that already exists.

If they don't require it, they should. I already asked you to take my hand on this. But, you don't care because you like it when deaf people suffer.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

I don't care about the technicalities of the ADA

Then you're replying to the wrong thread, genius.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago

Or borrow CDs from friends or the library. Or turn on the fucking radio. There's plenty of music for free out there.