Video description : Subscription services exist for nearly everything consumers buy. Many, like Netflix or Spotify, start out affordable, but the cost adds up over time. And while signing up is effortless, cancelling can be difficult. Companies such as Adobe and Amazon have even been accused by the Federal Trade Commission of using dark patterns to trap consumers in subscriptions.
But rising costs are only part of the problem. The subscription model is eroding consumer’s opportunity to own what they buy. So how did we get to the point where practically everything is a subscription? And why is owning nothing making everything so expensive?
00:00 - Intro 01:58 - Why subscriptions are everywhere 06:26 - Companies love subscriptions 09:13 - Subscriptions are sneaky 10:29 - Cancelling is difficult 13:39 - Own nothing economy 16:52 - Consumers fight back 22:56 - The future of subscriptions 24:24 - Credits
I remember in the 90s when you had to buy CDs and DVDs (or VHS). It was awful. You couldn’t afford much so you had to be stingy in what you watched and listened to. At the time I remember dreaming of endless content options that I could try. Streaming is that dream. The fact that the shitty companies are making it worse and increasing prices doesn’t mean the streaming subscription model is inherently flawed.
I do wonder despite the flaws of the old system, was there something genuine lost?
You had to actually “hunt” down what you wanted to watch, make discoveries, build context and knowledge to what you want to watch / listen to. IMO the “hunt” is part of the joy in the same way as perhaps building a PC is a big part of the whole gaming enjoyment and at the end of it you can sit down and fully emerse yourself into the art. Now? You are presented with an almost infinite choice of what to get spoon-fed and I feel it de-incentivizes everything. The distinction between music and noise isn’t about the physical properties of sound. Instead, it depends on how we perceive and assign meaning to what we hear. My point is, it’s harder to create that meaning these days.
They did touch upon this in the video. Seems like the new streaming model creates a passive, scrolling consumer rather than an engaged enthusiast where “art” becomes just disposable content pushed by algorithms.
Also, streaming pushes you to over-consume on stuff, which causes the same problems.
I find that now I listen to a much broader selection of music. If anyone recommends a band I’ll listen to their album. In the past I couldn’t afford to buy the albums of every band someone else liked, so I stayed in my lane (musically) with what I listened to.