I think a common factor on why torrents are having a resurgence and illegal streaming services are getting more traction, is subscription fatigue. Subscription fatigue doesn’t only contain itself to streaming services, movies or music, nowadays you’re also expected to subscribe to every app you download. Whether it’s a meditation app, a budgeting app (looking at YNAB that went from a one-time purchase to a really expensive subscription model), the Adobe suite, the MS Office suite, your Peloton bike that you’ve already paid hundreds of dollars for (referencing the earlier article on them establishing a startup fee for buying used bikes), or a podcast app where the money doesn’t even go to the podcasters themselves.

Is there a peak for this? I feel like subscriptions are becoming more of a rule than an exception. Having the ability to directly purchase digital goods seems more like a thing of the past. It’s just so stupid. But apparently people don’t care? They just keep paying for this? Apparently it’s still worth it for companies to establish a subscription model, even if there are no benefits for the customer, just the company. What are your thoughts? What can we do to stop it?

  • Nommer@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    29·
    3 months ago

    I used to have a program called netlimiter (needed to throttle individual aop downloads on a shared WISP that was slow as balls). I bought a lifetime license like 10 years ago because I liked the software. A couple years ago they got rid of the old version and bumped me up to the new version. About a year ago I got an email saying something along the lines of “pay our new subscription fee or you lose your access” and basically put me on a trial account. I pirated their old version years ago to see if I liked the software enough after a couple months. I no longer use that software.

    Another time I bought a lifetime access for a game on patreon. About 2 years later the dev switched to a subscription only fee to access all the new content and never released anything from updated versions to the older public release. So essentially I bumped down to a free tier of access to a game I paid for.

    I will pirate until I die. Fuck these douchebags.

    • azerial@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      7·
      3 months ago

      Omg same. I have been burnt so many times on “lifetime” scams, im done. I want to invest in your product, but part of that agreement is you doing what you say. I’ve had it!

    • GrindingGears@lemmy.caEnglish
      3·
      3 months ago

      That’s happened to me with a couple of phone apps too. Its infuriating.

      I’m peak subscription overload. I’m looking for ways to turf a bunch of ours, I’m currently trying to prove to my wife that our IPTV sub has everything that she needs and the Netflix/Disney/Amazon/Paramount subs can all fuck off and die. Almost there.

      Next up is the bike trainer, roadside assistance, fitness and music subs. I’ll keep Spotify because I like how it integrates with our car, but that’s the ONLY reason.