F9 Ask Me Anything - Streaming - We need to talk about this !

Streaming and it's income is one of the most contentious issues facing a modern musician. Being an emotive topic I wanted to make the most honest video I could for you all. Having been through the vinyl + CD years as well as the download into streaming transition I've witnessed the biggest change in the history of the music industry both personally and financially - And it's not what you think -
Streaming isn't the actual paradigm shift - In real terms, the biggest change is the almost-overnight shift from a 'Retail' to a 'Performance-based' model. This is going totally unnoticed and it's vital we all understand the new system we are in.
Let me be clear - Streaming is now the game and if you want in, you have to suit up and learn to play it. This video is my 1st attempt to explain the rules of this game in a manner you may not have heard before.
I am not ever going to sugarcoat this topic as that would be unprofessional ( and in my mind quite cruel ) - My job as I see it is to arm you with as much knowledge on the subject as I can, so please ask any follow-up questions in the comments
A few links that I will add over the next few weeks:
UK Government report on the local music streaming industry ( please download and read this - I've not seen a report quite like this before )
assets.publish...
Pareto distributions (ignore the algorithms, read the words and see the pictures - it will all make sense) - you must start to grasp this as it's everywhere in all areas of music
en.wikipedia.o...
More coming ! . keep the questions coming - we're loving all this
James Wiltshire - F9 Audio / Freemasons ( artists )
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You can now use TRAX instruments to make sample packs
It's with great pride we announce that effective from June 1, 2023, all F9 playable instruments and kits have been granted license for usage in the development of audio loops. These loops can be included in commercial sample packs designed for your personal use, your individual sampler store, or for third-party platforms such as Loopcloud, Splice, Arcade, NI sounds and more. There's only one restriction to bear in mind: the midi. When creating for these releases, you must compose original musical or rhythmic parts and avoid using any midi or musical motifs from this or any other F9 release.
This updated licensing term now encompasses stem creation and "track-outs," which are frequently seen in beat marketplaces. It also applies to ghost production and collaborative projects. Our goal is to provide you with even greater flexibility and creative potential in your music production endeavours.
To read more about this exciting development, follow this link: www.f9-audio.c....
#musicproduction #musicproducer #music #producer #beats #beatmaker #musician #unsignedartist #instrumental #beatmaking #dancemusic #electronicmusic #beatstars #musicislife #typebeats #musicstudio #youtube #art #recordingstudio #instamusic #bass #instrumentals #party #ableton #musicians #housemusic #songs #musicproducers #producers #studiolife #musiclife

[@noisepollutor]

Thanks a lot James! The AMA series is really excellent! Some people might be discouraged by the facts in this video, but I personally got very encouraged to learn more and to work harder at getting better at producing music! I turned 60 last week so I should be able to have a major hit before I turn 70! 😀

[@F9Audio]

Great to read this today ... yes go for it ! - Aim for the stars and settle for the tops of the trees

[@sylegg]

Excellent stuff! All these ask me anything videos are pure gold. Informative, interesting and insightful. Many thanks for doing these. Keep em coming :-)

[@F9Audio]

Thank you Sy .. will do - got so much more to come !

[@kevinstoneham1245]

I don’t want to sound like I am parroting James here, but the last comment he made about having all the tools now at your finger tips is really worth reiterating for anyone starting out now. Back when I started in the 90s. It just wasn’t like this. The only thing that was software wad the midi sequencer. Everything else was hardware and cost a lot of money. You had to have job, so you could save up to buy a synth, drum machine. The you would need a recording device like four track tape, the s mixer, the a compressor etc. Also, one synth would rarely give you all you needed. You would need two or three and a sampler and even that would still leave you with limitations. Now it is so easy by comparison to put something decent together with it all being there in the DAW and countless plugins available if you need them.

[@wackerburg]

Great thoughts, I also try to look at other areas of life a lot and see things from different perspectives. Thanks for putting these kind of videos together. It encourages me even more to not make music my job or to not persue any career in music. I LOVE music, and that's why I gladly keep it on an amateur level. "Amateur" as in its original meaning like "doing it for the love / a person that loves what (s)he does". I did work in the music industry and nearly lost that love for music. That reference to buying football shoes is GOLD! 🙂

[@F9Audio]

Excellent reply - thank you for the kind words ...I fully support any moves to keep enjoyment the principle driving force for music - Having a creative output is one of the best mental releases in an ever complex world -Just don't be afraid to dream with it though - sometimes you never know where you can end up !

