Killing Freemium Services will Increase Music Piracy, Not Sales or Signups

An anonymous reader writes: Killing freemium won’t make people magically pay $9.99 a month; it’ll make them seek out free music elsewhere. By blocking channels like YouTube and Soundcloud, the labels are sending a message that only music they approve of and want to monetize can be heard, and the door slams shut for many outsider artists. The last thing listeners want is a protectionist culture around the music they consume—every artist deserves a fair shot at being heard.