Kretyen Etranje

Corpowhore: (noun) (neologism) a person or organisation that acts like a complete, utter and reprehensible douchebag in its treatment of people in pursuit of its own greed for profit.

That about sums up what Spotify has come to embody for me. Now, for the full disclosure. I have known for some time there are far better options out there that Spotify and that the corporation itself is Mammon's slut. One would think that Spotify's new terms for authors uploading their audiobooks to the platform would enrage me enough to quit. Sadly, in some twisted logic, it did not. It has only taken them to cancel my password around ten times or more in order for me to finally break their grip on me. As a wannabe writer myself, this is even a more shameful confession. An intellectual property rights grab like Spotify attempted should have shoved me out of the digital door like a hurricane in a hoe down. You may cast your stones now.

For years, I have hung out in Bandcamp, developing a small collection of sounds. With their app allowing downloads and playlists, Bandcamp have rendered Spotify less relevant to people like me. While Bandcamp does not allow you to store downloaded music on external storage yet, it is a slick and simple way to listen to your collection. The other option is set up a third party player on your device and put your library where you want it.

For those wanting to kick DRM to the side, Bandcamp is also a great option. You can download your collection and stick it where you want and play it on whatever app you want.

But what if you like streaming some stuff? I think that is where SoundCloud step in. The platform has nowhere near the traction that Spotify has. The play counts for tracks are way fewer. The apps, especially the Beta version Windows app, are far less polished and have little glitches in them that can be a bit annoying. So, why am I sticking with SoundCloud for now?

I use a VPN for any activity online. Spotify kept cancelling my password every time I changed the exit server. This time, they did it again, and I have stayed with the same server for the last few months. SoundCloud, when the algorithm gets a little concerned, will just give you a “are you human” check. Once. And then, you're good to go.

I did contact Spotify's support crew about this apparent aversion to people using a VPN. Their solution was remarkably simpl: don't use a VPN. If I were on a video conference with the dude, he would have seen a middle finger and then a dark screen.

Spotify is not interested in the people it is supposed to serve. Understandably, the CEO's and other management slags have to make money to do their jobs properly. In the process, like so many other corpowhores such as Apple, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Google and more, they exploit both artists and their fans to an egregious degree.