Frustration with the account system.
Hey, I love Dan and the shows, genuinely. I’ve happily bought individual episodes and series before on iTunes, and I would’ve been perfectly happy to buy them through Spotify or other apps that support purchases now. I want to support the show and the crew because they’ve absolutely earned it. But the new account and purchase system feels really backwards. Having the default option be a $100 full access purchase when trying to link through your app of choice is honestly kind of absurd. Then, if you want to buy an individual episode instead, you can’t just listen to it normally through the apps people already use, you get an MP3 download instead. On mobile especially, that’s incredibly inconvenient because now you need a separate app and a whole different workflow from the way people have listened for years. And this is a show people often listen to on the road, while traveling, driving, commuting, etc. Convenience matters a lot there. Even the payment system adds friction. There’s no straightforward “just buy it here” option, instead you have to go through Amazon Pay, PayPal, or another external service. I completely understand wanting to maximize revenue, and I know Dan and the crew are still a relatively small operation trying to make this sustainable. I respect that, and again, I genuinely want to support them financially. But the reality is that if someone really wanted to avoid paying, they could probably find uploads elsewhere online for free. I don’t want to do that, but a more frustrating system is going to push more people toward that outcome rather than away from it. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have their own platform or system where they earn more directly. I just think making it the only practical way to access the content is going to lose them money and goodwill in the long run rather than gain it. I’m sharing this because I want them to succeed, and I think they should hear honest feedback from people who genuinely care about the show and want to support it. And removing ways to support the show does just that.