This is another step closer to requiring an ID to use the internet at all, which is exactly what the ruling class wants.

Fight back wherever you can.

Actually, I don't think this is industry mandated. I don't think it's in the interest of tech and content companies to create more friction to access their services. This one seems to have more to do with the governments wanting to exert more control over online affairs, and of course, over its citizens.

LOL I wouldn't even hesitate. My face data is worth hell of a lot more than their shitty system.

And by the way, whoever steals or sells my face data owes me a boatload of gold. That's my price.

Yea my point was if people stopped using the apps then the big players will lobby the governemt to revert shit like that. But i also think that long term all big players would love to normalize taking your picture to open their app. Every bit of information they can sell is a win for them.

I tried Tidal, and now I'm on Pandora. The 'radio' feature of Pandora more closely matches the way I want to listen to music (I feel like playing this, stay in this mood, but vary the artists), but I'm disappointed by the android app.
I should also try Qobuz, maybe even Deezer, but the real pain point is that I have literally thousands of playlists on Spotify. I can pay TuneMyMusic again, I guess

I'd say it's definitely worth it.

Our brains shouldn't have to work harder to listen to lossy music, which is what happens even if you can't reliably perceive it.

Listening to music on acid (a lot) has really shaped my views of it and how even the most minor things can have a major impact on the final experience.

I'm not an audiophile though and can enjoy music in a wide range of formats and quality; I just prefer FLAC almost anywhere.*

*some songs sound 'better,' or at least more iconic in a lower quality

Ah I see, misunderstood your point then.

I guess that's also why Google is going to use some kind of AI to determine whether or not a profile is underage. That way, existing adult users of their services are (most likely) not affected.

In my opinion, draconian government overreach in matters of civil liberties is one of the few instances where we should be on the side of big tech companies.

I recommend looking at song mixes over the daily mixes, that's what I use on tidal too and it's a lot better at mixing things up

What issues are you having with the mobile app?

I dont understand this take. This is a "think of the children" bs that panders to (certain) citizens. Also a thinly veiled attempt at data collection of its citizens en masse

I had no trouble transferring my playlists to Deezer, but I only had dozens of them.

Okay. That makes sense.

I was impressed when iTunes added the option to get your album in .flac. And while I acknowledge there’s a lot of placebo effect with audiophillia, I still argue space is cheap and you never know how good your ears and sound system may get in the future.

Wow! You are right, I completely forgot about that. You can listen to your music still, but it is true that is not a good way for rebuilding your collection

Don't threaten, just do it. Enshittification must end.

The only reason we have mainstream paid video streaming now is because early Netflix was genuinely better than dodgy, pop-up riddled mirrors on movie4k.to. The convenience was well worth 8 bucks a month. Same for Spotify.

Fast forward 10 years and Spotify wants me to pay 15 €, scan my face and listen to forced podcast ads AND pay extra for paywalled audiobooks that used to be free? Meet my good old friend youtube-downloader, then.

I’m happy it helped. I was a musician and audiophile for most of my life so I was equally shocked to fail I also tested on my iMac too. I’m tempted sometimes to get an external DAC and maybe a nice amp, but I’m not sure I want the clutter.

Never understood Spotifys appeal. Youtube has always been better imo.

Sounds like you understand the take perfectly

Its as if law makers don't learn from history. Do they not know what happened in the 90s and early 2000s when stores wouldn't sell M rated video games or CDs with mature content labels? We found ways to get around that. We would go to stores that didn't check or care, got our older sibling or friend to buy it for us. We burned copies of our friends CDs, or downloaded stuff off line with Limewire and Napster.

Same shit when there was prohibition in the US. People drove cars across the great lakes to bring alcohol into the US. People brewed there own spirits in bathtubs with radiator coils.

If people want to anomalously watch their favorite weird kinky shit or listing to music they like, they're going to find a way. And, if the easiest way to do that is through piracy, that is what they are going to do.

The few dumb artists who only release music there and nowhere else, the better streaming quality (I guess? I've read it somewhere), and slightly better at suggesting/categorizing music genres. I don't use it because all the time I'd see people cry "I wish this was on Spotify!!!" in a YT comment section, and YT music had everything I wanted. Plus YT free is way more bearable that Spotify free, and I use ReVanced now anyway.

But yeah Spotify always sucked to me and I'm tired of those who shame others for not using it. The "Apple green bubble shaming" of the music world.