There are plenty of controversies surrounding Spotify, but what really made me cancel my subscription was the fact that they ran recruitment ads for ICE. Boycott Spotify!
TIL this TIL community has some real thick members but I also learned that the community is doing a great job of ensuring they are properly ratioed.
Switched to Deezer(has an anti AI policy) a year ago and never looked back.
I stopped using even their free service when they kept giving a platform to anti-vax dipshit podcasters during covid
I have Spotify premium. What I really loathe about them is that even on premium they insert ads into podcasts. And no it is not the podcaster promoting sponsors in their own voice. It is Spotify interrupting the podcast with commercials in my local language.
On another note Spotube 6 beta is out now and supports ListenBrainz as a library/recommendation backend
Easiest boycott ever for me
Way ahead of you, I have never used Spotify, I don’t like the concept of music streaming
Bandcamp FTW
I mainly just buy my music on iTunes…
Again.
Bandcamp FTW.
Or Boomkat.
Even Qobuz is better, they allow the user to purchase and download albums.
Or Ototoy, 7digital, Bleep, Newgrounds… Any site that allows me to give my money to the artist and leave me alone with my audio files do do whatever I want is good for me.
And Apple famously did never kiss trumps ass
And Apple famously did never kiss trumps ass
Tim Apple famously kissing Trumps ass:
During a carefully choreographed White House visit this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave Donald Trump a bespoke plaque made of Gorilla Glass and mounted on a 24-karat gold base, but the real value may have been what Apple took home.
The gift, custom-designed by a former U.S. Marine turned Apple employee, featured a large circular slab of Corning-made Gorilla Glass with a hollowed Apple logo at its center. Trump’s name was etched near the top, while “Made in USA – 2025” was engraved at the base alongside Cook’s signature. The disc sat atop a solid gold base sourced from Utah, and even the packaging was produced domestically.
Didn’t their CEO give him a million dollars?
edit: Yeah, he did. here it is
Eh, fair point I guess, though it does mean that they get less money from me than a person subscribing to Apple Music.
Its not for everyone, if you like what you like and rarely step outside of your repertoire its essentially pissing money up the wall.
I don’t think I can boycott them any harder.
I understand not liking streaming and/or Spotify as a company. But people saying having a bunch of MP3’s on a homeserver is in no way the same experience. At least not for me and a lot of people using Spotify I know.
Music I really like I collect on CD. Spotify is like snacking and for going on music safari’s with related artists or playlists based on my interests. It’s fast, easy, downloads are near instant and I can easy switch to my phone, laptop, car or speakers at work. At a lot of home parties Spotify is used to do a group playlist (yes, YouTube can do that too and every 30 minutes someone will wipe the playlist or add 1600 songs by accident…)
For everything there is a free and open solition but that takes dedication and sacrifice. Switched to Linux a while back, let a man have his vices ;)
Honestly I don’t even think off spotify (or any streaming algo for that matter) as a plus for discovering music. The algo will always steer you towards what it wants you to like. Or what it thinks you should like. Based on popularity and whatnot.
No, I do not want to listen to arch enemy’s latest single when I’m clearly exploring underground lofi thrash metal.
I do not want to listen to run of the mill Deathcore when I’m listening to proggy deathmetal with blues influences.
I DO NOT EVER want to listen to Ed Sheeran when I’m supporting Macklemore.
Do the sacrifice of asking humans for music. It’s much more rewarding in the long run. Not only are you genuinely going to find what you want. You also get to build and partake in community.
Something big tech is desperately trying to quell because god forbid you’d learn an opinion or two that they don’t approve of.
You deserve better. And big tech doesn’t deserve your time or clicks.
I’ve been using https://songup.tv/ at the office (usually just me and a few young people. It’s a fun way to discover music and learn a bit about your coworkers). Not sure how well it holds up in larger settings.
