Welcome Aboard The Struggle Bus

I survived being a Music Composition Major and I have some things to say.

[grumpy-composer]

What Can We Do About Spotify’s New Payment Policy?

Spotify’s recent announcement has made many small artists mad. (See this post where I’m mad about it for more information as to why or shoot me a message if you have specific questions!)

Here are the things to do in case you don’t want to read my long explanations:

1.) Reach out to your favorite small and large creators.

2.) Look into other streaming platforms.

3.) Ask Companies for Statements and Send Feedback.

4.) Contact News Organizations

5.) Reblog and Share Your Experiences Online

I’ve provided more detail on each step under the cut. Feel free to add to this list, too!

1.) Reach out to your favorite small and large creators!

Not a lot of people are talking about this, one way to fix that is to bring it up, especially to those who have platforms. Podcasters, YouTubers, and especially musical artists. Large artists on Spotify have the clout to make a difference, but getting influencers to spread the word will be helpful as Spotify desperately wants to control how this change is perceived. (They literally framed their policy as giving millions to “new and emerging artists”, though if you read the policy you’ll see that’s not the case.)

Also send your favorite small artist a kind message about their music as many are feeling invalidated by this decision.

If you’re an artist: Politely ask artists you look up to for advice or opinions, express your distress if appropriate. 

If you’re a fan: Politely express your concerns to larger artists and ask if they have an opinion. Also look for ways to help support small creators you enjoy. Not everyone can afford merch or to buy a song outright, but even a message can help keep us motivated.

2.) Look into other streaming platforms. Both artists and consumers:

It’s no secret that streaming platforms pay artists almost nothing per stream, but artists are entitled to their money no matter how little. There are plenty of other streaming sites so if you currently pay to use Spotify, now may be a good time to consider other options before the policy goes into effect in 2024. 

Obviously Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Youtube Music are all options if you’re looking to pay for a new service that’s popular and has a similar catalog/features to Spotify. However Youtube videos on an artists official channel will also help support and there are plenty of other options like Tidal or Sound Cloud. 

Try to see how these companies compare in price and artist payout to make a decision that best fits you.

Also! Streaming Options I Just Learned About:

Resonate is a site that offers a “Pay2Own” model. Essentially, you only pay when you listen, doubling the cost each time, and once you’ve listened to a song enough to have paid about $1.40 it’s yours forever and you don’t have to pay more. And most of that money goes straight to the artist as Resonate is a CoOp.

SonStream is more direct and has you paying about $0.03 per song. Straightforward. If you don’t listen, you don’t pay. Meaning you can adjust how much you spend if needed each month rather than paying a regular subscription. They just put out Android and iOS apps and it’s free to use, meaning you only pay for what/ how much you listen to. If you want to more directly support an artist, see if they’re on there.

For consumers and fans: There are a lot of options for gaining access to music while still supporting artists, go forth and discover what's right for you!

For artists: See what sites will be best for you, if your distributor doesn't distribute to a site you think is good for you, see if you can upload it yourself.

3.) Ask companies for statements and send in your feedback.

Now is an excellent time to attempt to contact Spotify, Distributors, Labels, and other involved companies for statements about this issue. The more they have to talk about it, the bigger deal it will be. Contact their competitors, ask for their statements. Ideally, they’ll be forced to release public statements and add to the spread of news.

Additionally if their shareholders get upset, Spotify will sweat even more. If you’re a shareholder or know one, please open up the conversation.

Now is also an excellent time to tell Spotify that you don’t like this choice as a consumer, then come back in a week and do it again. Keep the pressure on. You give them money to access music while supporting artists. If the artists you choose to listen to aren’t compensated, why give them your money?

Contact other services as well. If you’re a customer for another service, emphasize to them how you dislike Spotify’s decision and want to ensure they keep paying their artists.

If you are an artist: Contact your distributor or label. Tell them your concerns and ask how they are going to help you.

If you are a consumer: Figure out how to give feedback and send it. Try multiple avenues. Always be polite, but firm.

4.) Contact News Organizations

Again, Spotify really wants to control the narrative. We should not let them. Send a tip to your local newspapers or news stations. Contact major news stations. Tweet at them.

