All posts by scott truitt

Posted on Jun 4, 2024 at 09:13 by scott truitt

I was shocked to see Spotify’s Daniel Ek start a recent tweet with: “Today, with the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content.” As I thought about it more and reflected on their numbers from 2023 (32% global market share, $15 billion in revenue, and a staggering $576 million loss), I realised that cheap content is their only path to profitability. I’m still surprised to see him say it so plainly. Here’s their problem: whether you listen to

Posted on May 30, 2024 at 09:13 by scott truitt

Companies collect and analyse our data. We have benefitted from free or cheap access to everything—creativity, community, knowledge, and so much more. We have lost just as much in the tides of change. All are true. But we’ve been desensitised from, “Sure, you can use my data to improve your service,” to “Okay, fine, sell my data so others can more effectively target me with ads,” to “You’re learning to write and speak like me?” and “You’re replicating my life’s work and rendering humanity obsol

Posted on May 29, 2024 at 09:13 by scott truitt

What happens when AI-generated content perfectly mimics the best artists—like Scarlett Johansson—and the cost of acquiring creative assets goes to zero? Sam is about to learn what “just because you can doesn’t mean you should” means. It’s time we all recognise that what passes for innovation these days is the same kind of theft and abuse as the first three decades of the internet. This Faustian bargain, where everything of value is free or dirt cheap, has enormous costs. I can’t name a single

Posted on May 28, 2024 at 09:13 by scott truitt

Am I the only one who struggles to reconcile my love of music and my favourite artists with the tiny amount of money I spend on my streaming subscriptions and the even smaller amount that goes to them in the end? How do you show your love when your support is indirect at best and wholly diluted at worst? How is any of this sustainable?