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I seem to recall having this conversion on a previous HN article (maybe it was reddit) where an artist was blasting Spotify for paying them a fraction of a cent
by Gustomaximus 14y ago
I seem to recall having this conversion on a previous HN article (maybe it was reddit) where an artist was blasting Spotify for paying them a fraction of a cent per song play. But the recurring nature is the key. If a consumer likes a song it will get played 1000's of time over a lifetime and easily generate more revenue than a one time buy. So it just shifts an enduring quality vs fad element to the success (and revenue) of a song.
- k-mcgrady 14y agoThere is a problem with the view that "If a consumer likes a song it will get played 1000's of time over a lifetime and easily generate more revenue than a one time buy". Spotify limits free users to playing a song no more than 5 times per month. So to listen to a song 1000 times on the free account would take 200 months or 16.6 years. I don't think it's a good limitation to put on the accounts. Most people aren't going to upgrade (they'll just play the song on YouTube or download it), and artists are losing out on money from plays and potential fans.
- rohansingh 14y agoSpotifier here. Just wanted to chime in on the 5 times per month limit. We actually removed that limit in all markets except the UK and France back in March. If I recall correctly, it never existed in the US.
- k-mcgrady 14y agoThanks for making that clear (I'm in the UK so didn't realise). Any specific reason it's limited in those two markets?