Comment by ckosidows | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ckosidows | Hacker News Reader

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Doesn't Spotify have terms around not making money on any apps that use their API? From https://developer.spotify.com/policy/#iv-streaming-and-comme...

> Except for the limited commercial uses for Non-Streaming SDAs (set out below) commercial uses are not permitted for SDAs.

Their guidelines are super strict about using any music or artwork in specific ways. For instance, I'm pretty certain you need to display a Spotify logo any time you play music from Spotify, which I don't see on the player. And the player has rounded corners on the artwork.

Some excerpts from https://developer.spotify.com/documentation/general/design-a...

> To comply with our licensing agreements, you must always attribute content from Spotify with the logo.

> Artwork must be kept in its original form. Don’t animate or distort it in any way. This includes applying overlays and blurring.

I'm not a lawyer so I'm sorry if I'm reading these incorrectly. I tried making an app using the Spotify API at one point and had it running but it got shot down a couple times for not displaying the Spotify icon. Good on you if your app is all set. I was always worried I was going to face the Spotify legal team with mine and gave up on it.

I only mention these because I do love the radio! Great mix of genres so far!

Radiant launched with a paid subscription model (like a dollar a month) Spotify shut it down, took away our API creds and left us in the lurch. Had to set it up again, with the subscription removed. That hurt because we had a good number of paying customers at that point.

But we moved to be compliant with their guidelines after that and I carried it on as a labour of love.

Now I'm actively looking at moving away from Spotify and on to my own data set and APIs that can match what Spotify has. I've built something like it before using the Cover Art Archive for the artwork, Acoustic/MusicBrainz for the metadata and custom logic built atop so I know it's possible.

Once I've done that I can start looking for sponsors.

There is always the possibility that if the userbase really scales up, Spotify would grant me a commercial license and allow me to commoditise the platform but I don't need that to happen really.

How long did it take for them to notice?

I made a Spotify powered app ( https://mergemusic.app ) and we didn't add any payment methods to comply with their terms.

Tried for months / years to get in touch with someone at Spotify who could discuss a commercial licence agreement, so the app could have a business model. Stonewalled.

Turns out Spotify instead of working with us, made their own version - Spotify Blend, launched 2 years after our app.

The thing that bugs me the most is Spotify is a member of https://appfairness.org which states

> App store gatekeepers have carefully crafted their mobile device ecosystems to eliminate competition and maximize their own control and profits, to the detriment of developers and consumers.

However Spotify's own App Store did exactly the behaviour they are complaining about.

I suspect it might be complicated by the fact that most of their content isn't owned by them but leased(?) from record labels, artists, podcasters, etc?

But I agree it seems like they use this API as a free launch pad for ideas, which seems morally or ethically questionable. Sorry to hear they might have ripped your idea.

We weren't taking content. Just creating playlists back on Spotify through their API.

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