Perhaps finally sensing that people who use Spotify want medicine and not podcasts and audiobooks , the streaming service is throwing those folks a osseous tissue . Well , sort of .
In recent times , Spotify has extend 15 hours of audiobook listen per month as part of the Premium membership perks . The company just put the Premium Individual plan up to $ 11.99 from $ 10.99 . So users acquire Basic do n’t get a Mary Leontyne Price slice , oh no , they just get to stay at the current damage .
However , this does n’t mean your Spotify subscription will simply allow you to savour music uninterrupted , as was once the case . There is n’t a way to just bear for music anymore and ensure the paltry royal line go where you want them to .
You ’ll still be subjected to audiobooks permeating through the apps , only now they ’ll only be available to purchase . You ’ll still be subjected to , and be paying for by proxy , podcasts to be litter throughout the app ’s homepage . Your subscription hard cash will still be funding Joe Rogan ’s bank report whether you prefer to listen to his drivel or not .
The most recent rumours propose that ’ll be a $ 5 a month attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - on , if it ever comes to fruition . Spotify is still thought to be higgle over pennies with rights holders to secure they have to pay them as little as humanly potential .
Squeezing artists
Spotify seldom plays bonnie though . Last month it was allege the company has been leveraging audiobooks as direction to save $ 150 million on royalties because it has been able to arrogate Premium is no longer a “ standalone portable subscription ” and is now a “ bundled subscription offering . ”
That change the rate formula the company has to endure by , as laid out by Phonorecords IV . The National Music Publishers Association , among other stakeholder , call this a “ a cynical and potentially unconventional move ” that is a “ sexual perversion of the settlement we check upon in 2022 . ” ( viaBillboard ) .
It ’s not clear whether those opting for Premium Basic ( sounds like an oxymoron the airline industry would apply to tempt you into paying £ 100 for two inches of supererogatory legroom ) will be exempt from this aver “ sexual perversion ” .
The MPNA meanwhile isclaimingthat Spotify is leveraging musical content within the podcasts it provides without the right licenses , and has sent the cyclosis service a cease and desist letter of the alphabet . These are n’t isolate incident , where rightsholders have felt aggrieved . They ’re just the two that have ocurred in the last calendar month .
A lot of medicine fans feel like a Spotify subscription is short modify their favourite artist . They know the royalties are a fraction of what creative person once received from strong-arm media sales . They ’ll try and serve out . The vinyl revival meeting , I believe , is part of that . They ’ll go to a alive show that cost double what it would have five years ago , and they ’ll purchase an overpriced t - shirt at said gig . Everyone ’s trying to make ends meet .
These are measures that are necessary to keep the art alive , keep their favourite artist make medicine and experience with the modern convenience streaming has finally provided . Spotify continually make this severe on everyone despite rack up a billion dollar in earnings in the first poop of the year .
But at least you get to keep your pace if you do n’t care audibooks , hey ?
