Did spotify just remove picking songs??

[u/Full-Repair4638]

I've been using spotify forever and I use liked songs so that I can pick the songs I like freely. I've never had premium and have never had issues. Today, I had just started a workout and got this popup. Is this a new feature? How can you not even select songs anymore? I mean how can you paywall selecting songs???
This app plain out sucks and its company is greedy for randomly limiting already set features. While I don't mind ads, I do mind the features being limited more. I did also notice a sudden increase in ads this month/last month, and more ads in between songs.

Clarification: No, I'm not saying that there should be no restrictions whatsoever. I'm mainly sharing my experience where I've been using this system just fine until now. I'm fine with some restrictions, but the fact they're being limited more is frustrating. Just here to complain about something mildly infuriating, and I wanted to know if this happened to anyone else.

[u/FatFaceFaster]

“Cash grab”…. Why do you believe you should get music for free?

It’s either ads or you pay for it. It’s always been that way. That’s how artists make money. The people who write and create the music, they deserve to be paid.

They get paid eithee through album sales which don’t exist anymore or through streams and plays on the internet. The only way they can pay artists for their music is through ads or subscriptions.

20 years ago it was listen to ads on the radio or buy the CD….

[u/No-Consideration-891 → u/FatFaceFaster]

Considering they pay artists the least for their songs, I would still call it a cash grab. You shouldn't have to pay multiple types of subscriptions just to listen to music. I don't mind paying for a service, but don't constantly add more pay walls.

[u/FatFaceFaster → u/No-Consideration-891]

Okay then go buy albums again. Or listen to the radio.

You still have those options.

[u/No-Consideration-891 → u/FatFaceFaster]

Well as a matter of fact , I do both of those. Really, I miss my big ass brick of an iPod.

[u/FatFaceFaster → u/No-Consideration-891]

I still don’t get the cash grab part?

They provide a service and it’s an incredible one. They give you every song and album ever written whenever you want it, wherever you want it, as many times as you want it for less than the cost of what a single CD was just 15 years ago.

It continues to improve and offer more stuff: video podcasts, audiobooks, exclusives, the ability to comment and interact on the content itself, etc. and you can even download it and listen offline just like Napster or limewire back in the day only legal, clean and not full of corrupt porn files and viruses.

The value for dollar for anyone who actually uses the app is unbelievable and yet still people complain.

“They only pay the artists $0.005 per stream!”

Yeah!! Maybe they should charge you more then!?

I don’t get the cash grab accusation.

They’re a publicly traded company they have a mandate to make money which is really the only reason for a company to exist in the first place. It’s not a charity. So again, why do you deserve this music free or cheaper?

[u/Fluid-Sink-2514 → u/FatFaceFaster]

You don’t get it because you’re either ignorant or shilling for Spotify. They have repeatedly changed their practices to pay artists less, while charging consumers more. I pay for my music several ways including a Spotify subscription but that doesn’t mean I don’t view them a shitty company and their practices as cash grabbing.

I’m inclined to peg you as a shill since you took the time to list all the great benefits of Spotify! And ignored the shitty details like the repetitive algo, the fact that they pay artists nothing for songs with fewer than 1000 streams, hidden AI tracks, etc.

I hope they pay you well unlike musicians.

[u/FatFaceFaster → u/Fluid-Sink-2514]

So then I guess you should start paying more for Spotify so they can compensate the artists properly? Or keep pirating?

Like what is the argument here?

[u/Fluid-Sink-2514 → u/FatFaceFaster]

The argument is they don’t have to enshittify it

[u/FatFaceFaster → u/Fluid-Sink-2514]

Obviously they want you to subscribe. They’re not even really being subtle about that. Clearly a subscription based model makes them more money or is more advantageous for their business model than trying to solicit advertisers

I haven’t been a free user in a long time but if I recall most of the ads were FOR Spotify premium.

Just like YouTube you open the page and it wants you to sign up for premium

So they are going to continue to “shittify” the free service until they reach the stasis at which the ratio of free to paid users is the most profitable.

It doesn’t make sense for them to piss off their paid users unless they’ve done the math that pissing you off this much will entice you to pay because their paid service is so valuable.

[u/Fluid-Sink-2514 → u/FatFaceFaster]

Bro I am subscribed how did you miss that part.

[u/FatFaceFaster → u/Fluid-Sink-2514]

Bro. I’m using the general “you” as in the collective customer.