L. Rhodes on Nostr: This is a key passage in this article on Spotify's program to pay fewer royalties by ...

This is a key passage in this article on Spotify's program to pay fewer royalties by filling time with stock music: https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/ "According to a source close to the company, Spotify's own internal research showed that many users were not coming to the platform to listen to specific artists or albums; they just needed something to serve as a soundtrack for their days, like a study playlist or maybe a dinner soundtrack. In the lean-back listening environment that streaming had helped champion, listeners often weren't even aware of what song or artist they were hearing."

Spotify is built to deliver a background experience, like the speakers built into a retail store. It's an app for disengaging from music.