If you’re a consumer/ fan: Contact stations and politely ask if they have any intentions to cover this story. Explain how you’re disappointed that other stations aren’t covering it. If someone in your local area has covered it, offer praise (or if it was covered poorly, critique) and ask if they plan to follow up. Point to any public statements from artists or companies.

If you’re an artist: If you are comfortable, try reaching out as above and offer to interview with them (especially if it’s for a local story). It’s good for your business as you can get in front of people, and show how this is affecting artists in your community. If you’re not comfortable with that, you could also release a public statement on social media and point the news in that direction as a source.

5.) Reblog and Share Your Experiences Online

I’ve seen a lot of people say that only fake artists (AI and bots) will be affected by this. If you are a small creator and are comfortable/ safe doing so, share how this policy will affect you. It will help us be seen and help fight that argument that no "real" musicians are being hurt.

And if you’re comfortable, reblog this post or talk about these changes on your socials. Share Spotify’s Statement and point out the flaws in their argument. 

Not everyone comes to Tumblr for this sort of thing, I totally get that. Not everyone wants to be faced with cold reality on their fun app and you are not obligated to engage in cold reality on Tumblr. That’s not what many use Tumblr for, but I find it strange that something like this isn’t being talked about more on this platform. Kind of seems like something Tumblr users would care about, so let’s spread the word and talk about it.

And that’s what I have. Look, some of the things in their update are good. Trying to stop AI shenanigans and people gaming the system is a good thing. However, the 1000 streams per track policy will hurt Spotify’s smallest creators far more than those putting in minimal effort.

Thank you for your time and good luck to my fellow small musicians.

[typhlonectes]

[zenpencils]

James Rhodes - Is that not worth exploring?

[hanneflute-deactivated20190107]

This made me cry a little. The number of people who tell me they used to play the flute but that they weren’t ‘talented’ enough or they gave it up to, you know, do life… This is just so beautiful.

[unisex-muffin]

At the cyberpunk bar playing that finangler

[grumpy-composer]

SIDEWAYS IS BACK!!! This is not a drill people!!

[targetedknowledge]

[madeofklay]

I just had to draw them

[lovetechnique]

mozart thee stallion

amadeus (1984) // kitty kat

[prideknights]

Hi! Pre-orders are over, and what’s left is limited stock. Some designs are already running low, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. If you’re thinking about holiday gifts (or treating yourself), now’s the perfect time. Shipping from the US and EU to: US 🇺🇸, EU 🇪🇺, UK 🇬🇧, Canada 🇨🇦, Australia 🇦🇺, New Zealand 🇳🇿 Shop closes Dec 31, 2025! ✨Get yours here:

prideknights.com ⚔️🌈

[werewolf-transgenderism]

whatever hildegards your bingen

[sometiktoksarevalid]

[baddywronglegs]

Same energy, but with a better soundtrack

[teaboot]

Life truly can be good and worth living

[dangerously-human]

[higgsbison]

my favourites

[bludragongal]

Look, that thing you want to do? Stop being a weenie and just do it. 

Bottom images are from here.

[bludragongal]

Hey, kids - I see this post making the rounds again, and I’d like to add some additional thoughts that I’ve gained in the 5+ years since originally making this post:

When I originally made this dumb comic in 2013, I was a Graphic Designer for a Radio Station in Ohio. As of this writing in 2018, I am a Storyboard Artist at Warner Bros. Animation. I am now one of “””the professionals””” referenced in the third image. And let me tell you:

…I am still making things up as I go. 

…I still don’t have character turnarounds.

… I have… some worldbuilding done. Not all of it, though. That’s going to be a permanent work in progress. 

…Making the comic is the character study/studies.

…I am still convinced I’m not working hard enough.

…You will never, no matter what you do or how far you go, ever feel like you’re completely ready to do something until you actually do it. 

Trust me. I’m a professional. 

[bludragongal]

Coming at you again from the year of 2022 and working for Disney with an update: it’s all still true. I still have no idea what I’m doing. This is getting ridiculous.

But seriously: the second you free yourself from the expectations of perfection you will suddenly be overleveled for many of life’s challenges.