[@wackerburg]

​ @F9 Audio James, I deeply enjoy watching your videos, because you're both brilliant on the "production skills"-side as well as on the more "philosophical"/"thinking-things-through"-side. I hope I could express myself properly, since English isn't my native language - cheers from Germany btw. --- Yes, I actually want to be more active here on KZbin and maybe play some live sets again, I did that in the 90ies and early 2000s. I do have some friends who really made it in the music world, in different genres. I also meet lots of successful artists during my dayjob in broadcast. And while some things/aspects seem attractive, I always say that they only come as a "whole package". I see this especially when it comes to the social side of life. So I ask myself "do I want to trade my life as a whole with anyone?" and so far the answer is "no, thanks. I'm good." That being said, what I took away for myself from THIS video of yours, James, is: I need and also WANT a goal to aim at. *But for now, let's all have a great weekend!* 😊

[@GammelfarMusik]

This is an amazing contrast to all the 'do-this-and-you-will-be-famous'-videos out there. Spot on encouraging people to keep it up and stay positive in all aapects of music productions. Thanks a bunch 🤗

[@F9Audio]

I groan if I see those videos - if there really was a top-secret method, they be nowhere near video editing software and smashing out the music themselves ... Very few things ever win over hard, dedicated work and utter perseverance .

[@primitivo4604]

Bandcamp is the way forward if you're making quality club music, DJ's will want either a physical copy or a high quality download.

[@F9Audio]

Yes I agree - much better audience building potential for club releases and the longer tracks are encouraged as opposed to penalised - Always make sure you have a streaming presence too though, if you are clever and build an audience properly you want to pick up the Shazam's and other content ID requests from an increasing number of sources - it wont pay upfront, but if you gain success at any level you simply must have that platform covered - just only upload edits - I'll cover all this in future videos - Once again though - be prepared to work at it - don't expect to be 'found' ... As I always say to producers - the idea that anyone's waiting or even wanting your next release is a self-created concept and the reality is everyone is just going about their lives - only you are fully focused on your music so you need to find ways to tell people it's out there and make sure it's good enough so the listener gets something from it

[@lmaestro]

This video is not just one of your best but one of the best on the topic. Period. Thank you James.

[@F9Audio]

Thanks you - Thats ever so kind

[@amaxlevin]

This is gold! Work-it, work-it, work-it...if you want it. Thank you, brother.

[@F9Audio]

YES !! .. Absolutely ... I've always said that the only thing that separates me from others who started at the same time and didn't make it is the amount if time working at it, and total persistence - The only thing keeping me here is even more hard work ( and a realisation 8 years back that i'd had my time as an artist and it was time to find another way to exist in this space ) ... Work hard, don't give up and look for the new angles every single day. I am not a natural artist but my work has topped charts worldwide and trust me - If I can do it , so can you guys

[@MattHossZone]

Professor Wiltshire, that was pure gold, as are your meticulously produced F9 sample packs. Much thanks.

[@TALinTune]

Fabulous conversation sir. Thank you for taking the time to articulate. Love your products- but these conversations are a whole other entity of value you have provided. Thanks again.

[@Ishai1]

There are pros and cons to everything. The pros of streaming, it's much easier to publish music. You no longer need a record company to invest in studio time, press your vinyl or CDs and distribute them (and actually have relationships with stores to make sure they put them out). Digital distribution is available to anyone who can afford $20 a year (I think that's the cheapest option I saw, with distrokid). The result is a lot more music, which makes it harder to get discovered (even with more playlists that act like radio stations used to). The problem I have with some streaming services, like spotify, is that if I only ever listen to Freemasons, my money would still mostly go to Taylor Swift. If I only listen to a completely unknown artist, they'll get nothing at all. That's the one issue that could be easily fixed. The graph would still look about the same, but if you have a small fan base you could make decent money if they actually listen to your music. Even if you work hard, Drake will still get the money people pay to listen to your music because of how they aggregate payouts. Those access fees shouldn't exist at all. When streaming was new and needed to get music from the majors on their service, they had no choice. Now, those big players should make money based on their share of plays, which should still be most of the money. The fact that they take a big cut of the pie first, and then also get most of the rest of the pie because of the aggregation method, means it's a double scam. btw, all of the servers running those streaming services have an environmental cost as well. Some of these companies are trying to do better and find clean energy solutions, but it's not like you're going from plastic in the ocean to zero pollution. I'm pretty sure the amount of CDs polluting the planet is tiny compared to empty water bottles anyway

