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Spotify Retreats To Invite-Only In UK
Barence writes "Music streaming service Spotify has been forced to enact tight restrictions on new members in the UK, and revert back to an invite-only system. The company has decided to take drastic action following the release of its iPhone and Android apps earlier this week, which have created 'huge demand in the UK,' according to Spotify. People who don't want to put their hand in their pocket and don't have any friends can sign up to a waiting list instead."
This type of problem should be seen as a good thing, and provide a clue for the music labels. They already serve the public when it comes to purchasing music with CDs and DRM-free downloads (finally!). Now they have an opportunity to serve the public with streaming music.
They tried something similar with rentals, but people don't really seem to like it that much. Streaming (for a fee) is a *lot* like renting, but since you never have the music on your hard drive or media player, it doesn't feel like you're losing anything once the subscription expires. Mixing owned and rented music doesn't seem to be that desirable. But with the clear demarcation between owned and streamed, it's much more enticing.
I know I'd prefer to stream than to rent. Hopefully the labels will see this as an opportunity, and not a threat, and bring this to the US.
Yeah, I know, placing hope on the intelligence of the music industry is a recipe for disappointment, but what the hell, right?
So it's the media reproduction and artist extortion industry's wet dream: You never actually own anything, and really pay every time you listen to the track.
It's not a this or that situation. Just like cable channels that you pay monthly payment to show movies, you can still buy them too to actually own them. There's good sides on both; when you buy them, you get the products as your own. When you rent/stream/watch from tv, you dont get to own the products but you can enjoy them then for a lot lower price (or like tv and spotify, for free with ads)
I'm surprised they haven't done so allready..
In the begining there were no region restrictions, and among the tracks in my playlists I had a bunch of asian tracks.. Now, the asian tracks I've found are either classical music performed by asian musicians, or chinese pop.. Actually, I think I found some soundtrack for some Filipino movie, but there are no Japanese or Korean tracks (non-classical) that I can find..
According to Spotify, no tracks have been removed, but labels have insisted on regions, and if it's not available in Asia, I have to wonder who gets to listen to those tracks. Along with some US-released tracks that were removed from my playlists..
Regions are a thing of the past; I want to listen to what I want, not what labels think I should listen to.
This is, however, along with the absence of certain big acts, not Spotify's fault..
(I'm in Sweden)