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Re:Open source Spotify client that doesn't require Premium n... by fullstop on Saturday January 20, 2024 @11:20AM (#39069106)
I pay for Prime, and we're soon to have ads unless you pay more to remove them. I wouldn't feel bad taking to the high seas while keeping the prime subscription.

I'm at the point with other services where I will subscribe for a month or two in a given year, watch full seasons of what I want, and then cancel. Things like Max / Discovery / Whatever they call themselves this year are making this more difficult by removing content. In some cases, it's difficult to find a legit place to watch it, with Raised by Wolves and Westworld being prime examples.

Maybe I'll just read more books instead.

Re:Open source Spotify client that doesn't require Premium n... by tombert on Saturday January 20, 2024 @11:35AM (#39069311)
Yeah, in regards to HBO Max, I signed up a couple years ago specifically to watch cartoons like Close Enough and Infinity Train. Not only were both those shows canceled but they were purged from HBO Max for streaming entirely.

I managed to buy legit copies of Infinity Train on Amazon, but now the only way that I am aware of to watch Close Enough is piracy.

The recent Amazon “pay us more or you get ads” thing feels a bit rent-seekey to me. I don’t watch Prime enough to justify paying an extra $3/month, and so I think what’s going to happen to me is that I just stop watching Prime entirely.

What really frustrates me is that companies are basically stopping releasing Blu-Rays, particularly for TV shows. I have over 400 legitimately purchased movies about about 40 complete series in Blu-Ray; I am more than happy to support creators by paying them a reasonable compensation, what I don’t want to do is pay those creators forever for the privilege of watching the same thing over and over.