[@F9Audio]

A Great reply - I agree with all here except the environmental impact I'm afraid - You are absolutely right that servers have a footprint and as streaming rose this was becoming an issue - however, Spotify has now moved over to google cloud and this is tapping renewables in every single area of operation. bit.ly/envgclod Apple were already operating in this manner and now it’ll just take pressure on Amazon to get to the same level. It’s obviously impossible to get to net zeros with any industry, but the actual supply is already in the right direction and we need to be very clear here - This is all emission related, the older industry has a frankly enormous physical impact PVC can only be recycled twice before It cannot return to the system and every single record company I know orders virgin vinyl pellets for production as the records stamped with recycled PVC are not as good and jump more frequently causing all sorts of return issues - Vinyl Pressing and shipping is a dirty, polluting and inefficient process as all the old stamping machines are from another era - every single piece of vinyl produced for the music industry will eventually end up in a landfill unless there is a major technology change using something like enzyme re-processing and there is nothing on the immediate horizon for this type of plastic - CDs can never be recycled, same with cassette and DVD. So to quantify this with back-of-the-envelope maths - In 2017 it was estimated that around 200 billion CDs had been produced thanks to industry data At 20 grams per cd ( on average) - That’s 4 billion KG of plastic. We can at least double that for DVDs ( which are still produced in huge numbers ) So with all optical discs, we are already at a minimum of 8 Billion KG of un-recyclable plastic products, I cannot find any complete data sets on Vinyl, but given the amount of manufacture in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s 80s and 90s running at full speed I think we can easily accept 500 Billion pieces of 12” Vinyl and about the same for 7” Let's take 65 grams as an average weight for an LP (all-new vinyl is much heavier but this is a good yardstick to use here given the mass production of low-end products alongside those at the premium weight of 120g+ in the day ) - That’s 32.5 billion KGs of PVC 7”s were all about the same but let's go lower than the normal 40g to be generous - That ends up at 20 billion Kgs of PVC Cassettes - let's be generous and say 200 Billion pieces - they are about 45 Grams - 9 Billion Kgs In total that’s Just under 70 Billion Kilograms of plastics in more than 1.6 trillion individual pieces heading for Landfill eventually due to the music industry and an absolutely extraordinary amount of Carbon emissions during the manufacturing and physical distribution / retail processes connected with these physical releases. Yes plastic bottles will dwarf this, but remember that plastic is nearly always 100% recyclable - Humans can choose to do the right thing. There is no option of scale for this in physical music production currently. I am a hardware guy and I LOVE vinyl releases but we simply cannot avoid the fact that we now have a viable music delivery format that removes nearly all the physical waste and extended carbon emissions from the industry, We simply have to as a species grab every single win we can find in the coming years and this is a real and tangible one. With consumer pressure, we can fully expect all music ( and hopefully TV ) services to move to renewable energy in the next decade bringing about the most environmentally friendly version of the industry in human history - Now if we can sort the financials out as we both mention above to make it fairer, we will be onto something here as the numbers do work if you can break out into the useful part of the distribution, Really enjoyed finding all the above out - thank you for the post!

[@alessiorossi]

IMO money is a consequence. This video is GOLD because you must know the rules of the game. Here’s the Pareto’s principle at work: focus on the things that make the greater impact, on a micro and macro level, from composition to distribution.

[@JamesFoxx]

I love everything you put out, right back to your Point Blank tutorials on KZbin… You’re a wonderful mind and a great teacher! 🙌🏻

[@TimBunch]

I kind of love the old school printed out chart! Great advice this go around, and all of them really.

[@F9Audio]

Got to have a Graphic now and then ... These things are fascinting - so much of our lives revolve around them - do google 'Pareto distribution' - it's almost a fundamental law of our universe

[@featuremusic8354]

If anyone asks me for advice in the music industry I will insist they make this video their first port of call. Amazing video James.

