this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2024
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Spotify just changed their TOS, giving them unprecedented rights to create "derivative works" from audiobooks (storyfair.net)
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by gedaliyah to c/technology
88 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

They frame it as though it's for user content, more likely it's to train AI, but in fact it gives them the right to do almost anything they want - up to (but not including) stealing the content outright.

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[–] [email protected] 169 points 9 months ago (4 children)

I anticipate a LOT of audiobook authors and publishers aren’t gonna be ok with that.

[–] [email protected] 68 points 9 months ago

I hope not! I hope they interpret it this way and are willing and able to take action, by removing their catalog or maybe even a class action lawsuit. 

[–] [email protected] 37 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They don't. The message right now is to boycott Spotify.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Except Spotify is one of the only hopes against Audible. Audible gives terrible deals to authors, if you sell your audiobook exclusively through audible they take a 60% cut of the sale, and if you sell through multiple audiobook stores they take 75%.

And that's just the official numbers, according to this source they actually pay out even less than that. The average author's cut for an exclusive title is only 21%, and for a non-audible exclusive is only 13%.

Large established authors get significantly better deals, but all the smaller authors desperately need audiobook rivals like spotify to be a viable alternative to Audible's monopoly death grip on the industry. So it's not as simple as "boycott spotify", spotify or someone else badly needs to succeed in getting a meaningful slice of the market.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Thankfully there are alternatives out there, and we should be using them.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago

When discussions like this happen I think it’s good to actually suggest alternatives!

I don’t listen to audiobooks, but a lot of people I know use libro.fm

Also your local library probably partners with Hoopla and/or Libby which allows you to borrow audiobooks straight to your PC/phone!

[–] smort 2 points 8 months ago

Like what?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

I can't wait to hear what Brandon Sanderson says about this

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

That is if they are aware of it. How many time do you just hit accept on a TOS agreement

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

altering the deal

Maybe it’s time people start taking their business elsewhere to show they are not satisfied with this deal.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

I saw this getting traction on Tik Tok a few days ago warning rightsholders they have until, I think, Mar 5th to pull their content from the platform.