
Amazon Music attempted to forbid podcasters from disparaging Amazon - jsheard
https://pitchfork.com/news/amazon-music-adding-podcasts-on-the-condition-that-podcasters-dont-disparage-amazon/
======
ngcazz
Amazon’s quick reaction to the negative outpouring suggests they weren’t
expecting it to stick but decided to float it anyway. Had they been
successful, this would clearly exemplify how freedom is taken away from people
- while they’re asleep. Truly disgusting.

------
scarface74
_Amazon Music is the latest streaming service to become a podcast catcher.
Apple and Google both stream podcasts, while Spotify’s podcasting arm has
exclusive deals with figures like Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian West._

Unlike the other platforms mentioned, Apple doesn’t “stream podcasts”. Apple
indexes submitted RSS feeds. When you subscribe to a podcast, the player polls
your server directly to update the RSS feed. When you play a podcast, it is
streamed directly from your server. You can add any RSS feed directly into the
player and play it. Apple isn’t involved.

The difference is extremely important. The other services force you to go
through their platform. In fact, Apple has provided a freely accessible API to
its podcast directory that anyone can use without asking Apple’s permission.

~~~
abc-xyz
> In fact, Apple has provided a freely accessible API to its podcast directory
> that anyone can use without asking Apple’s permission.

Have you tried using it? I haven’t myself but your comment made me google it
quickly, and as far as I can tell, then it’s extremely limited (e.g. you can’t
fetch a list of all podcasts, or newly updated podcasts, etc).

~~~
scarface74
I can only go by using Overcast which uses it and listening to Marco Arment’s
podcasts - the author of Overcast.

He frequently complains about Apple’s APIs and posts about technical details
about they could be improved, but he has never complained about the podcast
API.

What it doesn’t do I assume is give you a list of podcast episodes. That would
make sense since Apple’s own player actually polls individual RSS feeds as
does Overcast.

------
c3534l
Corporations may become as great a threat to personal freedom and liberty than
the government. Perhaps we need a consumer Bill of Rights that guarantees
their basic freedoms, acknowledging the power akin to a "company town" that
large companies can wield in our private and political lives.

~~~
moate
>>Corporations may become as great a threat to personal freedom and liberty
than the government.

Quick rhetorical question: Who do you think is funding that government?

The corporations (and the class of people at the top of them) have always been
the greatest threat to freedom, at least in America where there was never a
king.

~~~
aspenmayer
Cash is king. Remember that phrase?

------
QuinnyPig
Now I want a list of podcasts that opted in before they walked it back, just
so I know whose version of "journalistic integrity" is a complete sham.

------
tracker1
I really don't like news organizations updating article content to this
extent. Changing the title and dramatically editing content after publishing.

I'd much rather see a link to a followup article than editing after publish.
Some "news" sites do some really unscrupulous things this way.

~~~
crocodiletears
This is unrelated to the article at hand, but I've seen sites go so far as to
replace entire articles[0]. I'm fairly certain this level of opaque editing is
standard practice for journalists anymore, and tend to prefer archive links
when I'm sharing content with friends.

[0] Original article: Boris's new cabinet meet for the first time

New article: Boris Johnson: Premiership will be the start of a golden age

[http://archive.is/LobY4](http://archive.is/LobY4)
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
politics-49107417](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49107417)

------
contingencies
I wouldn't be surprised if they hastily retract this after PR goes AWOL. With
antitrust in the works and a world of retailer hate, they shouldn't be playing
Orwell cards.

~~~
jsheard
They have in fact walked this back, Pitchfork updated their article right
after I posted it. Title changed to reflect the update.

~~~
dcreno
Now podcasters must "comply with Amazon’s Creative Acceptance Policies.”

Bet those policies slowly drift back towards control of content.

edit: sure enough, look here and you'll see that nothing "misleading" or
"controversial" can be said: [https://advertising.amazon.com/resources/ad-
policy/creative-...](https://advertising.amazon.com/resources/ad-
policy/creative-acceptance#prohibitedcontent)

------
chrisco255
Your daily reminder that we should be embracing decentralized protocols for
media, communication, and commerce.

