so follow my lead, and we'll 1-2-3
I'm a bit pissed off at last.fm (lots of comments on the page, might load for a while if you're on a slow connection) for their recent "let's charge for the streaming radio" business. Definitely not for any kind of all music should be free reasons - that's not what I even think - and I understand they both want and need to make their business profitable. I'm fine with that.
However, they're only making people in some countries pay, which I find incredibly backwards. It's 2009, we're all sharing the same internet; playing the game that way just feels annoying.
They say the "free with ads" radio is profitable in the US, UK and Germany so people living there will continue being able to use the service for free, but for the rest of us it'll be 3€/month from now on. Probably a good plan from a strictly business point of view; I'm sure a large portion of the userbase comes from US, UK & Germany, so keeping those people satisfied will probably keep the site going even if the usage rate drops in the countries that are now made to pay and the users move elsewhere in protest.
But... last.fm is a "social" site. Their slogan is "The social music revolution" (or was, just a while ago - I can't see it anywhere on the site anymore; it seems to be just "internet radio and largest music catalogue online" now.) It relies heavily on user activity. Not charging everyone equally definitely makes it seem like they value some users way more than others, and while that might be the case financially, it doesn't seem like a fair move, especially considering the social aspect of the site.
Despite living in one of the many countries that are too small/sparsely populated/poor to make advertising profitable I'm not really personally affected by this since I've used the radio service at last.fm probably like five times during my five years using the site, but I am irked. I'm not going to delete my account or wipe my stats because I'm madly in love with them and stare at them and analyse them disgustingly often, but if I were to stumble upon a site that offered a similar "list the stuff you've listened to" service I would consider moving there. (But I'm off to find out how to delete the "powered by last.fm" automatic current music detector from my journal! >_>)
Idk. What do you lot make of this?
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In other news:
••• I made a Dreamwidth account a few days ago but despite loving my username there I don't really see myself moving there, at least yet. I have a lot of people on my LJ friendslist I'm sure wouldn't move and I think some sort of "I'll just crosspost all my entries in two places!" solution would be quite annoying for myself and everyone else involved, but we'll see. Perhaps a photoblog or something, except that that'd require actually taking photographs. I'll let you know. :|
••• I don't think I've gushed about it here, but Finland is having one good festival this summer and I already bought a ticket! Frida Hyvönen, Fever Ray, Ladyhawke, Lily Allen, Yann Tiersen, Final Fantasy, Vivian Girls and a bunch of brilliant Finnish acts in central Helsinki = WIN. ♥
••• I'm currently watching all of the following: America's Next Top Model, Australia's Next Top Model, Britain's Next Top Model, Finland's Next Top Model, New Zealand's Next Top Model. No further comments on the subject, except that I think a new cycle of Canada's Next Top model is beginning really soon as well, so.
••• I made this Frida icon I'm using right now my default. I'm pretty sure this is the first time since, like, 2005 I don't have The Kills (or half of them) as my default icon, so I figured it'd be major enough to announce in my journal. I just don't really listen to them at all anymore at the moment. Not the first band I've loved with all of my heart and then completely dropped. (Remember Muse, for example? Because I barely do.) SIGH.
••• Out of nowhere, things that make men more attractive in most cases:
1. wearing glasses
2. wearing cardigans
3. being good at maths
4. being geeky (not over the top-geeky, but a fair amount's ok)
5. having a taste so good in music it makes mine feel shitty in comparison or alternatively having a not too brilliant (in my superior opinion) taste in music but A) foraying into mine(ish) at times and B) having a similar level passion to it that I have.
However, they're only making people in some countries pay, which I find incredibly backwards. It's 2009, we're all sharing the same internet; playing the game that way just feels annoying.
They say the "free with ads" radio is profitable in the US, UK and Germany so people living there will continue being able to use the service for free, but for the rest of us it'll be 3€/month from now on. Probably a good plan from a strictly business point of view; I'm sure a large portion of the userbase comes from US, UK & Germany, so keeping those people satisfied will probably keep the site going even if the usage rate drops in the countries that are now made to pay and the users move elsewhere in protest.
But... last.fm is a "social" site. Their slogan is "The social music revolution" (or was, just a while ago - I can't see it anywhere on the site anymore; it seems to be just "internet radio and largest music catalogue online" now.) It relies heavily on user activity. Not charging everyone equally definitely makes it seem like they value some users way more than others, and while that might be the case financially, it doesn't seem like a fair move, especially considering the social aspect of the site.
Despite living in one of the many countries that are too small/sparsely populated/poor to make advertising profitable I'm not really personally affected by this since I've used the radio service at last.fm probably like five times during my five years using the site, but I am irked. I'm not going to delete my account or wipe my stats because I'm madly in love with them and stare at them and analyse them disgustingly often, but if I were to stumble upon a site that offered a similar "list the stuff you've listened to" service I would consider moving there. (But I'm off to find out how to delete the "powered by last.fm" automatic current music detector from my journal! >_>)
Idk. What do you lot make of this?
----------
In other news:
••• I made a Dreamwidth account a few days ago but despite loving my username there I don't really see myself moving there, at least yet. I have a lot of people on my LJ friendslist I'm sure wouldn't move and I think some sort of "I'll just crosspost all my entries in two places!" solution would be quite annoying for myself and everyone else involved, but we'll see. Perhaps a photoblog or something, except that that'd require actually taking photographs. I'll let you know. :|
••• I don't think I've gushed about it here, but Finland is having one good festival this summer and I already bought a ticket! Frida Hyvönen, Fever Ray, Ladyhawke, Lily Allen, Yann Tiersen, Final Fantasy, Vivian Girls and a bunch of brilliant Finnish acts in central Helsinki = WIN. ♥
••• I'm currently watching all of the following: America's Next Top Model, Australia's Next Top Model, Britain's Next Top Model, Finland's Next Top Model, New Zealand's Next Top Model. No further comments on the subject, except that I think a new cycle of Canada's Next Top model is beginning really soon as well, so.
••• I made this Frida icon I'm using right now my default. I'm pretty sure this is the first time since, like, 2005 I don't have The Kills (or half of them) as my default icon, so I figured it'd be major enough to announce in my journal. I just don't really listen to them at all anymore at the moment. Not the first band I've loved with all of my heart and then completely dropped. (Remember Muse, for example? Because I barely do.) SIGH.
••• Out of nowhere, things that make men more attractive in most cases:
1. wearing glasses
2. wearing cardigans
3. being good at maths
4. being geeky (not over the top-geeky, but a fair amount's ok)
5. having a taste so good in music it makes mine feel shitty in comparison or alternatively having a not too brilliant (in my superior opinion) taste in music but A) foraying into mine(ish) at times and B) having a similar level passion to it that I have.