Will you stop using Spotify now? Vote

[Axo1989]

... The only way to directly support artists is to buy their music on Bandcamp (and yes, it is in Flac format)

When I buy from Bandcamp, I select ALAC (aka Apple Lossless Audio Codec) as the format. I thought FLAC was for the freetards and Xiphies?

 

[recycle]

When I buy from Bandcamp, I select ALAC (aka Apple Lossless Audio Codec) as the format. I thought FLAC was for the freetards and Xiphies?

As far as I know, the encoding is the same and so is the sound: that's fine. I guess Apple invented ALAC to have a proprietary format just to have full control on it (the Flac format instead is in the public domain). Well, I prefer Flac: when it happens that I can boycott Apple I always do it with pleasure

 

[Axo1989]

No, the encoding isn't the same. But they are both lossless, so the end result should be. It's been open source since 2011 though.

So I was correct about FLAC? Bandcamp gives you a bunch of formats, including lossy ones. They don't limit to the one you prefer.

 

[DanielT]

Now they are raising the price of my Spotify Premium and this is what Spotify says. Translation of the email I received 30 minutes ago:

"Spotify Premium
The price for Premium Duo changes from SEK 149.00/month to SEK 169.00/month.
($14.3 vs $16.3)

We're raising the price of Premium Duo so we can continue to invest in and innovate our product offerings and features to give you the best experience.

Since you are already a Premium subscriber, you pay SEK 149.00/month until the billing date in September. Then the subscription goes up to the new price.*

Thank you for using Premium!

The Spotify team."

The email:

Edit:
Presumably the price increase will not mean that Spotify will introduce lossless quality, but if this is the case, I will find out soon.

 

[DanielT]

spotify raises the price for premium version users, which is a bad thing.

Other streaming providers may have also raised their fees. It's possible, but I don't know anything about that. Just a guess.

 

[Jimbob54]

Other streaming providers may have also raised their fees. It's possible, but I don't know anything about that. Just a guess.

Yes, they have.

 

[Joe Smith]

Amazon just added $1 to their HiFi tier. So I dropped that for now (had been using because of a three-month free trial, which I extended by a month) and am waiting on Spotify again. Frankly, if they put in a big price bump for HiFi, I will probably just keep the regular duo level. We are on a kick to drop our monthly streaming expenses and are letting go a number of our video services for a while to deep-dive HBO Max.

My wife uses Spotify and likes it, so that remains my main streaming platform. Many pluses. I do think they really blew HiFi, there's just no excuse for the big announcement...then crickets...and now a very vague and unclear release and price information. It's like they don't really want to do it...makes me feel the same way, then....

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

I've tried Spotify free. I find the choices very limited. I can't bring myself to pay for a service I'll only listen to in the car. The streaming music I listen to in the car is Otto's Baroque, Document Wireless Radio, and WWOZ. Every now and then I throw in some jazz.

 

[Zensō]

I've tried Spotify free. I find the choices very limited.

100 million tracks is not enough?

 

[ahofer]

can't stop what I never started

 

[popej]

I use Spotify, because everything can play Spotify - old AVR, phone, PC, TV, Raspberry. Not so easy with other services. I don't hear any problems with bit rate

 

[DanielT]

can't stop what I never started

Or..

Edit:
A way of looking at life. An attitude, which I don't agree with by the way.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

100 million tracks is not enough?

I have what, apparently to the people at Spotify, are esoteric tastes. I've tried playlists of types of music I like and get fewer tracks than a pop music station has in its playlist. There are maybe 30 or 40 that repeat over and over sometimes for a couple of weeks. I could play 2 CDs on random and get the same variety. I'm not surprised though. That's why I've stuck to stuff I own since the '70s. I'm sure others have a different experience.

 

[Zensō]

I have what, apparently to the people at Spotify, are esoteric tastes. I've tried playlists of types of music I like and get fewer tracks than a pop music station has in its playlist. There are maybe 30 or 40 that repeat over and over sometimes for a couple of weeks. I could play 2 CDs on random and get the same variety. I'm not surprised though. That's why I've stuck to stuff I own since the '70s. I'm sure others have a different experience.

I mostly play albums and rarely, if ever, stream a playlist. So yes, I have a different experience. That said, I can see how Spotify’s playlists (or playlists on any streaming service) might not be satisfactory for those whose tastes are eclectic or outside of the mainstream.

 

[Jimbob54]

I have what, apparently to the people at Spotify, are esoteric tastes. I've tried playlists of types of music I like and get fewer tracks than a pop music station has in its playlist. There are maybe 30 or 40 that repeat over and over sometimes for a couple of weeks. I could play 2 CDs on random and get the same variety. I'm not surprised though. That's why I've stuck to stuff I own since the '70s. I'm sure others have a different experience.

Is it that the music isn't there in their library to be had or that their pre made playlists don't have much on?

I loathe their playlists as they insist on pigeonholing everything. But as far as available content I find their library second to none. Unless you like and want Neil Young, Joni M and the other refuseniks.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Is it that the music isn't there in their library to be had or that their pre made playlists don't have much on?

I loathe their playlists as they insist on pigeonholing everything. But as far as available content I find their library second to none. Unless you like and want Neil Young, Joni M and the other refuseniks.

Probably because I've only used it in the car I don't want to spend a lot of time looking for individual tracks. Also I listen to a fair amount of baroque and early music so the individual track approach doesn't work well with that.

 

[Jimbob54]

Probably because I've only used it in the car I don't want to spend a lot of time looking for individual tracks. Also I listen to a fair amount of baroque and early music so the individual track approach doesn't work well with that.

No idea how good they are but there are a couple of baroque playlists of decent length- eg https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4DvteColbVCrs7iIgc4r6x?si=6d38d4361ce44ca0

But yes, suspect classical is not its forte

 

[pablolie]

I create my very own playlists - that's where the fun and the advantage is, imo.