The problem there is that scrobblers aren’t nearly as convenient as a streaming service. With a scrobbler I have to actively check out recommendations. With a streaming service I can just have it play related songs until I get one I really like.

Honestly, the benefit of streaming services is not being able to listen to music legally. It’s discovery. Playing a song I like and getting recommended a similar song turn an artist I’ve never heard of has introduced me to a lot of great music. That’s not something you can replicate by going to the webshop of your favorite band and buying their newest album.

Welp, there goes the neighborhood. If they want to do an IPO they’ll probably enshittify the hell out of the platform and jettison all remotely raunchy communities. Because nothing says “good investment” than a service that just drove out a fair chunk of its user base.

Interop by means of a shared standard wouldn’t require a monopoly. Heck, we already have SEPA direct deposit, all we really need is a user-friendly frontend for it.