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Music Piracy Is Back, Baby (gizmodo.com)

submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by flintheart_glomgold to c/technology

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"Muso, a research firm that studies piracy, concluded that the high prices of streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music are pushing people back towards illegal downloads. Spotify raised its prices by one dollar last year to $10.99 a month, the same price as Apple Music. Instead of coughing up $132 a year, more consumers are using websites that rip audio straight out of YouTube videos, and convert them into downloadable MP3 or .wav files.

Roughly 40% of the music piracy Muso tracked was from these “YouTube-to-MP3” sites. The original YouTube-to-MP3 site died from a record label lawsuit, but other copycats do the same thing. A simple Google search yields dozens of blue links to these sites, and they’re, by far, the largest form of audio piracy on the internet."

The problem isn't price. People just don't want to pay for a bad experience. What Apple Music and Spotify have in common is that their software is bloated with useless shit and endlessly annoying user-hostile design. Plus Steve Jobs himself said it back in 2007: "people want to own their music." Having it, organizing it, curating it is half the fun. Not fun is pressing play one day and finding a big chunk of your carefully constructed playlist is "no longer in your library." Screw that.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Really? Their made-for-you playlists are nowhere near as good as they used to be. The discover playlist is now ass. Radio plays the same 20 songs over and over and over again.

Right now the app is suggesting a Classical Piano playlist to me. I have never listened to classical piano. Ever. Most recently I’ve listened to Tool, Rage Against the Machine and a 90’s metal playlist (I’m on a 90’s kick). Why on earth would it think I want classical piano?

Proof! https://imgur.com/gallery/e0N5sE3

[–] ThePowerOfGeek 5 points 9 months ago

"Radio plays the same 20 songs over and over and over again. "

So just like traditional radio stations then. ☹️

I swear, we are stuck in a loop where shitty solutions just get reinvented over and over again. And most times when sometime comes up with a genuine improvement, those in power say "oh no no no! That won't do!" and kill it. I'm Gen-X and it's been this way all my life. And probably for many generations before that too.

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

Possibly because some of those bands are influenced by classical music (though I mean it's rather broad; you could probably trace most musical influences back to the classical period).

I listen to the same kinda shit as your most recent stuff and I don't have much issue with most suggestions. I don't really like the modern pop stuff, but I still get why it serves it up (most of the best 90's alternative stuff was technically pop and I like one Taylor Swift song).

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

If only it were that clever. I think it’s because their algorithm sees: person listens to 90’s music so person = old, old people like classical piano.

In the same way that I very occasionally play Jason Isbell and after I do so it starts throwing yeehaw-big trucks-and-gurls-in-cutoff-shorts country music at me for months afterwards.

[–] Passerby6497 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

person listens to 90’s music so person = old, old people like classical piano.

Oh fuck my hip, 90s is old now?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I died inside when I saw stuff I listened to in high school on “classic rock” playlists.

[–] Plopp 2 points 9 months ago

I died when I saw my old video game console in a museum.

[–] raynethackery 2 points 9 months ago

Wait until it hits "soft rock."