[bludragongal]

Its 2025 now. No changes to report. As you were.

[write-on-world]

Well put. (Source: Writing About Writing Facebook page)

[12b6]

as a lawyer who’s been practicing for six years now I can say with certainty that this 100% applies to lawyers

[johanna-swann]

Me: My writing is so bad. :(

Meanwhile at Disney: Somehow, Palpatine has returned.

[autumngracy]

[grumpy-composer]

What Can We Do About Spotify’s New Payment Policy?

Spotify’s recent announcement has made many small artists mad. (See this post where I’m mad about it for more information as to why or shoot me a message if you have specific questions!)

Here are the things to do in case you don’t want to read my long explanations:

1.) Reach out to your favorite small and large creators.

2.) Look into other streaming platforms.

3.) Ask Companies for Statements and Send Feedback.

4.) Contact News Organizations

5.) Reblog and Share Your Experiences Online

I’ve provided more detail on each step under the cut. Feel free to add to this list, too!

1.) Reach out to your favorite small and large creators!

Not a lot of people are talking about this, one way to fix that is to bring it up, especially to those who have platforms. Podcasters, YouTubers, and especially musical artists. Large artists on Spotify have the clout to make a difference, but getting influencers to spread the word will be helpful as Spotify desperately wants to control how this change is perceived. (They literally framed their policy as giving millions to “new and emerging artists”, though if you read the policy you’ll see that’s not the case.)

Also send your favorite small artist a kind message about their music as many are feeling invalidated by this decision.

If you’re an artist: Politely ask artists you look up to for advice or opinions, express your distress if appropriate. 

If you’re a fan: Politely express your concerns to larger artists and ask if they have an opinion. Also look for ways to help support small creators you enjoy. Not everyone can afford merch or to buy a song outright, but even a message can help keep us motivated.

2.) Look into other streaming platforms. Both artists and consumers:

It’s no secret that streaming platforms pay artists almost nothing per stream, but artists are entitled to their money no matter how little. There are plenty of other streaming sites so if you currently pay to use Spotify, now may be a good time to consider other options before the policy goes into effect in 2024. 

Obviously Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Youtube Music are all options if you’re looking to pay for a new service that’s popular and has a similar catalog/features to Spotify. However Youtube videos on an artists official channel will also help support and there are plenty of other options like Tidal or Sound Cloud. 

Try to see how these companies compare in price and artist payout to make a decision that best fits you.

Also! Streaming Options I Just Learned About:

Resonate is a site that offers a “Pay2Own” model. Essentially, you only pay when you listen, doubling the cost each time, and once you’ve listened to a song enough to have paid about $1.40 it’s yours forever and you don’t have to pay more. And most of that money goes straight to the artist as Resonate is a CoOp.

SonStream is more direct and has you paying about $0.03 per song. Straightforward. If you don’t listen, you don’t pay. Meaning you can adjust how much you spend if needed each month rather than paying a regular subscription. They just put out Android and iOS apps and it’s free to use, meaning you only pay for what/ how much you listen to. If you want to more directly support an artist, see if they’re on there.

For consumers and fans: There are a lot of options for gaining access to music while still supporting artists, go forth and discover what's right for you!

For artists: See what sites will be best for you, if your distributor doesn't distribute to a site you think is good for you, see if you can upload it yourself.

3.) Ask companies for statements and send in your feedback.

Now is an excellent time to attempt to contact Spotify, Distributors, Labels, and other involved companies for statements about this issue. The more they have to talk about it, the bigger deal it will be. Contact their competitors, ask for their statements. Ideally, they’ll be forced to release public statements and add to the spread of news.

Additionally if their shareholders get upset, Spotify will sweat even more. If you’re a shareholder or know one, please open up the conversation.

Now is also an excellent time to tell Spotify that you don’t like this choice as a consumer, then come back in a week and do it again. Keep the pressure on. You give them money to access music while supporting artists. If the artists you choose to listen to aren’t compensated, why give them your money?

Contact other services as well. If you’re a customer for another service, emphasize to them how you dislike Spotify’s decision and want to ensure they keep paying their artists.