[@F9Audio]

Thank you - that's ever so kind - the response to this one has been exceptional - We do have a few more on these kinds of subjects to come

[@philippendletonmusic]

You are always super generous with your knowledge and this video is no exception. Thanks James!

[@mlssn]

Excellent breakdown of this subject matter and as someone who also been active during the nineties and early naughts, I agree 100%. (I too am an old man by now :) ) But after working with music for 15 years as my main income I realized that it was slowly sucking the fun out of it for me. I enjoy it way more now, when it is more of an hobby. Thanks to my earlier experience and connections I still make buck here and there to be able to pay for all they toys. But for me it is so much more enjoyable now that I don't "have to" make money from it. I can disappear into weird musical rabbit holes and just explore it as an art form. I share my creations within my circle and I find that's enough.

[@MKD371]

If you have a record label backing you, with advertising, concert tours, publicity campaigns TV interviews, streaming platforms become a formality, an opportunity for an artists to further advertise, promote and expose their work, the old model of signing with a label can be dicey, basically taking out a mortage in debt to the label, however, if done right and the label is successful in creating and expanding you and your brand, the streaming will work for you, everyone will be signposted to knowing who you are, it cannot be done alone. If you are good at generating followers, 30, 000 say, you still need a record label to take you over to that last hurdle, tv exposure to get followers into the tens of millions, there is no other way round it. There is a notion that money cannot be made due to no hardcopy CD being able to be sold in return, a good label will provide and manage vast arena tours, ticket sales generate an income of which an artist takes a percentage, included with their artist contract fee, then ideally, if promoted well, the label continues this pattern of providing tour dates to big crowds and strong advert campaigns. I know jazz artists who have sold a million albums, downloaded on Spotify and for that year they made 60 dollars, whereas, Katy Perry, a pop artist, with a team to back her, will make millions, or Taylor Swift. Management and a label will produce deals you need to be wary of, however if done right, ie the Perry's and the Swifts, in terms of business, there is a whole train on a tramline, with a whole team, rolling out a campaign. One bedroom artist with 500,000 followers, is not going to have the distribution deals secured with networks to make sure the backend deal is a healthy one for the artist, or at least a secure wage / pay packet to live on with lavish expenses whilst on tour. This is all relative, and bum deals can still screw and artist in a label, however it is these combining factors that all come into play, not just streaming, not just radio play, with no billboards anywhere or no solid tour dates and TV exposure lined up. Why do we know who Ed Sheeran is? Because early on, he soon got onto TV, which vastly helps. So many artists appear to be this lone singer in their bed room, don't be fooled, often they have a management campaign behind them and that ultimately their tracks are not just mixed in one audio production software, Logic, or Pro Tools etc, instead they are taken to a studio with a top engineer, because like everything else in the industry, where something is recorded, to some extent, such as Capitol records, does in many ways, still hold cache. Do you need a real SSL desk to sound good, I would argue, it can't hurt to use one, but no, you don't, however the package and contacts and networking and environment that comes with a top production house, is something not to be sniffed at, there is a reason why major artists still hangout in major studios. The bit most people do not get, is that, like a jigsaw puzzle, take one element out and the picture is not complete. All factors have to be in play to have a modicum of success and consistency in the business.

[@endreyartist]

Can't get enough of this series, it's fantastic. Genuine and generous. Bravo!

[@F9Audio]

Thank you:-) more to come

[@martincraig2453]

Excellent and informative. Thanks James.

[@robbiewabisabi]

Wise words, mate! Thank you for your humble insights.❤

[@djchemie]

If you have Amazon Prime, you already have Amazon Music "subscription". In fact this month, the amount of music you have access to has been expanded to pretty much anything (it used to be an extra subscription- not anymore). I listen to music on Amazon Prime more than I do on Spotify. Spotify is so much "curated" and there are these gate keepers that create playlists with the songs they think are "good" (read it as they get paid). Amazon Music and Soundcloud is better imo if you want to have more control over the music you want to listen.

[@hazybrain7]

Very cool info - Youngsters, sit up and listen ! This is Gold for young and/or hungry musicians/producers methinks. Many thanks James yet again. I spent so much money on CD's, cassettes and vinyl that streaming in comparison has saved me a fortune, and tonnes of valuable space too. The social aspect of going into town at the weekend and searching out new music, and playing it with friends etc etc was a very special time in my life, but now it's for the most part finished. Great memories and now a different era. The club music in the early 2000's was and still is some of my favourite, with Freemasons being high up an the list...Hence why I'm here.. The only constant is change eh ? Apart from your graph !!

