I’m not a big fan of the high fees, but I’m even less of a fan of big developers being treated differently than the little guy.

No fees when users choose to pay via Spotify (which had been the case and only option since the beginning, until User Choice Billing was implemented).

If users choose to pay with Google Play Billing, Google keeps 4%.

Even so, what I find hypocritical is that Spotify got this deal and seemingly agreed to keep it under wraps, without advocating for it to be extended to all other music streaming services in the platform.

Because... having a deal with the platform holder that gives it unfair advantage over the competition is exactly what they accuse Apple of doing with iOS.

Sauce: https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/20/23969690/google-spotify-android-billing-commission-secret-deal

The game is rigged

We're totally screwing the artist, so we'll give you a cut if we don't pay any gees.

Yea no shit, idk if it's just for my region or what, but Spotify does not manage their subscription through the play store. Makes it more annoying to cancel it too, which the execs at Spotify probably see as a plus.

Kind of weird, considering they're a major competitor, but so what? Why is this something they need to "admit"?

What alternatives do you guys use besides Bandcamp? I am open to paying a sub as long as the artist is getting a decent cut.

Idk if Bandcamp is better, but there I buy my beloved albums with a big tip. The only thing I dislike is many artists default to PayPal for their merch. Ah, and they got owned by someone like Tencent or Epic?

Its not a bug, its a feature. The end game has lots of backdoor deals.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The details surfaced today after Google requested the court to keep the specifics of its deal with Spotify sealed earlier in the month.

This fee could be reduced to 11% due to programs like user choice billing, which allows developers to use their own or third-party payment solutions.

Earlier this month, The Verge reported that the search giant offered Netflix a deal in 2017 to just pay a 10% fee on Play Store for subscriptions.

Last month, the Mountain View-based company reached a settlement with Match Group to let the dating app giant use third-party billing solutions on the Play Store.

Match Group’s rival Bumble was part of the user choice billing program pilot started in November 2022.

Epic, however, rejected Google’s offers to adopt user choice billing and went to trial earlier this month.

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I'm doing great with xManager so I don't give a flying fuck about this haha