An article was released at 22th of September that discusses how employees of Spotify are planning a walkout over their demand for direct editorial oversight of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. This move by the employees puts me in a position where I will have to reconsider my commitment to Spotify as a paying customer.

Spotify to me is, as their mission statement describes, "a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs." aka, I pay them money (or listen to advertisements) and they give me music to listen.

With this move Spotify employess have decided to expand that mission statement to curate my listening habits from algorithmic recommendations to human (and thus human bias) based curation.

I am not very familiar with Joe Rogan. Most of the time I have listened to him has been when someone I've paid particular attention like Ed Snowden have appeared on his show. I doubt I'll consume Joe on a regular basis at Spotify anyway. That, however, is not the point.

I must reiterate that this move is by Spotify employees. Not the CEO who seems to be heavily against this act of rebellion. As such cooler heads may yet prevail.

As stated previously, Spotify employees are seeking to change their mission statement from a platform into a publisher. What's the difference? A platform takes no action for or against the content they host. Apart from some algorithmic recommendations engines, the service takes no active part in what to provide and to whom, barring clear illegal content. A publisher however, has full editorial authority to choose what they potray, to whom and how.

As a paying customer of six+ years, I have been very satisfied with what Spotify has provided for me. Now however, I must re-evaluate that stance. I am paying Spotify to provide me with a library of music from which to choose what to listen. I am not paying them for deciding for me what I can or cannot listen and certainly not paying them to take away from me what I consider to be the holiest of rights: the right to choose for myself.

So Spotify, if you bend the knee on this, rest assured, I will vote with my wallet since you no longer provide me with a service that provides me with any value worth paying for.

Your move Spot.