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Comment by midasz | Hacker News Reader

I really dislike using Spotify for podcasts since I already have a proper podcast app (Podcast Addict), so some shows I like to follow that have gone spotify-exclusive just completely drop off my radar (e.g. Last Podcast on the Left). This is a great solution. Any chance you'd offer a docker image for easy deployment?

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Same here. There's no value-add to the user for turning previously open podcasts into Spotify exclusives. I understand that Spotify and podcasters have to pay the bills, but they're not even trying to counter-balance the user-hostility with some benefits like ad-free listening or a proper podcast UI. And it's not like Spotify is desperate to have paying customers; they're one of the largest subscription streaming platforms around!

Spotify realized that they'll never be profitable with music, the labels have the upper hand and can just raise their share whenever Spotify increases revenue. For exclusive podcasts, they own the entire chain.

If they want to be a podcast company, that's fine. What I don't appreciate is the soft bait-and-switch. I subscribed to Spotify for the music. I enjoy podcasts too, but I have my own preferred way of listening to it (Pocket Casts).

What Spotify is doing now is providing sub-par experiences in both. The home screen is cluttered by podcasts when I just want to use Spotify for music (especially infuriating on CarPlay), and the podcast UI is years behind what Pocket Casts offers. It's like they're not even trying to keep up the great service that drew in their customer base in the first place.

Did Spotify at any point try to become a record label? I guess for the money they spent on Joe Rogan they could have signed some less controversial and still pretty popular artists. But maybe the record companies that own shares in Spotify prevent them from doing it.

No just that, if they were to launch their own label they'd be shunned by all the others. You do not get HBO content on the Disney channel after all.

LPOTL is now off spotify and available normally again.

Wish I could say I was rushing back but other podcasts have filled in during the 2 years they've been gone. That's just my personal experience, though.

I'll give it a try one of these days.

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