If you are an artist: Contact your distributor or label. Tell them your concerns and ask how they are going to help you.

If you are a consumer: Figure out how to give feedback and send it. Try multiple avenues. Always be polite, but firm.

4.) Contact News Organizations

Again, Spotify really wants to control the narrative. We should not let them. Send a tip to your local newspapers or news stations. Contact major news stations. Tweet at them.

If you’re a consumer/ fan: Contact stations and politely ask if they have any intentions to cover this story. Explain how you’re disappointed that other stations aren’t covering it. If someone in your local area has covered it, offer praise (or if it was covered poorly, critique) and ask if they plan to follow up. Point to any public statements from artists or companies.

If you’re an artist: If you are comfortable, try reaching out as above and offer to interview with them (especially if it’s for a local story). It’s good for your business as you can get in front of people, and show how this is affecting artists in your community. If you’re not comfortable with that, you could also release a public statement on social media and point the news in that direction as a source.

5.) Reblog and Share Your Experiences Online

I’ve seen a lot of people say that only fake artists (AI and bots) will be affected by this. If you are a small creator and are comfortable/ safe doing so, share how this policy will affect you. It will help us be seen and help fight that argument that no "real" musicians are being hurt.

And if you’re comfortable, reblog this post or talk about these changes on your socials. Share Spotify’s Statement and point out the flaws in their argument. 

Not everyone comes to Tumblr for this sort of thing, I totally get that. Not everyone wants to be faced with cold reality on their fun app and you are not obligated to engage in cold reality on Tumblr. That’s not what many use Tumblr for, but I find it strange that something like this isn’t being talked about more on this platform. Kind of seems like something Tumblr users would care about, so let’s spread the word and talk about it.

And that’s what I have. Look, some of the things in their update are good. Trying to stop AI shenanigans and people gaming the system is a good thing. However, the 1000 streams per track policy will hurt Spotify’s smallest creators far more than those putting in minimal effort.

Thank you for your time and good luck to my fellow small musicians.

[soapdispensersalesman]

Spotify Is Changing How It Pays Artists

The company is planning changes to its royalty model for 2024 that will disqualify some tracks from payments and increase penalties for frau

Spotify don't be a terrible service challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

[grumpy-composer]

This is bad for small artists!

As most of my audience enjoy classical music, many small composers will be affected for sure.

Spotify says this will discourage bad actors from dumping content onto the platform, even though they have other ways to discourage this. Even though it will discourage many LEGITIMATE small creators from uploading to the platform.

Spotify says this will be good for small artists, even though they’re blatantly trying to avoid paying proper royalties.

Spotify is obviously lying and twisting this to make the change look good.

For example, they say a song that would become ineligible normally only makes $0.03 a month, that’s only 36 cents a year.

However, if I, a small composer or artist, slowly build a portfolio on Spotify over time the accumulation of streams across my entire output becomes pointless. 12 tracks at $0.36 per year is $4.32.

Okay man, that’s not a lot of money. What’s the big deal?

Maybe not to you, but it’s still monetary support for musicians who are clearly just starting. It is some compensation for the effort of writing, mixing, recording, and all the practice and time that goes into music as a skill.

Also I think most people would call it theft if they saw someone stealing $4 out of their wallet. Or if you went to work all day and the boss cut an extra ten cents an hour from your paycheck.

And Spotify is just one streaming service that most artists add with the revenue from other platforms, so taking a chunk of that is a sting, especially if other companies decide to do the same.

Spotify says that this money would just sit in an account inaccessible due to minimum withdrawal rules or that it will be forgotten. That artists won’t get that money.

So rather than working with distributors to find a solution to these issues. Instead of offering an easier way to receive the money artists are owed, Spotify has decided that it’s better to just take the money from artists themselves.

That way we’ll NEVER have access to it! Problem solved! How efficient Spotify you incredibly competent business!

Spotify says they won’t profit from this, so this decision can’t be bad for small artists!

In reality, mega artists will profit the most. Spotify’s smallest creators won’t profit at all (obviously, that’s what the policy does.) By cutting out small artists, millions of dollars are going to giants who don’t need the extra money. Why would Taylor Swift want to take a portion my $4?

