Whether you are a loyal Spotify fan or just want to try the service for the first time, you may want to know how to log into Spotify from Russia. With the recent suspension of the premium version of the service in Russia, it is important to ensure that you are secure and that your music library is protected from hacking.
Free version of Spotify in Russia
Earlier this month, Spotify Technology SA announced that the company has suspended its paid subscription service in Russia. This comes after Spotify closed its Moscow office and removed content from Kremlin-backed outlets.
In response to the new Russian law, which punishes spreading fake news, Spotify changed its policy. The company now wants to provide trustworthy, independent reporting to users in the region.
In addition to removing Russian state-affiliated media from its platform, Spotify has also created a guide to help users locate “trusted news” from local sources. It has also stopped its advertising campaigns in Russia.
While the free version of Spotify remains available in Russia, there are some restrictions. Users must use a VPN to access the service. Additionally, they must re-save their settings every 14 days. A user will no longer be able to save songs for offline listening. They will be charged through their mobile account.
While many other music streaming services have also cut back on operations in Russia, the Kremlin continues to tighten its grip on information. Several news organizations have also withdrawn their journalists from the country.
In its place, Spotify will now feature playlists created by a team of Russian music experts. These playlists will be divided into genre-specific collections. These include Hot Hits Russia, Fully Fresh, and New Music Friday Russia. There will also be a number of playlists from Eastern Europe.
In March, Spotify shut down its Moscow office and removed content from Kremlin-backed media outlets. The company also removed content from Sputnik, RT, and other state-affiliated outlets in other markets. It has also stopped new sign-ups for its Premium service.
The company will continue to offer Russians with news-based podcasts from outside Russia. However, it expects to lose 1.5 million subscribers as a result of the suspension of the Premium service. The service expects to fully suspend its operation in Russia by the beginning of April.
It is unclear how many Spotify listeners are currently using the free version of the service. The majority of those listeners will be impacted by the change.
Suspension of premium service in Russia
Earlier this month, Spotify announced that it was cutting off its paid subscription service in Russia. It also stated that it would no longer accept ads from Russian companies. In an attempt to keep its service alive, it removed content from state-owned media outlets such as Sputnik and Russia Today.
The company expects to suspend its premium service in Russia by early April. It will then transition its users from the premium service to a free ad-based model. The new strategy comes in response to a newly passed Russian law that penalizes the spreading of ‘fake’ news. It also bans the publishing of ‘fake’ news about military operations. Those who spread such information can face up to 15 years in prison.
In the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, a number of tech and retail companies have pulled back from the Russian market. In response, the Kremlin has tightened its grip on the information flow. Google has suspended advertising in the country, while several other news outlets have stopped reporting from the country. The government has also banned Instagram for allowing users to post negative content about Russia.
Other tech companies have followed suit. Some of them have pulled their services out of the country altogether. In addition, Western credit card providers have withdrawn their services. Many retailers and banks have also backed out of the Russian market.
In the end, Spotify is joining a growing list of music and tech companies that have decided to pull back from the country. Other music and podcast companies such as Apple, Pandora, Spotify, Spotify Music, TikTok and even Google have opted to cut their ties with the nation.
Although the music streaming service will discontinue all of its services in Russia, the company has made an effort to remain online. Its news hub remains active, and it hosts a number of political podcasts. It also has a variety of social commentary podcasts.
While the aforementioned ‘fake’ news laws have slowed the flow of information in the country, it is still important for companies like Spotify to provide news to Russians that is factual and trustworthy.
No-Name Artists with no digital presence racking up disproportional number of streams on Spotify
Despite Spotify’s best efforts to avoid it, there are a growing number of no-name artists with no digital presence racking up disproportional amounts of streams on the streaming service. While the company does not publicly identify these artists, Spotify does claim that many of them are independent musicians. The issue of phony artists has become more complicated in the digital era.
Some ‘fake’ artists on Spotify are actually pseudonyms for real musicians. For example, rapper El’o’s name appears in the copyright for his single. He also has his own track listed under his own name. This is the same for Swedish pianist Magnuz Folke.
The company says it does not sell music for a song, but it does buy music rights for a flat fee. It splits additional royalties evenly with composers. The company is able to buy up to thousands of music rights at once.
The company encourages its artists to take lower payouts in order to achieve greater exposure on the platform. A recent report by Music Business Worldwide, a music industry trade publication, suggested that the company may be commissioning music of its own. The company is in the midst of renegotiating global licensing deals with major music rightsholders. This could damage its relationships with record labels, which are the source of the majority of its revenue.
The company’s chief executive, Oscar Hoglund, said that his company supplies background music for Facebook videos. While this sounds like a cool marketing campaign, it’s the least obvious thing to do.
The MBW report, which was accompanied by a series of articles about the “fake” artists on Spotify, caused a flurry of activity in the music industry. In addition to the aforementioned Music Business magazine, Vulture and Digital Music News published articles about the topic.
The “fake” artists on Spotify are only visible to the platform’s users, and they have no digital presence beyond the service. However, the music company does have a handful of “fake” playlists that contain hundreds of no-name musicians. These lists are usually jumbled and are not musically themed.
Protecting your music library from hacks
Fortunately, there are ways to protect your music library from hacks. You can disable duplicates in playlists, increase the size of album artwork caches, and you can choose a network type when downloading files. It’s also a good idea to keep your software updated. If you haven’t used an app in a while, stop giving it access. You can also avoid sharing your passwords with other people.
If you’re worried about losing control of your account, you can also delete all of your tracks from the music library. That means if someone steals your password, they’ll have no way of accessing your account. You can also use a free tool to brute force the password to ensure it’s valid.
If you’re using the same password for multiple accounts, you should also consider changing it. Spotify has made a concerted effort to secure their service, but it’s still not enough.
Some of the most popular music services have had their accounts hacked. Some of the most high profile cases involve musicians. Some of the accounts have been used to listen to music for free. Others have been abused to rack up thousands of listens to obscure albums.
When a music service is hacked, it’s difficult to take back the account. You can still log in, but you can’t remove your bank account details or other personal information from it. You can, however, throw off Spotify’s music recommendations algorithm.
While removing DRM isn’t illegal, it’s not an easy process, especially if you have a large music collection. If you don’t want to risk losing your music, you can use a free tool to remove DRM. This won’t get rid of all the songs, but it’ll help you free up some of them.
If you’re using Spotify and have had your account hacked, you may be wondering how to protect your music library from hackers. There are several ways to do so, but it’s important to be aware of the risks and to do everything you can to prevent them. If you’re not careful, you could find yourself locked out of your account, or worse, you’ll be flooded with music from jazz to euro-pop.