[@matstokesmusic]

Great stuff James. Appreciate all your hard work mate…👍🏽😃

[@Robert_Babicz]

you are totally right

[@BradleyDrop]

I really need to hear that last little bit at the end. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Are you still planning on doin a second more in depth video on the subject of phase? I believe you did mention a second video. Anyways thanks again!

[@F9Audio]

Hey Bradley - yes I am - got a back log on at the moment, but it's on the book for sure

[@mrrokamusic]

Great video and I always like your honesty. Keep them coming

[@markjhorsley]

Great learning here, thanks James 😊

[@F9Audio]

Thank you Mark - its tough, but certainly possible to break though - just be aware of those numbers

[@GuyTallo]

Thank you for the insight and especially the wise words towards the end.

[@F9Audio]

A pleasure Guy .. I will try to talk about this side of things as much as possible as finally the subject of mental health is front and centre in music and work in general and that can only be good thing - If i can stop any degree of suffering by sharing my own experiences and conclusions on the sources, I'll be immensely happy

[@tennantdj]

Really good perspective on the industry :)

[@raucous_studio]

You're the best teacher in this field, man. I've learned so much from these videos

[@jdtorian]

Back then as it is now: a (e)mailing list is everything. Start with one person, and go from there.

[@kiko8u]

Best and most honest explanation/advice i’ve ever heard. Thank you James!

[@F9Audio]

I did a panel with a brilliant industry person recently - I'll see if we can interview her as she's head of digital at a major UK indie distributor and her knowledge of the framework and various income streams is exceptional

[@kiko8u]

@@F9Audio please that would be amazing!

[@markusburri9018]

Thank you. I really like they way you present your thoughts and the message you are bringing across.

[@schoovaertssimon7904]

First time in my life I type these words: great content

[@F9Audio]

It makes me very happy to read this over a coffee this morning Simon - Hopefully we can keep this level up

[@pablocasadesus]

This is gold

[@switchoffyourdevices7142]

Great analysis and summary of current situations, big thanks for the good work!👏👏👏

[@jasoncoen4428]

Thanks for doing all of these videos James, they have been great!!!

[@digivolt]

Another great summary it's pretty much like everything in life, you only get what you put in, there's no shortcuts unless you're one in a billion who luck your way to success and you need to look at the positives instead of the negatives to push yourself onwards

[@Ravix0fFourHorn]

Im not sure i agree about streaming being the way forward. What happens to the music if the streaming services goes bankrupt or another major war breaks out and the internet becomes fragmented? A lot of failure vectors with the danger for music to be lost forever. Theres also preservation of the art which is a problem the video game industry is running into these days and to a lesser extend the movie industry. For example theres already tracks im looking to find and they only exist as discogs entries or as part of a DJ mix. There has to be a better way. 🤔

[@F9Audio]

A great comment , Thank you - I have no doubt that some streaming platforms will fail, but nothing currently in market or even on the horizon solves the problems all previous incarnations faced as well as streaming and there's no way they will all collapse - I cannot overstate how close piracy came to destroying the industry and we got around that - I worked all the way through that and It was a frightening time for a lot of people . Streaming is here to stay for a good while and cannot be ignored. If another major war breaks out to the point of internet fragmentation then music will be the very least of our worries - Financial collapse of multiple economies, destruction of supply chains and extensive famine will be upon us, hence the reason we must all make sure it's seen as a fool's errand in future .. I always advise though you don't worry about what might be, just deal with what's in front of you or your mind can just head straight to Anxiety and that's never fun - If you think about it you are actually making a positive point for streaming here - There are tons of tracks I worked on in the 90s only out there now as discog entries - I lost my vinyl copies a good few years back and they are either now lost physically, in landfill or incredibly hard to find - Also the DAT masters are long unplayable or disposed of I'm sure - Anything that is released now exists on multiple servers world wide and will probably live longer than my lost tracks ..... Without doubt there will be a better system in future, but lets face it - we can't solve it now by making more pieces of plastic .... My advice - see if you can come up with a solution - whoever does will be a legend !

