Loaf

Second this. It’s by far the best one I’ve found.

Oh yeah it’s great for ads. I love never seeing any. I get confused now when people talk about them lol

I’m a bit lazy tbh. I just use NextDNS (which likely does fuck-all). But, I’ve yet to receive any notice, and that’s all I’ve used for a long time.

And some people still get confused when we say ACAB.

I can’t believe I’m not on there. I feel like I got left off the list of an awards show.

lol the grift that keeps on grifting

But seriously

So basically, it’s like this…

Spotify gets their subscription money and ad fees, keeps 30%, then the remaining 70% gets split between all labels, songwriters, publishers, etc., and smaller artists (no label, self-release) get a percentage of your plays in your “market.”

So you end up getting fractions of a penny ($0.004) per play.

Started in 1999 (local label, then Roadrunner), went solo (three labels, biggest I won’t mention), quit in 2014.

Started again in 2017, been doing it ever since as a hobby. Touring is incredibly expensive now. The only real way to break even is by selling advance tickets (for venue assurance), selling merch, and hoping people will by physical media.

In Europe, touring is harder because of venues taxing merch in my experience. Transportation is a bit cheaper, but still a grind, and you’re lucky to break even.

Spotify and other streaming services are a blessing and a curse: the biggest labels can push spins, and services get paid from that + ad revenue. Indie artists get pushed downward, unless they’re playlisted a lot.

I know how it works. Been in this industry a while. I wasn’t expecting you explain — I just responded.

It’s a bit complicated really. They distribute money all over the place, and then the artist gets paid.

It’s kind of the “industry standard,” which sucks, but Spotify pays out less than industry standard. I could go on a rant about how they suffocate indie artists to ensure major labels get their share, but I’ll spare you lol.

I’m not sure what the percentage is that they claim, but it’s far less. I check weekly on mine, and will get fractions of a penny for plays.

On the flipside, Apple Music actually seems to adhere to their percentage.

When I toured in Europe, I made it a point to just stfu unless I was spoken to. I wanted to blend in and not be the stereotypical American tourist.

Having said that, I ran into a couple of Americans while in Norway. Jesus Christ, they were obnoxious (and from Florida).

As a descendent of German migrants, I’m officially dropping the “American” from “German-American.” I no longer want to be associated with this level of stupidity.

Please let this be true.