I’ve enjoyed Qobuz way more than Spotify
Already stopped using for platforming and paying millions to Joe Rogan
Ah yes Joe Rogan because he actually does interviews and asks questions instead of the mind numbing news outlets who are bought and paid for.
Hot damn you are all over this post repeatedly smashing your face into moldy dog shit with these comments.
You’re stupid
Don’t breed
You actually made me laugh out loud, you’re hilarious
This was my breaking point.
Sorry, but there’s just no way I can boycott Spotify over this…
Because I’ve already been boycotting them since 2019 for not paying artists enough.
Oh you’re so noble.
Lost me in the first part. Gained me back in the second!
Boycott? Never used them in the first place.
You’re doing your part!
Spotify is owned by Hulu who is owned by Disney/ABC.
Incorrect (Hulu / Disney doesn’t own Spotify). Spotify is a publicly traded company and the top shareholders are the founders then institutional investors.
This is according to The Motley Fool, Investopedia, Kamil Franek, and Spotify’s annual reports (which are their SEC fillings).
Spotify is no longer running U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruitment advertisements, as the federal government’s campaign concluded at the end of 2025.
Hence the “ran” in the title. Ran is past tense. I didn’t say they were running ads now.
Other issue: I’m not american. Why should I care what ads you guys get? I also have used cracked apps for ages and don’t get ads if I can help it.
Even though you’re not American you must have heard about ICE’s crimes. You really want your money going to a company that ran ads for them?
No ethical consumption under capitalism. If I boycott everything I disagree with, there’s nothing left.
You’re also assuming they have any other interest other than money. It’s a capitalist business, all it cares about is money so of course they will give ad space to anyone they feel they can get away with.
I’ve been noticing these statements that are generally true, but the reason they’re being used is to serve some other agenda. For example, “all lives matter.” Like, yeah, absolutely that’s true. However the reason why people say that is to undermine the message of black lives matter. The statements are fine in a vacuum, but they’re not said in a vacuum.
When someone says “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism” this might be a true statement, honestly I don’t know enough about the topic. However, when discussing what to and what not to boycott, this becomes a lesser of 2 evils thing. “For every device you buy, a slave is involved with its production.” I was quite surprised to find that there are no “fair-trade” electronics. So, just buy whatever electronics, no? Well sure, but there are still things you can do to decrease the number of slaves you ‘employ’ (what’s the right word for that?). This is by primarily not buying new devices all the time. A bit of a lesser of two evils situation.
Another one is coffee beans. Sure, those who harvest fair trade coffee beans are probably still underpaid, but they’re at least not literal slaves.
So, is there ethical consumption under capitalism? No, not really. The show “The Good Place” talks about this, although you have to get to the finale to see it discussed (would recommend tho). But is there slightly more ethical consumption under capitalism? Absolutely.
Fuck off with that “no ethical consumption” bullshit
It’s a trite line trotted out by children who want to pick and choose their ethics when it suits them
can get away with
Well then, let’s not let them get away with it. Vote with your wallet. Or not, if ICE murdering citizens in the street doesn’t bother you that much.
also have used cracked apps for ages and don’t get ads if I can help it.
doesn’t this count as voting with my wallet enough?
Or not, if ICE murdering citizens in the street doesn’t bother you that much.
So you hate waffles?
also have used cracked apps for ages and don’t get ads if I can help it.
doesn’t this count as voting with my wallet enough?
I don’t know why you’re so hung up on ads. The issue at hand is that Spotify assisted ICE for a year.
Or not, if ICE murdering citizens in the street doesn’t bother you that much.
So you hate waffles?
I was already.
Why would I use any optional platform with ads? I’d rather go without music than hear ads.
Got it. I’ll continue to not use Spotify.
I disliked the company before it was cool
Before the company was cool or before disliking them was cool
I stopped using spoofy 2 years ago I think? I’ve migrated back to direct downloading all my music. It’s so fun building my library, and I get to properly support my favorite artists too!
No way you paid for all the songs?!
And local libraries!!!
