I thought I was done blogging for today. We got a post up this morning, and I was planning to hold off until we dig into Chapter 10 of Signal Drift. But I need to vent.
So let’s talk about music — more specifically, getting music.
I buy albums online. People give me albums they think I should hear or feature on Rolling with Scissors. And yes — I’ll admit it — sometimes I steal albums off the internet. I don’t do it lightly. But the reality is, sometimes you’re broke, and sometimes you’re trying to find something so obscure or out-of-print that buying it simply isn’t an option. I always try to purchase it first. Always. But if there’s no way to pay and I still need it? Let’s just say I’m smart enough to find it.
Now, none of this is a dig on the people who give me music. I appreciate every record that comes my way. Really. Keep ‘em coming.
And I also get it — there are audio purists out there who swear WAV files sound better than MP3s. From a 50,000-foot perspective, I agree. You want the cleanest, most uncompressed version possible. That makes sense. Twenty years ago.
But here’s the thing: MP3s sound fine now. Yes, even to trained ears. And if you tell me you can hear a meaningful difference between a well-encoded MP3 and a WAV file in a blind test? I call bullshit. Prove it.
Anyway, that’s not what this post is about.
Let’s say someone sends me WAV files — no problem. I can convert them to MP3 so I can properly tag and report the songs to SoundExchange (yes, so the record labels still get their piece). Tagging is a crucial part of my process, and MP3 is still the easiest format to manage for that. Converting is part of the gig.
Years ago, I bought a piece of software called Switch Plus for Mac. I paid for the pro version — a full license. It worked great. I don’t use it every day, but it’s been rock solid whenever I needed to convert files.
Today, I got some new music from a buddy — WAV files, because he wanted me to hear it in its purest form. Cool. I opened up Switch to convert them, and…
Bam. Paywall.
Suddenly, the software I already paid for says they’ve “updated their model” and now I need to pay $3.99 a month to use the full version. Not $3.99 once — $3.99 per month.
And look, it’s not the money. That’s less than a hamburger at McDonald’s. I can afford it. But that’s not the point.
You already got my money.
You sold me a working tool. Now you’re reaching back into my pocket because you changed your mind?
That’s what pisses me off.
I didn’t agree to a subscription. I didn’t sign up for a lease. I paid for the damn thing. And now it’s being held hostage unless I pay again?
That’s not a new business model — that’s double-dipping. And it’s shady as hell.