I am publishing music on my own. I have no contracts what so ever with any distributor and all my copyrights, all my intellectual property belongs to me and always did. I will not give it away. The charts are full of artists that hardly own their own music, that actually do not even sing their own songs, lyrics or compositions.
I have hardly any streams, some Shazaams so, but they get me no cash flow and I need cash flow to make a living.
If I would sign a contract with a label, I would get into the music business trap, but also receive financial support by marketing. I had a manager.
Distrokids makes it easy to upload music to streaming services, so my music is available, but no one can actually find it.
Too much offered?
Nobody knows me and without pointing me out nobody will see my music.
So, as in all industries we have an oligopole of market participants with power on the market. That means you are either part of the advertising, kokain head driven, shiny bling bling world of Sony to Universal or...
...you are out.
As a matter of fact these few major Mega Cons are so powerfull they could strip you off naked from all your music and no one would ever figure it out.
One big hit album can generate them three digest in the million dollars.
Why deal with a difficult artist mind, if instead that artist can be stripped like in a Cyberpunk dark future utopia?
If you ever feel that your favourite artist might be fake, in the dark future of Cyberpunk he is definitely and everybody gives a fuck.
We have in all arts from music to literature to photography too much choice relative to the shelfs we can overlook. That means you turn on Spotify and trust the algorithm to have you discover new music. You’ll never find me and me alike.
Streaming services are based on mathematical formulas that the marketing department calls possibly AI. They are not. They are not even sophisticated and take personal preferences into account. Data security laws actually made it easier for all major companies to keep me and me alike of the visible parts of the shelf.
Think of an app, that tracks you. That creates a record and profile of your daily live and keeps asking you questions to sort the information, connects it with others and shows you other parts of the shelf. This app would be illegal today.
Think of a library without an index. Without any order the books are sorted in. Now check your preferred Streaming service and try to find anything comparable to a well established system of putting order into available information:
I like a novel. So I go the novels floor. I like Sci-Fi. So I go to the rows of Sci-Fi cupboards. I like Dark Future. So I go to the Dark Future part. There I see a row of books and their backs. A few might be on special display based on e.g. most read, librarian suggestion, award winner, but all will be rowed up in Alphabetical order based on Author and than title. Where is that list on Spotify or Apple Music?
Lucky Enrique impressed me by proud 3 billion clicks. I have 3 on my most favourite.
I am in no way an Enrique. Neither attitude, looks or physiques. I am in no way suitable to be a pop icon. I was doing best as a homeless guy in Paris. I also have no aspirations to be like Enrique, it is just not my thing and in no way I would want to be put on display like Enrique. I would prefer to die than be Enrique. I just would like to be able to be me and make a living without fitting into a world of Enrique, even so I like Enrqique. I like his sweet, perfect videos with beautiful woman, pretty cars, perfect outfits. I am just not like Enrique and have no chance to ever become like him.
This should not be a problem in any Republic, because both Enrique and me are part of the public part in Republic that means people. In a fashist nation I need to be like Enrique or I will suffer. In a Cyberpunk dark future I at least would be in full arms giving a shit.
Dark Future utopias fascinate me, because they are the wild wild west and the dark mid ages coming back promising outsiders of society like me a better live. Better from my perspective. Instead of trying to fit in to survive I would have to kill to survive, because there would be no system in place but anarchy.
In the same way that I sleep better in a street in Paris bagging or on a trip to the polar circle sleeping through storms instead of in my so nice condo appropriate to society I would feel better every time looking into a mirror if this was a post nation dark future society in which I could just beat up or even kill whom ever crosses me in disrespect why ever.
But this world and the technology around could all serve the idea of a Republic. I could be connected based on the information I create by surfing the net, by having google tracking turned on, by filling out the Cosmopolitan or Playboy magazines psychological profile questionnaires with me alike and maybe even with Enrique if he ever wakes up telling Siris Alexa that he wonders how to make it for a week as homeless after he gave the news paper report on Clochards of Paris a like and even donated some to a charity, because the AI figured that we could get along for a week by a 90% chance based on the stored and connected information. Instead I would have to sign a shady deal and a manager would have to have the most ridiculous idea ever....
Give me a good reason and I start a war so I found my deeper reason.
PS: PAN AM was in the 80ies forbidden to use its high profits form the Berlin destination routes they had exclusive rights on to subsidise other routes. The music industry apperantly does make profit only on about 20% of releases, but serves no pupose like the pharmacutical industry that gets tax allowens on block buster medication, if they do research on rare deseases. Music and Arts are no opiots but artist like me live in a constant existance crisis. (I hate corporare world!! BIG TIME)
