Another Round

First Monday of the month, hit the new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple

Whenever Spotify and music streaming are in the news there ends up being a rehash on social media about how music streaming doesn’t pay artists enough.

But I’ve never read a post from an artist who has taken the time to outline how much per stream would in fact be fair, along with supporting information.

And if you’re an artist with a label deal it gets even more complicated because it’s likely you signed a contract where you agreed to give most or all of your streaming revenue until you recoup.

Should Spotify increase the amount paid to artists per stream? I don’t know. But you can only complain about it so long before you become responsible for offering a solution, accepting reality or become known as the artist who complains.

Your solution can’t just be ‘more’.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

21st Century Know It All

Derek was my first friend who had already read about it on the internet. He was my first friend with all the random facts.

If I started a sentence with, ‘Have you heard about…’, his answer was always Yes and then he’d proceed to fill in details that I hand’t even heard about.

If he started a sentence with, ‘Have you heard about…’, my answer was usually No. So he would eagerly tell me.

Now we’re all a lot like Derek.

The bummer part is that when we say we’ve already heard about it, we often squash the excitement of the person who wanted to share. And excitement is fun. Excitement is valuable. Excitement might even be more important than saying we’ve already heard about it.

»» Maybe the trick is to simply add our own excitement without squashing the other person’s.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Fresh And Familiar

That’s what most of us are looking for most of the time.

Whether it’s a band with a new song or a deli with a new sandwich…if we’re venturing outside of the same ol’ same ol’ we still want it to be kinda like the same ol’.

This doesn’t mean you can’t push your audience and take risks and be creative…but it’s helpful to have a gauge on how wide of a fresh and familiar spectrum your audience is hoping you’ll display.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

What Behind The Scenes Requires

For a music artist, social media is (in large part) a behind the scenes look into the artist’s career.

So if you’re a music artist you need to keep in mind…’Behind the scenes’ can only exist because there is a higher priority that comes before it: the music. Behind the scenes, by nature, can’t be the thing itself. If it is then you’re making a move away from being a music artist.

»» Let’s boil it down…What’s better, your Instagram page or your music?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Hotels In Paris

There are some great deals right now at the best hotels in Paris!

But you can’t take advantage of good hotel rates until you fly to the city. And maybe you’re too busy to take a flight, or it’s too expensive, or you’re afraid of flying, or you’re worried your luggage will get lost, or you had a bad experience with TSA and now you don’t like airports.

So the beautiful hotel in Paris with the stunning views and cute shops and restaurants within walking distance will have to wait.

Some opportunities require a giant leap and maybe right now isn’t the time to make that leap.

But then again maybe it is the right time and you just need to find a way.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Making It Without Making It

You can have a nice house and a nice car without most people hearing of you.

You can make it without making it.

Most people making it in music aren’t famous.

Most people making it in music haven’t had a hit or been on the top of a chart.

Most people making it in music don’t play arenas.

There may not be an endless supply of million dollar per year careers available but there are a lot of careers available that pay less than that.

If you end up with a career in the music business but never have a hit or fame, were you successful?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple