Spotify blocked users who downloaded music illegally through it

Spotify reportedly blocked several users’ accounts after downloading MP3 songs from Audials Music. Although the tool does not download songs directly, it only uploads them, but this is also contrary to the rules of the streaming service. The TorrentFreak portal informed about the topic.

Audials Music does not download songs directly, it just records them. However, this prohibits Spotify

Streaming services have revolutionized music listening by offering access to extensive online libraries at a reasonable price. In addition, subscribers can download songs and listen to them without an internet connection, but can only do so directly through Spotify. Saved songs can then not be easily transferred from device to device as with MP3 files, and once a user stops paying for a subscription, they will be reliant on online listening to ads.

In an effort to address this inconvenience, a number of tools have emerged over the years that allow users to download songs from Spotify in MP3 format. These include an instrument called Audials Music. He does not download songs directly from the streaming service, he just records them while listening. In this way, however, downloading a huge number of songs would take forever, so the tool also offers high-speed downloads. Then it speeds up the passage of time during playback, thanks to which it can record a song faster.

However, the Spotify Terms of Service do not allow songs to be uploaded, and some users of the tool have had their Spotify accounts blocked.

However, complaints about blocked accounts appeared only from users who used high-speed downloads. Audials claims that this is probably due to the fact that Spotify stores user data on how they listen to music for a long time. When the service encountered users who played a song that had a total of 50 minutes from start to finish within 5 minutes, it found that something was wrong and blocked accounts.

Audials claims that blocked accounts can be easily restored

Blocked accounts don’t have to be lost forever. Audials claims that it is enough to request Spotify to renew the account and the service will unblock it without any problems. It also recommends that users avoid high-speed downloads after unlocking.

Audials Music can also download music from other streaming services, but it does not offer high-speed downloads, so users should not have problems.

Are these practices legal at all?

Audials say yes. Recording songs is legal under U.S. copyright law if you don’t share the recordings. However, Spotify’s terms and conditions expressly prohibit the recording of songs. The company therefore had the right to block the accounts of users who used the tool.