(to be clear, fuck spotify... and apple, youtube, and amazon music)

Artists are not the problem. You can apply a bandaid by switching to Qobuz or Bandcamp with what money you have, but at the end of the day, an economic system built on inequality was always going to destroy the music and art we've come to take for granted.

But that's hard to do in a failing economy. AI music or VC platforms may obfuscate the effects, but at the end of the day, art is a canary that dies quickly when audiences' wages are cut.

At the end of the day, it can't be done if listeners don't pay.

Some place these costs on the artists instead of listeners, reducing streaming costs, but forcing musicians to either manage these systems themselves, or raise even more money to afford the services.

Labels play a key role in many artists' paths, and deserve a slice of the pie. As do distributors. The hard reality is that no one will do these jobs at a high scale and quality for free; it's simply too time and resource consuming.

In truth, most people can. But it's a bold and risky choice to commit to, and (save nepotism, industry plants, and other non-artistic paths to success), it takes years to build the skills and style required for building music with an engaged audience.

As Spotify comes under critique, many debate what music is worth. We've seen the same in every other art form, especially film and tv. Many defend streaming because "anyone can make music."

Solidarity. You can't make change when people are lonely and divided.

This Behringer giveaway would go hard

This is satire... right?

I couldn't tell if you meant "me" or "men" and honestlllyyyy