Paying for Online Media Services

Pingi · 27-02-2014 12:42am #1

What its your opinion on paying for Online Media services such as Netflix/Spotify/itunes etc

I am surprised at how many people (I know at least) that are very anti paying for online streaming services and will chime in with "you know you can/is there anyways I can get that for free?" "I can't believe you pay for that" or flat out "Can I use your log in?" I remember total shock when I told somebody my OH gets NFL gamepass at €130 annually.

To me if the service and content is good I have no problem paying, its so much handier and all around better than trying to find free online sites that are dud's crash, give you loads of pop ups and don't even get me started on the free Spotify mobile ads.

The Backwards Man · 27-02-2014 12:50am

Have no problem paying for a service that I use that I couldn't get free anywhere else.

Legal services, I hasten to add.:o

we'llallhavetea · 27-02-2014 12:52am

i pay for spotify, couldnt be dealing with the pain of downloading everything. pay for netflix too, no idea why, dont use it at all.

Also Starring LeVar Burton · 27-02-2014 1:18am

I'm considering subscribing to Spotify once I get myself a new phone that I'll be able to listen to it on - it's got a great library.

I gladly pay for my Netflix - you get your money's worth out of it.
And I pay a monthly subscription to Naked News - entertaining and informative.

JerCotter7 · 27-02-2014 1:21am

Pay for netflix but the UK one is pretty terrible compared to the US version. Still good but nothing in comparison. And it's annoying how a movie is there and then you go to watch it a few days later and it's gone.

Orlaw3136 · 27-02-2014 1:21am

I pay for spotify.

I would be happy to pay for boards.ie too.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA*koff*

No I wouldn't.

Muahahaha · 27-02-2014 1:31am

I pay for Spotify and think it's well worth it. For €120 a year to listen to 20 million songs ad free anywhere you want is a decent enough deal. Think about all the time you spend downloading stuff, renaming it, filing it, backing it up, dealing with corrupt files and malware, for a tenner a month you can avoid all that crap and have one simple and easy to use interface to arrange all your music into playlists.

I did have Netflix but gave it up after 3 months, there's not enough decent stuff on there to justify paying for it whereas Spotify has the stuff you want 95% of the time. It's also excellent for discovering new music as the app suggests stuff based on what you listen too. Plus it has lots of live music and full gigs too, which can be tricky to find if you don't know what to search for.

Bipolar Joe · 27-02-2014 2:19am

I'd get Netflix if there was decent stuff on it. Everything there when I last looked I'd either seen, or had no interest in seeing. As for music, I listen free on Bandcamp a lot. Loads of music there.

Netflix over here really need to step up the game. I do wonder if the lack of stuff on there is a copyright issue.

B.A._Baracus · 27-02-2014 2:22am

If you just use the Irish Netflix then you are mad to pay €7.99. Irish version is not worth that.

But if you access the other regions €7.99 isnt a bad price.

Sir Arthur Daley · 27-02-2014 2:23am

Im glad i cancelled after my free month to Netflix.

Lyaiera · 27-02-2014 2:34am

I've been paying to use Last.fm for years. I spend ages at my computer so it's great to just press the play button and have it play music according to my tastes. It throws up some odd stuff on occasion, going from NSync to Avant Garde Japanese Noise Rock Jazz* but I couldn't do without it now. And I do still listen to albums and I've used the free Spotify a few times as well.

*NSync being the odd one there.

anto3473 · 27-02-2014 2:54am

I pay for Netflix just for the convenience of it,(not having to find stuff and then get off the couch and plug the laptop into the TV)

I still pirate all the tv, movies, music and games I want but the sheer handiness of Netflix makes it worth the €7.99...

Plus even though I could download/stream pretty much anything I can think of on the web I have no idea what I want to watch, Netflix does all the thinking for me

Potential-Monke · 27-02-2014 3:06am

I pay for Netflix, and i'm not going to lie, if it wasn't for it i would have missed out on Fringe, Warehouse 13, Jericho, The 4400 and it has recently(ish) added Star Trek: The Next Generation. Well, the first few seasons anyway. That is paying for it in itself!

Don't listen to most music, buy the odd album if i like it (Alestorm, Korpiklaani, Gloryhammer) but for most of my music needs the brother does mixes and that's all i need.

BeerWolf · 27-02-2014 3:20am

I like the idea of it, a small monthly sub for a wide selection of films- Netflix is kinda lacking though, and with it's new interface I absolutely hate it.

e.g. - Want a Horror Genre category ? Hope you're lucky to see it in the list of Recommended crap...

Baze · 27-02-2014 3:23am

I illegally download old movies but not new ones.

I go to the cinema to see anything new (which means I go a lot) and so I feel I have earned the moral right to download old films.

Same with going to a concert.

You pay €50 at least for a ticket these days and so I am not bothered in the slightest about listening to their stuff on the GrooveyShark (:p) or whatever new site you kids be creating.

I see Prince sued some Facebookers recently for sharing some piracy links though:

PRINCE UNDERSTANDS THE INTERNET LIKE IT’S 1999

Prince Rogers Nelson, the singer/songwriter/funky one formerly known as a weird symbol and forever known as a man who knows how to wear purple, is undeniably talented. But unfortunately for people who shared links to Prince’s live concerts on Facebook and Google’s Blogger platform, Prince is also extremely litigious and hates link-sharing.

Prince is suing 22 individuals for sharing links to his concerts, and he expects each alleged perpetrator to pay $1 million in damages. Most of these link-sharers aren’t yet identified, so they’re listed by nickname on the lawsuit.

“Defendants constitute an interconnected network of bootleg distribution, which is able to broadly disseminate unauthorized copies of Prince’s musical compositions and live performances,” the suit reads, classifying these individuals as malicious bootleggers. But looking at the 21-page lawsuit, while some of the anonymous defendants have online nicknames that suggest, perhaps, a small-scale operation (“World of Bootleg”) many of these defendants have nicknames that suggest they’re just Prince super-fans, like “Purple House” and “Funky Experience Four.”

Prince is known for his dedication to suing people and platforms for copyright infringement; in the past, in addition to suing places like The Pirate Bay and YouTube, Prince has attacked fan sites for supposedly dampening his earning potential. The Purple One has also banned photography at all his live concerts.

Prince’s previous attempts to sue the Internet were unsuccessful, and it’s doubtful that this case will get far.

Paying for Online Media Services

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