…but it’s gonna be quite a while so unfortunately I can’t rec using it yet.
Key things:
1. Real people sharing music with other real people in some fun ways!
2. Paying artists more than shavings of a penny for their work!
Right now the team is small and there’s a long winding road ahead but if anyone is interested, message/follow or whatever and eventually some more info will trickle out 👀
May 2, 2024
Related Recs
🏭
within any algorithm based platforms, this is kind of the only move right now. posting at high frequency on socials, using high trafficked sounds on tiktok, posting on IG stories. there are specific strats out there and the targets keep moving, so do some research and pick the ones that feel the least like pulling your nails out for you.
with spotify specifically, if you qualify for Marquee or Showcase definitely try to do those! otherwise make sure to use spotify for artists pitch to playlists and include a canvas. you can make em for cheap (free even?) on Clipchamp.com.
if you play shows, do those locally as much as possible. integrating into your local scene is a great way to sell physical merch (make your own for as cheap as possible and get creative), and making connections leads to more show opportunities and more people who might check you on streaming or bandcamp - which you should be using since it’s free even if no one buys your stuff at first!
DO NOT!!! use SubmitHub. it’s money you won’t get back and a lot of people on there now just profit off of offering small artists blog placements for sites no one reads and that will not build you an audience. you should pitch yourself on your own to indie curation platforms you like via DMs/email though, that’s a great way to get on a playlist.
overall it’s rough out there but if nothing else you can always post here and these lovely folks might give you a listen!
Mar 26, 2024
😃
I’m just about to finish my bachelors in media and cultural studies and my dissertation (idk if it’s the same as a thesis) is on how streaming platforms mostly Spotify, have changed the way people listen to music and how it’s been individualised.
Theres a lot to it but I’m gonna try and break down how Spotify uses ai to personalise your experience with the app. Basically, you know cds and that? When you purchase a cd it’s the exact same cd as someone else who also owns that cd even if you listen to it in different settings on paper it’s the same experience. Streaming platforms like Spotify have changed that dynamic because now it’s a lot easier to seperate the music from its intended experience. Spotify then takes your experience with that song and makes a mental note of it and will recommend you music that sounds similar to that song using a ai algorithm that compares your playlists to every playlist on the app. This leads to features like discover weekly that are entirely personalised recommendations based on your own listening history, meaning that on paper your discover weekly and your friends discover weekly should be completely different even if you listen to the same music.
Theres a lot more to it then that, including how Spotify as a platform has sort of moved on from just being a music streaming service by including social media like content with a musical twist. The algorithm is also a lot more complicated than that but that’s how it works on a surface level. But my entire paper revolves around the idea that streaming services and by extension the internet are slowly killing communal music experiences like the radio and live music venues (in some extreme cases) because people like the unique experiences that platforms like Spotify provide due to how personalised they are. I’m not finished writing it yet (deadline is in a month), but all the research is done and I’ve had a lot of interesting interviews with people who use the app casually and others who are more involved in local music scenes to see how streaming platforms have affected them.
Apr 12, 2025
🎵
Throughout my whole life, I had awful music teachers. I had a piano teacher that made me sit on my hands because he was frustrated with the way I played scales and a music teacher in primary/middle school that gave me so many anxiety attacks that my doctor finally gave me a note so I didn’t have to go anymore.
I was told so many times throughout my life that I had no music talent, discouraged from going further than scales but all of those people (teachers!!!!) were wrong. They just couldnt fathom that I had a different musical brain than them.
When I was 23, I ended up having to move back home from LA after my job rescinded their promise to sponsor me for a visa. I was depressed and heartbroken and lonely. I went to school for writing but didn’t want to write anymore so I ended up opening GarageBand on my iPad.
I was inspired by all the things I could do on it. I suddenly felt like I was entering a new world. After making a couple beats, I started moving everything over to the laptop version of GarageBand. I bought big headphones, a cheap usb mic and a keyboard off of a guy from Craigslist and continued to tinker. One of my favorite things to do at the time was to download karaoke midi tracks of popular songs I loved, import them into GarageBand and change the instrument until I felt like I was making something new. I would then use my shitty mic to wail on top of it.
I used GarageBand for years after that to make tons of songs that I just uploaded to SoundCloud without thinking about it much. Eventually I got a controller/sampler and access to Ableton and thats when the fun really started.
My love for music making snowballed after that, I amassed more gear and skill and eventually made an album after a couple years. I was obsessed with making it and while I feel really whatever about it now, I don’t feel whatever about the experience.
Music has allowed me space to express parts of me that there are no words for. The best thing I can impart is to take advantage of this. There are some things that you can only explain with a kick drum or a sine wave or a really hard bassline.
Music is still a huge part of me! I made another album after that first and now I’m working on my next project. I recently reincarnated myself (everyone in the ~industry~ advised against this but I’m a different person now) and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me. I don’t expect to make money or become famous but music feeds my soul in a way nothing else can.
Have fun!!
May 4, 2024
Top Recs from @solomonki
Recently passed a couple license plates with these dealership names on them.
Lexus of Glendale
Nissan of Orange
Beautiful!
Apr 18, 2024
Today was Bat Appreciation Day. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to appreciate bats. I’ve made it pretty easy with this collage of a few fav bat pics – please enjoy 😊
Apr 18, 2025
to reveal a new bird. looks like we have a beautiful osprey for July!
Jul 1, 2024