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Spotify Is Now Selling Your Information To Advertisers (engadget.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the digital-age dept.

An anonymous reader writes from a report via Engadget: Spotify is now opening its data to targeted advertising. "Everything from your age and gender, to the music genres you like to listen to will be available to various third-party companies," reports Engadget. "Spotify is calling it programmatic ad buying (Warning: source may be paywalled) and has already enabled it." The nearly 70 million people that currently use Spotify's free, ad-supported streaming service across 59 countries will be affected. The ads will be audio-based and stretch between 15-30 seconds in length. The advertisers who buy ad spots will be able to look for specific users by viewing their song picks to find the best matches for the products they're selling. Two weeks ago, China has released its first ever set of digital ad regulations that seems to all but ban ad blocking.

17 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. Always been doing it by pete6677 · · Score: 4, Informative

    I figured they were doing this all along, and just now got around to announcing it. Telemetry is how all modern web businesses make money. How else would all of these services be "free"?

    1. Re:Always been doing it by vux984 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How else would all of these services be "free"?

      Well, one model would be to give people a sample limited service to hopefully upsell them into a paid spotify premium; that would be the classic 'how else'.

      Note that spotify says this only applies to its non-paying customers.

      But yeah, if you aren't paying for the service, this is pretty much what you should expect.

    2. Re:Always been doing it by saloomy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Really? So since you are hearing ads (and I'm assuming you a relatively young anonymous coward) you would rather hear irrelevant ads shilling restless leg syndrome aids VS cheap flights to cancun?

      Selling ad data to anyone is a morally bankrupt way of doing business IMHO, but you agree to all of this in the privacy policy and terms and conditions of using said service, why make the experience worse for both you and Spotify? Don't you like that free service you are using?

    3. Re:Always been doing it by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 5, Interesting

      So since you are hearing ads (and I'm assuming you a relatively young anonymous coward) you would rather hear irrelevant ads shilling restless leg syndrome aids VS cheap flights to cancun?

      Can't speak for the AC, but if I can't avoid corporate mind control (a.k.a. advertising) entirely I'd like it to be as mistargeted as possible. Facebook sometimes seems to think I'm in Sri Lanka or Laos and sends me ads I can't read, that's perfect.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    4. Re:Always been doing it by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      Tell me about it. I used to get ads for sexy singles, now I just get adds for penis enlargement pills and porn sites. Why can't we go back to the old way!

    5. Re:Always been doing it by serviscope_minor · · Score: 4, Insightful

      My iPod doesn't play ads, only the music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc that I put on it, it's great...

      But that requires you to put the stuff on it, which in turn requires you to know what stuff to put on it. Listening to the radio station gives me a nice selection but doesn't require either knowledge or effort on my part to hear things which are new to me.

      I mean it's not like I don't already have a bunch of mp3s, but I sometimes listen to the radio instead because it's not the same.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    6. Re:Always been doing it by Maritz · · Score: 2

      I'm certain I don't believe that. Paying customers would be a much better information extraction source with higher likelyhood of buying stuff.

      When you pay you don't get ads. Maybe they sell the info anyway. That'd usually be illegal in Europe (dodgy EULA nonwithstanding), but dandy-as-fuck over the states.

      --
      I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  2. Spotify Is Now Selling _Customer_ Information by Fly+Swatter · · Score: 3, Informative

    These headlines are so assuming. Your this. Your that. I am not a customer of Spotify, so they are not. I hope.

    1. Re:Spotify Is Now Selling _Customer_ Information by thegarbz · · Score: 2

      If you ever use that quote you failed business school and probably think the entire world is black and white too.

      Grow up.

    2. Re:Spotify Is Now Selling _Customer_ Information by MitchDev · · Score: 2

      Screw streaming, just get a portable player and put you files on it, no ads

  3. Well bless their heart. by davmoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You mean there are actually people who think Spotify gives away free music out of the goodness of their heart and a desire to make the world a better place, expecting nothing in return? How cute!

    --
    I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
  4. Usernames too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    They also sell your username if someone higher on the social ladder wants the one you're using.

    Hey, maybe that's how they can finally monetize Slashdot. I'll put up $5 for "CmdrTaco"

  5. I blocked the ads with privoxy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It works system wide.

  6. Re:The almighty GOOG does it too. by Aighearach · · Score: 2

    Nope. Google actually is the ad company, so instead of selling information to an ad company, they just keep it, and sell ads.

  7. Re:Nothing is free by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 4, Funny

    How much do you pay for your daily sunlight, air and gravity?

    I'm somewhat large, and so I actually get a rebate from my gravity bill.

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  8. Good luck with the gender thing. by tlambert · · Score: 2

    Good luck with the gender thing.

    Most 56 year old FBI agents show up as 12 year old girls.

  9. Cough up some $$$ or deal with it. by moeinvt · · Score: 2

    Remember, when you're using a "free" service, you're the product, not the customer, so don't complain when the company sells its product(users, or at least their eyes and ears) to its customers.
    It's not exactly hard to find deals and discounts for Spotify Premium either. Six months free, $99 for the first year, etc. I think they also offer a student rate of $4.99 per month or something.
    I love Spotify. Even the full $10 per month is worth it to get the full spectrum of music and avoid any annoying ads.