When you pay for/use a legitimate service and listen to a small artist, you SHOULD be supporting THAT artist, not someone else. You chose to spend your time on that song in particular, and that should be reflected in how your money or add rev is distributed.

This is incredibly discouraging and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m upset. This is my job, and I feel like it’s not insane for me to want the 0.03 cents a month I’m owed. Being a small musician already means multiple income streams to make a living, so even small numbers add up.

And beyond that, it’s just wrong. Even if you don’t make a living as a musician, you still deserve to be paid for your work! If you CHOOSE to put that up for free, go ahead, but YouTube is free and I still get something from them!

Why should someone already making more money than me get what my song earns? Why should a less popular or older song suddenly stop getting royalties? Why should artists get paid for a song on its second month streaming but not the first?

They shouldn’t. That’s not how royalties are meant to work.

TL; DR: Spotify is abandoning small creators and I am upset and scared. Expect songs to be taken down over this. And please support small artists you enjoy.

[soapdispensersalesman]

Spotify Is Changing How It Pays Artists

The company is planning changes to its royalty model for 2024 that will disqualify some tracks from payments and increase penalties for frau

Spotify don't be a terrible service challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)

[grumpy-composer]

This is bad for small artists!

As most of my audience enjoy classical music, many small composers will be affected for sure.

Spotify says this will discourage bad actors from dumping content onto the platform, even though they have other ways to discourage this. Even though it will discourage many LEGITIMATE small creators from uploading to the platform.

Spotify says this will be good for small artists, even though they’re blatantly trying to avoid paying proper royalties.

Spotify is obviously lying and twisting this to make the change look good.

For example, they say a song that would become ineligible normally only makes $0.03 a month, that’s only 36 cents a year.

However, if I, a small composer or artist, slowly build a portfolio on Spotify over time the accumulation of streams across my entire output becomes pointless. 12 tracks at $0.36 per year is $4.32.

Okay man, that’s not a lot of money. What’s the big deal?

Maybe not to you, but it’s still monetary support for musicians who are clearly just starting. It is some compensation for the effort of writing, mixing, recording, and all the practice and time that goes into music as a skill.

Also I think most people would call it theft if they saw someone stealing $4 out of their wallet. Or if you went to work all day and the boss cut an extra ten cents an hour from your paycheck.

And Spotify is just one streaming service that most artists add with the revenue from other platforms, so taking a chunk of that is a sting, especially if other companies decide to do the same.

Spotify says that this money would just sit in an account inaccessible due to minimum withdrawal rules or that it will be forgotten. That artists won’t get that money.

So rather than working with distributors to find a solution to these issues. Instead of offering an easier way to receive the money artists are owed, Spotify has decided that it’s better to just take the money from artists themselves.

That way we’ll NEVER have access to it! Problem solved! How efficient Spotify you incredibly competent business!

Spotify says they won’t profit from this, so this decision can’t be bad for small artists!

In reality, mega artists will profit the most. Spotify’s smallest creators won’t profit at all (obviously, that’s what the policy does.) By cutting out small artists, millions of dollars are going to giants who don’t need the extra money. Why would Taylor Swift want to take a portion my $4?

When you pay for/use a legitimate service and listen to a small artist, you SHOULD be supporting THAT artist, not someone else. You chose to spend your time on that song in particular, and that should be reflected in how your money or add rev is distributed.

This is incredibly discouraging and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m upset. This is my job, and I feel like it’s not insane for me to want the 0.03 cents a month I’m owed. Being a small musician already means multiple income streams to make a living, so even small numbers add up.

And beyond that, it’s just wrong. Even if you don’t make a living as a musician, you still deserve to be paid for your work! If you CHOOSE to put that up for free, go ahead, but YouTube is free and I still get something from them!

Why should someone already making more money than me get what my song earns? Why should a less popular or older song suddenly stop getting royalties? Why should artists get paid for a song on its second month streaming but not the first?

They shouldn’t. That’s not how royalties are meant to work.

TL; DR: Spotify is abandoning small creators and I am upset and scared. Expect songs to be taken down over this. And please support small artists you enjoy.

[worldsendvalent1ne]