> 1. Free music 2. required signup for band newsletter
Where "required signup" may simply mean missing the tiny checked-by-default "don't not subscribe me" checkbox.
I have zero sympathy for complaints about marking "legitimate" newsletters as spam, when many of their ideas of "signed up" involve not unchecking a checkbox during a transaction. If you can't get someone to knowingly and enthusiastically agree to receive your newsletter, without any kind of subterfuge or dark pattern, it deserves to get marked as spam and end up in people's spam folders.
I'm not talking about "sign up to get this for free", I'm talking about the very common case of a transaction to purchase or otherwise obtain something (potentially even a paid transaction) where there's a buried fine-print "spam me" checkbox.
> workflow may be something like 1. Free music 2. required signup for band newsletter 3. Why am I receiving this newsletter? 4. Mark as spam
So as I said, the deal is clear: Free music in return for signing up for the band’s email list. Don’t get pissed at the band for holding up their end of the deal and putting you on their email list.
The comment I wrote in response was 'may simply mean missing the tiny checked-by-default "don't not subscribe me" checkbox'. That doesn't describe all cases, just many common cases, hence the "may". If the deal is "free music if you subscribe" or "sign up to our newsletter and get free music", and that's presented in an obvious and non-deceptive way, and people sign up anyway, then sure, that's a legitimate subscription. (And people will still mark it as spam if they don't actually want it, and that's something to take into account when thinking of designing a system like that.)
And if the deal is "free music! Also, check this clearly identified box that's currently not checked if you want to subscribe to our newsletter", that's also a legitimate subscription; some people will still mark that as spam, and that's just something newsletters have to deal with, but I have marginally more sympathy for that case because spammers have somewhat ruined the concept of expecting reasonable unsubscribe links in unexpected mail.
But if the deal is "free music! (well-hidden fine print: leave this box checked to subscribe to our newsletter)", and someone misses unchecking the box, that's spam, and it should get marked as spam, and that newsletter should have serious deliverability problems; that's spam filtering working exactly as it should work.
From my experience, the straightforward trade where a subscription to the band’s newsletter (or reactivation if you’ve previously unsubscribed) is the price for the free song is the scenario. Right or wrong, people mark those newsletters as spam or delete them without opening them to check for an unsubscribe link.
People will mark spam as spam, but they also have no hesitation about marking legitimate bulk e-mail they willingly signed up for but are no longer interested in as spam as well.
Where "required signup" may simply mean missing the tiny checked-by-default "don't not subscribe me" checkbox.
I have zero sympathy for complaints about marking "legitimate" newsletters as spam, when many of their ideas of "signed up" involve not unchecking a checkbox during a transaction. If you can't get someone to knowingly and enthusiastically agree to receive your newsletter, without any kind of subterfuge or dark pattern, it deserves to get marked as spam and end up in people's spam folders.