I am suffering from one of the ailments of our age. It is not coronavirus. It is subscription fatigue, the recognition that I have subscribed to products and services, some of which I hardly ever use, and none of which I have ever cancelled.
There's Netflix, Spotify, Apple, Amazon Prime, a stack of newspapers and magazines ranging from the excellent new British magazine Perspective to London Review of Books. Then there’s English Heritage, which allows me to visit some extraordinary historic sites and … well, I don’t remember them all. But that’s the point.
When I checked my bank account and credit card statements it is dotted with subscriptions to generally admirable organisations. The cost is few pounds or dollars each month, but when I added them up the total was eye-opening. I congratulated myself in avoiding some subscriptions – Peloton for example. I love cycling, but I have no idea why anyone would pay $2495 for a top-of-the-range bicycle, which goes nowhere and then subscribe $39 a month for the pleasure of cycling in the spare bedroom.
January in the UK is, however, the month of guilt about over-indulgence at Christmas. Inevitably gym subscriptions shoot up. Gym attendance increases for a month or two then dwindles, while the subscription payments keep leaving bank accounts because (like me) many of us simply forget the monthly money which disappears until (again like me), we wake up with a shock and start cancelling a few things.
Beyond the bank statement, two other events last month pushed me to think about my subscription torpor. First, two musicians I admire, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, pulled their music from Spotify in protest at misinformation about coronavirus on the Spotify podcast by the US comedian Joe Rogan.
Joni Mitchell was clear: ”I've decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives.”
For Spotify it was Joe Rogan or Neil Young, but not both. Young also did not mince his words: “Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information. I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.”
An open letter to Spotify by hundreds of medical researchers and scientists says that Rogan has “repeatedly spread misleading and false claims on his podcast, provoking distrust in science and medicine” and “spread a number of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories”. Young and Mitchell are of a generation touched – sometimes blighted – by polio. Both are polio survivors. The polio vaccine means it is now a disease of the past and so I share Young and Mitchell’s irritation that Rogan, a stand-up comedian with 11 million listeners, used his platform in a way which may undermine the most important public health campaign of our time on Covid-19.
Nevertheless, Rogan pulls in listeners. Spotify signed a $100 million deal with him in 2020. The loss of Young and Mitchell may cause Spotify a bit of reputational risk, but the loss of Rogan would be a significant financial and strategic hit. Money talks. In the case of Rogan, it talks very loudly.
Spotify makes music available. Other people actually create it
And that leads to the second reason I have been addressing my subscription fatigue. Where does the money go? To Spotify and Rogan or to my favourite musicians?
There is a row brewing in Britain and elsewhere about how streaming sites compensate most musicians poorly.
Taylor Swift pulled her music from Spotify in November 2014 and wrote in the Wall Street Journal: "Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for. It's my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album's price point is.”
But Spotify’s slice of the American music market was just 7 per cent in 2010 and is now more than 80 per cent, which means only a brave (or very wealthy) musician will cut ties with the organisation. Taylor Swift’s music is back on the platform, and for many music fans, subscribing to Spotify or other streaming services, is a convenient way to consume what is essentially a product.
But the producers of that product are not Spotify executives. They are musicians. Those I have talked to share Taylor Swift’s view that streaming services do not reward individual artists enough for their “valuable” talents.
But since streaming is the gateway to millions of future fans, most musicians cannot follow Neil Young and Joni Mitchell and opt out. So this week I’m looking through my subscriptions to see what I can do without. But I also hope that those creative artists, musicians, writers and others who provide the products that cheer us up, find some way to earn more than just a pittance from some of the biggest corporations in the world. Spotify makes music available. Other people actually create it.
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
Read more about the coronavirus
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Company%20profile
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Naga
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MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
