* non english (but english subs)
* actual language you understand
Plus subs selection is pathetic - Apple TV shines here, but it's not perfect.
This is not the right thing to do. Spotify is peanuts to artists. If you want to do the right thing, buy music at Bandcamp: you get files you can keep forever and artists get a fair share of your money.
Although it is true artists do get something, the lion's share goes to the music corporation.
Ranting about Spotify's, Apple Music's, Tidal's payments to the artists or region-locking IP is a smoke-and-mirrors move from major labels, they are the ones forcing these practices unto the distributors/streaming services.
You'll never see mainstream pop artists on there.
I love to promote Bandcamp where possible but have to remember what it can offer to "Average Joe"
The right thing to do is to directly subscribe to their Patreon. It not only gets you access to exclusives, behind the scenes and even events, it also crowdfunds the future projects of the artist.
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employe...
Take this with a grain of salt, I am not a tax attorney nor an accountant.
i.e. If you were a true supporter, the right thing to do would be to form a legal trust and make the beneficiary of the trust the artist's children, and put your money into that, as this would help them legally avoid income taxes on the money you are giving them while using the money for their children's education.
Or a TRUE SUPPORTER wouldn't use band camp, instead they would evaluate the quality of roads and infrastructure around the artists house and pay for a series of contractors to improve the surrounding roads and areas, which will not only improve the artists quality of living but will also improve the value of their house. etc. etc.
In reality there is no 'right thing to do' - just choose whatever channel the artist has put up that supports them at the level that you want them to, and where you get value out.
I don’t want recurring payments.
…and, if I may add, shops like https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/shop , which fill the gap of providing HQ downloads of popular music that cannot be found on Bandcamp. I have to admit I haven't used them in years (ever since I got a Spotify account) but they used to be my go-to place for purchasing FLACs.
Especially youtube music, sure i have access to otherwise "unpublished content" (looking at you Watsky refusing to put Wounded Healer on a streaming platform). But in a 3 hour flight I found myself iterating through all the songs I could download via the app.
For spotify, why do I have to go through all the hassle to explain to a person why tf I want my account closed? Why are you not giving me the tools to manage my library better? Why do I have to manually delete every single one song instead of group select or even purging everything?
I am not saying I am pirating, but I am not saying that it's a thing I will never do again.
The industry should get their shit together and build something that works for the customers (us), and smaller artists as well (cough spotify cough).
You could remake your Spotify account. Alternatively, make a family account and share it with 5 more members. Works out to just 3$/month (Canadian!) for us. Wonder what it would work out to from a cheaper geolocation.
So use it if you want to get recommendations, or don't want to bother managing your library, or want to give some pennies on a dollar to the actual artists. But remember, you're still a pirate. Be proud of it. Yarr!
IANAL