[@jonathanpotts5466]

Love this guy! Such fantastic advice and put across so well, thank you!

[@stelthtenau]

Excellent video

[@TonyOldskool]

Hi there James, another great vid, I had my first release out earlier this year so I’m very new to this. My track did ok, think it reached No. 13 in the breaks chart on Beatport. Should the record labels be sending artists like myself stats on how many downloads / streams our music is getting??

[@F9Audio]

Have a look at your deal paperwork - it will give you dates for royalty statements - sometimes it’s twice a year and sometimes every 12 months .. great going for your 1st release !

[@TonyOldskool]

@@F9Audio thanks for the reply James, will dig it out & have a read at the small print :)

[@hadimalik4283]

James, thank you for taking the time to make these videos and answering/discussing all these topics. I didn’t send any questions but as always, I continue to be educated with your knowledge and experiences. Also, last years Black Friday, I bought a lot of your packs/content from your store and they are my go-to sounds now. I love the templates and still find new sounds/presets everyday. Without a doubt your Grand Piano Cathedral is my stock template vst (LOVELY) I’ve been learning the craft of music production and plan on releasing my first track next year. It was only 2.5 year ago when I first hit the C3 note on a piano and here I am listening to you and understanding what you’re saying. To anyone that is reading this, go check out the F9 store - everything is 🔥🔥🔥 To James - a simple thank you and many blessings sir! 🫡 Ps: if it’s okay with you, I would love to send you the mastered version of my track and hear your feedback 🙃

[@F9Audio]

Thank you Hadi - ever so kind - yes please do send - [e-mail] - We have about 11 inboxes to deal with so please bear with us ( and nudge us if you don't hear back ) - I only listen to people's music at the studio so it can take me a minute to get back

[@alessiorossi]

Question for future AMA video: if I want to publish a cover without any samples from the original song (100% original production) what kind of clearances do I need?

[@F9Audio]

Officially you only need permission from the publisher, but often this is overlooked as nearly every publisher ( and artist ) just wants their catalogs to have more use ... There are exceptions though - you will probably be wise to get permission for the likes Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Queen etc ..

[@F9Audio]

Video on Copyrights incoming so I'll cover this in more detail then

[@alessiorossi]

@@F9Audio thanks

[@isaacanthonydj4124]

i used to own a small nightclub, we didn't play a lot of "popular" "club" music, it was mostly underground or smaller/newer acts, but all the money collected by ASCAP and BMI go to Beyonce and the top 10 club music that i can't stand and would never play in my club, but i don't get a say where the money goes. haha...

[@isaacanthonydj4124]

ASCAP act like gangsters, but all their effort is for the 1%

[@F9Audio]

I totally agree that the distribution is terribly flawed but it can only ever be distributed pro-rata - there's simply no other system that works correctly - Can I ask did you ever fill out playlist information for BMI / ASCAP of what's being played in your club ? There's now a degree of automated collection but traditionally it relied completely on track-listings coming in from either venues or DJs and I've only ever heard a few stories of data flows happening in the previous decades. This is why I feel the new indie-dist of Tik Tok and the direct link to Spotify streams provide a potential solution for the next generation .... We have a couple of similar rights companies in the UK and traditionally they were always in the pockets of the majors, but now they are far better at wider distribution ... Please note though - this curve ( Pareto ) Happens everywhere - every single attempt to seriously level it ends in tyranny of the system and that's not something we cannot afford .

[@martinholmberg1920]

Great video, thanks!

[@F9Audio]

Thank you Martin - More coming on this subject - practical ideas to little hacks

[@MrTesla808]

It’s not so hard to write your first hit record… But then you need to stay on the top and write your second hit record… I was there and it is hard and stressful as hell.

[@stevencorley3296]

17:07. lol. I will have to sample that.

[@cpfrancis26]

Fantastic video again James 👏

[@scottfrost317]

The problem I have with streaming services, and I have been a 30 year old dj is that you don’t OWN anything. I’ve built my career curating my record collection and now it’s worthless. A 20 year old can pay 20$ a month and then go undercut me because they have access to the same back catalogue ( aside from some bootlegs etc). I’m not against digital, but it’s made my collection worthless.

