I think that this is unfortunate because it puts Spotify in a Netflix position. Netflix can reduce it's peering burdens if it adopts some of the spotify concept of p2p (and it's actually cheaper for isps too)
Hmm. The "Netflix problem" is definitely an issue I hadn't considered.
However, I suspect that continuing to use P2P wouldn't actually result in reduced costs in practice. P2P is complex, and getting a reliable streaming service out of it is obviously a more difficult technical issue that "steaming some bits from a server."
Indeed, I'd expect that with suitable peering and Netflix-style caching servers within ISP networks, it wouldn't even save ISPs money.
The point isn't to necessarily to save isps money. It's to not allow them to charge netflix for peering agreements (esp when they don't accept the netflix caching boxes)
Not sure video and music should be cached in the same way. The Spotify cache on my laptop is ~10Gb and ~7k songs that I listen to the most often and have selected to store locally.
I can't remember a case when I've wanted to store a Netflix (or any other) video to reuse.
At the same time, it runs into some significant risks if it does it. As others have mentioned, the p2p service can put significant burdens on low-bandwidth customers, customers on metered connections, etc. Especially with video, Quality of Service problems can cause more expensive customer service problems than what savings you'd have with lower bandwidth costs.
That's the point. It makes it the ISPs problem in a country where the ISPs continue to under deliver compared to other 1st world nations.
If Netflix eased in making the ISPS the broken loop to millionaires, politicians, and their families watching movies - more poeple would ditch the major ISPs and have fiber.
