Spotify Hits a Sour Note with Secretive Fine Print

On a normal day, a typical conversation about Spotify might be centered on a debate over what kind of oddball would create a playlist with a metal song by the Deftones next to a modern classical piece by Philip Glass. But Spotify executives are probably hoping you won’t notice the latest song they’re singing: an unusually restrictive, and secretive, fine print contract that imposes a gag order on Spotify customers.

Like most companies, Spotify has long had a fine print contract that says if it cheats a customer or breaks the law, the customer can’t sue in court, but has to go to a private arbitrator (picked by a company picked by Spotify) who will decide the case. As if that wasn’t already draconian enough, however, Spotify also recently added a new secrecy provision to its fine print terms. The legal jargon they’re using to ensure no one ever hears about your dispute with them, after the jump: