Most streaming services commission their own content, yes, but they do so to market original content - Netflix Originals don't pretend to be Wes Anderson movies, and get slid into your playlist when you aren't looking

So if they played a short annoncement beforehand so people know its an Original, it would be fine? Originals get advertised heavily, next-movie, so I assume putting it in the same playlist is fine.

It would at least be better, than sneakily trying to substitute it for artists they'd actually have to pay royalties to, yes

The only evidence I can find is with Spotify doing this.

Amazon Originals, Netflix Originals. Disney Originals. Paramount Originals. I'm just wondering what is different between series and music, that for music its very bad morally to create your own and to put your own in the front row. While for other streaming its accepted.

One big difference is that these shows and movies are not "ghost," they credit their crew and talent like any other production, and those folks negotiate their pay rates similar to other productions. If you are a grip on a Netflix original movie, you will get listed in the credits like any other movie.

The other big difference is that TV and movie productions have always been "assemble when needed." Production companies are typically very thin business shells who hire in 99% of what they need per show. As opposed to a band or artist like Taylor Swift or The Rolling Stones, where the core persistent business unit is the talent itself.

> One big difference is that these shows and movies are not "ghost," they credit their crew and talent like any other production, and those folks negotiate their pay rates similar to other productions. If you are a grip on a Netflix original movie, you will get listed in the credits like any other movie.

The only reason is because unions in the movie business negotiated this. That's it.

There are no unions of note in the music business, and artists get shafted left and right.

The difference is how they're consumed you don't sit down on Netflix and say "put some scifi on shuffle for 8h", you sit down and choose a show.

If you're the kind of person who would manually queue up 100% of your songs for the day then Spotify Generic songs aren't an issue. If you just hit a "2020s R&B" playlist and go that's where it feels more sketchy.

Good point. Music is much more personal, perhaps?

I'd agree with this. I'll seek out work by specific bands, their members and side projects. I'll do the same for actors in film and TV but Spotify is commissioning work from session musicians I have no relationship to and offering a fictitious name. I'm sure these musicians are capable, but I'd rather discover new, novel music — not something commissioned by a company for a specific mood or playlist. That feels antithetical to what makes music or art interesting.

A) It's not how every streaming service does it, and B) this is whataboutism. Even if it was true, it doesn't make Spotify less shitty.