back to article Now Uber can take EVERYONE for a ride

Casual car hire company Uber is teaming up with Spotify, ensuring neither your favourite musicians nor your driver get paid very much. "Uber users who link their Spotify account to their Uber account can push a button, get a ride and get in to the car their Spotify station is playing,” explained Travis Kalanick, Uber CEO. …

  1. A Long Fellow

    Let's see -- a soundtrack for two icky companies getting together for a marriage made in Las Vegas...

    Like all good playlists, there has to be a conceptual development of sorts, in this case moving from the idealism of young love through to realism/cynicism and then on to mature acceptance of the inevitable fate -- whatever that is.

    Early Innocence:

    Among the Clouds - John Williams

    What a Wonderful World - preferably Maceo Parker

    Burning Rope - Genesis

    *

    Disillusion:

    Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - the Platters

    Who's Fooling Who - Mike Rutherford

    What a Fool Believes - Doobies

    (What's) The Name of the Game - ABBA

    (Star Wars IV) The Last Battle - John Williams

    Tie Me at the Crossroads (When I Die) - Bruce Cockburn

    *

    End:

    Ten Years Gone - Led Zep

    When All is Said and Done - ABBA

    *****

    Note that this playlist should, in most cities, be long enough for a trip of about eight blocks.

    1. LarsG

      ?

      "We’re always looking to create highly evolved experiences,” said Kalanick. “It’s sexy and interesting and fun for our users.”

      Really? A highly evolved experience?

      If you find it sexy, interesting and fun? Maybe the socially inept might get a kick out of it.

  2. John H Woods Silver badge

    Playlist

    How about Meat Loaf: "Life is a Lemon (and I want my money back)"

  3. ecofeco Silver badge
    Coat

    Poetic

    There is something poetic about this merger, but it's not a great poem. More like a whorehouse limerick, actually.

    No, I wouldn't take a stab at it. Not enough beers yet.

    Go OUT for a beer. ----------------------------------->>

  4. Rol

    I know of a man who will be losing his job in the coming years. As he is rather shy I shall just refer to him as IDS. I wonder if companies that thrive in a slave economy might offer him a comfortable directorship as a suitable reward?

    Playlist:-

    Up against the Wall MotherF's - David Peel and the Lower Eastside Band

    Repeat until arrested.

  5. fruitoftheloon

    nah

    Howsabout 'we got to get out of this place' by the animals?

    J

  6. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Holmes

    Outperforming Elizabeth Warren in the hot air business?

    El Reg - determining the "correct levels of wages" for musicians and taxi drives since the early 21st century.

    A pipe-smoking, leather elbow patch tweed jacket wearing job with tradition!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Unlicensed taxis driving around with barely paid for music. I'm going to give this one a miss.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Did I miss something?

    I'm a little confused by the following sentence:

    "Uber users who link their Spotify account to their Uber account can push a button," - got that bit.

    "get a ride" - uhuh, all good.

    "and get in to the car their Spotify station is playing,” - eh? I'll assume he means that your Spotify playlist will start playing in the cab you ordered when you enter the vehicle?

    And if so, that's a selling point of the service? Really? Narcissism? Are humans so self-obsessed that we want to force others to listen to our taste in music at any/every given opportunity? Maybe the cabbie might not be a fan of $genericXfactorBullshitArtist. If so, and you foist this tripe on them, then you deserve to be charged extra for your ride, to help for the PTS counselling they'll be wanting!

    On a slightly more serious note though, why not just politely ask the driver if you may change the station, pair your phone via Bluetooth or use the auxiliary input?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Did I miss something?

      Are humans so self-obsessed that we want to force others to listen to our taste in music at any/every given opportunity?

      Yes, and I'll appreciate it if they turned off Shit Pirate Radio FM when I get in the cab.

  9. Gannettt

    Just need to be able to get your Uber cab to your Air BnB with the Spotify music playing and you've got the trifecta! Leeches!

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Holmes

    Ass, gas or cash - no one rides for free. By K-Dee (produced by Ice Cube)

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    misplaced quote

    "It’s sexy and interesting and fun for our users" - is not listening to music with one ear while your driver recounts his admiration for UKIP's stance on immigration

    The best match for "It’s sexy and interesting and fun for our users" is probably sex.

  12. Lars Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    Slave wage

    Is big business.

  13. Mark 85

    The beatings will continue

    So rider orders music the driver can't stand, see title for end result.

  14. The Nazz

    I would post a list of suitable songs but

    I'm waiting for the record companies to reply to my requests for permission to use their IP, namely song title and act.

    eg Harry Chapin - Taxi

  15. This post has been deleted by its author

  16. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    "Screaming Target" by Big Youth.

    On repeat at maximum volume... It's worth joining Spotify just to annoy Uber ...

  17. dan1980

    ". . . the USP is tapping into a pool of casual labour and transferring the risk to the user."

    Bingo. Summary of Uber in one line - nicely done.

    For a playlist, I'd pop on Pink Floyd's Animals.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Perfect!

  18. MrTea

    Or another idea...

    Headphones. Seems a rather overcomplicated solution to a problem no one had.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    One day

    We'll all work for the Internet/Singularity.

  20. Jeff LeCoat

    Unfair

    "Casual car hire company Uber is teaming up with Spotify, ensuring neither your favourite musicians nor your driver get paid very much."

    This doesn't seem very fair - the driver'r price is because of the market, not Uber. The Spotify point I'd agree with but it isn't a cause that triggers much emotion in my heart.

  21. TheOtherHobbes

    Money

    (No, not that one. The other one.)

  22. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Trollface

    Unfortunately I can't read Swift's plea to musicians

    It's behind a paywall. If it were otherwise...

  23. Potemkine Silver badge

    "“It’s really like the future is here"

    I didn't know the future was so sad.

    1. Bob Wheeler
      Pint

      Re: "“It’s really like the future is here"

      It's not future I was hoping for, that much is certain.

  24. Otto is a bear.

    The solution

    Just tell the PRS (Performing Rights Society) that minicabs are playing music for the entertainment of their customers. They will want a cut, on behalf of the artists. As already noted, it makes a big change from the current status quo, where the passenger gets forced to listen to the drivers favourite station.

    Now if the PRS could only charge drivers for UKIP rants.

  25. allister ferguson

    Are cheaper Taxis not in the interest of the consumer and the economy?

    Slave wage are two emotive words..... but lets look at places where taxis are really cheap...... Turkey "dolmus system".... you hop on an off them with almost little thought for the pocket money prices....... do their drivers starve?

    You have got to remember that higher prices lead to less use and therefore higher prices....... quality of service can be maintained by effective regulation/licensing etc.

    Or is it better to have them standing empty at the rank because no body can afford their prices?

  26. John Lilburne

    Robb Johnson - Welcome To Mugsborough

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBenuuAD2Sg

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