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Spotify Starts Cracking Down on Friends Who Share Family Plans (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the crack-down dept.

Spotify is emailing some users on family plans asking for their GPS locations in order to confirm that they live in the same location. From a report: Subscribers who don't confirm their home address could lose access to their plan, according to the email. The move is an apparent attempt by Spotify to crack down on groups of friends who save money on individual subscriptions by sharing discounted plans intended for families. The emails, which have been sent to a limited number of "Premium for Family" subscribers in at least the US and Germany, have been received with scorn by some who rightly point out that not all families live together. However, Spotify's small print does say that the family plan is available for "you and up to five people who reside at your same address." The amount of people subscribed to family plans suggests not all of them abide by Spotify's definition.

13 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Families who stay together... by deadaluspark · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because sure, Spotify, every family always all lives in the same domicile. Kids never leave for college. What a fucking farce. If you don't want people sharing it with their FAMILY, don't call it a fucking family plan and then expect them to all live in the same domicile.

    1. Re:Families who stay together... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But Spotify makes it very clear when you sign up what constitutes a family within the confines of their subscription model. The social construct of "family" isn't important. Just because you think your second cousin Kuala Lumpur should be able to share your plan doesn't make it so.

      PS. Do you use that kind of language around your famliy? No wonder they don't want to live with you...

    2. Re:Families who stay together... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But Spotify makes it very clear when you sign up what constitutes a family within the confines of their subscription model. The social construct of "family" isn't important. Just because you think your second cousin Kuala Lumpur should be able to share your plan doesn't make it so.

      PS. Do you use that kind of language around your famliy? No wonder they don't want to live with you...

      Amazing that such a thoughtful answer as your has yet to receive an "UP" vote.

      You rightfully point out that some people feel they are entitled to stretch the subscription agreement, and then they scream like spoiled children when they get caught out.

      Here's my own "UP" vote for you. +1

    3. Re:Families who stay together... by farble1670 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Because sure, Spotify, every family always all lives in the same domicile. Kids never leave for college. What a fucking farce. If you don't want people sharing it with their FAMILY, don't call it a fucking family plan and then expect them to all live in the same domicile.

      Regardless of your statements about the dictionary definition of a family, they are allowed to have a reasonable business model and a way to prevent people from cheating them.

      If you don't like it, subscribe to one of the other streaming plans that let's you share your account with any number of random people. If you are one of the people that is targeted by this crackdown they are happy if you leave since you are costing them money.

    4. Re: Families who stay together... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Funny

      So would it be okay for roommates, or renters to share the plan?

      Yes, as long as they reside at the same address.

      Or one night stands?

      Yes, but you have to cancel in the morning.

  2. Let's annoy our customers! by darth_borehd · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We are hemorrhaging cash. What should we do?

    Let's annoy our customers by taking away the lyrics feature!
    -- Good one! What else?

    Let's start requiring home addresses so we can sell their info to marketers.
    -- Great! This is going to make people love us. We'll tell them we are going all Draconians on all family members have to have the same addresses. Screw their parents in the military and kids in college.

    1. Re:Let's annoy our customers! by farble1670 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Let's annoy our customers by taking away the lyrics feature!
      -- Good one! What else?

      I'm sure that saved them MILLIONS.

      Let's start requiring home addresses so we can sell their info to marketers.
      -- Great! This is going to make people love us. We'll tell them we are going all Draconians on all family members have to have the same addresses. Screw their parents in the military and kids in college.

      Won't someone think of the children and our honored veterans?

      We all know this isn't about taking away little Suzy's music while she's off at university in the next state over. It's about some people that are sharing their account with tens of their friends. If you like Pandora, you'd agree they need some way to fight this. If you don't like or use Pandora, then why are you here crying?

  3. Simple solution ... by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 2

    .. just charge a flat rate per stream.

    Want to share your stream with 20 people OK, you get billed 20x that month.

    Share it with 4 others (family), OK, you get charged 5x that month.

    This isn't rocket science. More like a cash grab after "Oh shit, our bandwidth costs are higher then we expected and these expenses are cutting into our profits."

    1. Re:Simple solution ... by rogoshen1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Man.. have not looked at their financials but i'd wager the bandwidth and overall 'tech' costs are a complete joke compared the licensing fees they get whacked with by the RIAA and their ilk.

  4. ROFL already gave in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Quitters!

    https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/28/spotify-ends-test-that-required-family-plan-subscribers-to-share-their-gps-location/?yptr=yahoo

  5. Itâ(TM)s the website that bothers me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I got the email and have refused to fill in the form so far because they send you to a non-SSL form asking you to send the data. That alone makes it look like a phishing attempt.

  6. I've had the opposite elsewhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Companies are really dumb when it comes to families. When I moved out decades ago, the cable company was offering new users of the service two free cable boxes for subscribing for a year. I took them up on the offer. They sent me a bill for $798 for the boxes. I called them up and they said I had already had the service several years ago. Doubt it, this is my first place.

    Turns out my parents had subscribed 10 years ago. Apparently emancipation means nothing to Look Communications. Sent a letter to the director, and their response was I could either return the boxes and they would not bill me (and would cancel my account) or I could pay for them and keep service. Best part was their technician had to go through all sorts of bullshit to install an antenna on the building for this, so the apartment complex would tear that down when I quit their service. I figure that alone cost them a couple of thousand dollars.

    I returned them, let the antenna rot, and went to Rogers who were happy to honour the deal Look should have given me (despite my parents having subscribed to their service 30 years ago). Look folded a couple of years later. I wonder if it had anything to do with being dumber than a rock.

  7. Go back to broadcast radio by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

    Nice and free, and you don't need internet or a subscription to receive it. Or, you know, you could own copies of music you like, and listen to that for free as much as you like. Or you can have bait-and-switch tactics to deal with because you got conned into renting everything and never owning anything yourselves.