There once was a time when stealing music was cut and dry; either you paid for music and it was legit, or you downloaded music for free and it was stolen. Aiming to do away with the simplicity of that structure, Grooveshark is one of several companies that treads in a gray area where many of its customers pay for the ability to stream music — but they’re still stealing. Grooveshark does not pay royalties for much of the music it allows users to stream on demand, though it does currently have multiple revenue streams including advertising and a paid VIP subscription plan. By paying for the latter, which runs $3 per month, users are able to forgo the former. Starting December 1st, however, that $3 will become $9 when Grooveshark ends its special introductory VIP promotion. Grooveshark VIP will become Grooveshark Anywhere and its benefits will remain the same (no ads, streaming to desktop and mobile apps, etc.), and a new option dubbed Grooveshark Plus will emerge that brings all of Anywhere’s benefits minus the mobile streaming. So, if paying for music without being certain that your favorite artists are being supported floats your boat, definitely jump on board before tomorrow and you’ll be grandfathered into the $3 rate until you stop paying — or until Grooveshark goes under.
