Has Spotify forgotten its roots? The platform, which once attracted pirates, has just eliminated an extension allowing users to download its tracks. A turnaround that shows At what times do streaming giants want to maintain control?
Spotify struck hard this week by obtaining the removal of SpotifyDL, a Chrome extension that circumvented its protections to download tracks in high quality. Via a DMCA notice sent to GitHub, the Swedish giant, forced the developer to remove the tool's essential code, rendering it unusable. A warning shot that marks a turning point in its fight against misuse of its platform. It must be said that Spotify has changed its strategy since its beginnings, when it used MP3s from The Pirate Bay to feed its beta version. Today, with 600 million monthly users, the company no longer hesitates to pursue tools that threaten its model. "If The Pirate Bay hadn't existed, Spotify might never have been born." », recalled a former Sony BMG executive. But the days when pirates were seen as allies are over.
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A targeted hunt for “creative” tools
SpotifyDL allowed you to retrieve tracks, playlists, or albums directly from the application, by decrypting the “PlayPlay” system that protects audio streams. Available for a few months on GitHub, the extension reportedly worked without a hitch... until Spotify triggered Section 512 of the DMCA. GitHub then ordered the developer "cycyrild" to modify his repository. Result: the code related to PlayPlay was removed, and SpotifyDL is no longer useful.
While Spotify isn't targeting traditional piracy sites, the platform is now targeting tools specifically designed to circumvent its restrictions. In the crosshairs: sellers of illegal premium accounts, bots that generate artificial streams, and now extensions like SpotifyDL. A different approach from Netflix or Disney+, which are mainly trying to convert pirates into subscribers.
The message is clear: even if you pay for your subscription, stealing songs from the app remains prohibited. It remains to be seen whether this policy will dissuade future developers from attempting the adventure... or simply push them to innovate even more. As a reminder, this change comes a few months after Spotify blocked pirate apps.
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