[@F9Audio]

Scott - If you've kept your record collection in good condition you need to start googling prices of some of your favourite pieces. You'll will probably find that far from being worthless you are sat on an ever-increasing value store. Vinyl prices of classic music continue to rise and I have 2 friends who make a full career buying and selling vinyl locally... As the original pressings get older and older, more and more end up scratched, water damaged or lost. This makes good examples rarer and rarer - increasing the value slowly each year. In regards to streaming - I was plugged right into the major industry when it started and can say with absolute clarity that without it, there would be no modern industry - everything was going to fall apart if something like this didn't solve the piracy problem as i cannot tell you how badly behaved the public are with copyright when they can get away with it .... I used to constantly berate famous DJs complaining about their Beatport sales whilst simultaneously watching pirate DVDs they just bought on tour ... The rental model solved all of this relatively overnight and now the income levels are returning to 90s levels and will in 5 years exceed even the highest highs - The only issue is these systems always end up as a Pareto distribution as I show here so with millions more making and releasing - it's becomes harder and harder to break into the section when you make money,.. Rest assured your collection is a very very long way from worthless and will only appreciate if you continue to look after it - some of this is actually streaming - now the public have access to absolutely everything, youngsters are listening to more music from more decades then ever before creating a real interest from past music ( probably due to it's relative complexity and richness compared to today's mainly diatonic offerings ) Thanks for your comment - my advice is always to embrace change the same way you did when you started collecting - there's always something to cherry pick and enjoy

[@skrabio]

I have to imagine the Amazon music is playing from Echo devices.

[@F9Audio]

Yes it's such a quite revolution ...

[@malkytrance]

Brilliant stuff.

[@SamHocking]

Be aware, the platform you are watching -'KZbin' is by far the biggest streamer of music with literally billions of users, both registered, non-registered and subscribed. It is in fact streaming more music than all the 'mainstream' services like Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music etc combined, it's just never included in the streaming figures, because streaming figures are biased towards where money is being paid for music ie subscriptions to Apple Music, Tidal, Spotify etc.

[@F9Audio]

Sam - I will cover this is later videos but basically my view is - Don't put your new music on the normal version of KZbin .. It's that simple - the payout is so minuscule it's painful. avoid it at all costs.

[@SamHocking]

@@F9Audio Very true. Although I'd love to know how much some of the big acts actually receive. Someone like Adele is seeing 2 billion views yet people make a good living off videos only 200 thousand per video.

[@practice4089]

So, nothing has really changed, only great music rises to the top. As it should be...

[@F9Audio]

Actually results wise - a lot has changed - The performance model means you are seeing viral releases peak and the biggest artists can swamp the charts with new album releases - This is due to the ‘winner takes all’ model employed … what we are witnessing is what the public actually listen to, not what they purchase and there is often much disparity between those two concepts …. It’s now easier than ever to create an average track and also the release mechanisms have no built in filter ( not everyone creating music would stump up the 1000’s of £/€/$ needed to actually release music nationally ) … this has created a crisis of proliferation - BUT - it’s still just as hard ( if not more so given the worlds obsession with 4/4 minor key music ) to make an amazing track as it always was - anyone hoping to break through must either strive for this or be prepared to market the life out of average records for them to peak … It’s exactly the same business but more extreme than ever

[@practice4089]

@@F9Audio Yeah, I'm waiting for Taylor Swift's latest to grow on me ;). My latest is in D major and it's about the goodness of life, thank you.

[@cd78]

Is it not the case that artists get paid a pittance from streaming compared to the old days of vinyl and CD.

[@F9Audio]

As of the last few years, the artists currently successful in national charts and modern contracts are now earning more than they did with physical releases as the old ( and often criminally abused system ) majors employed to recharge parts of the physical manufacturing and distribution process - However ( and as I'm explaining here with the Pareto curves ) - As the number of artists releasing music has exploded ( we're talking more than 10X the number of active artists in play when I started releasing as Freemasons, more and more have to exist on the bad side of this distribution .. For Indie artists, you can certainly earn from small runs of physical products way more than your might with limited streaming numbers but whats totally forgotten is the upfront risk of manufacture costs, the enormous delays created by lack of manufacturing capacity and the one-off nature of physical releases - If you get streaming up properly and concentrate on a long-term strategy it will pay out for decades .... Put it this way - I have earnt more from the Freemasons Catalog in the last 5 years of streaming than we did at the highest-paid years of physical and iTunes releases and there is absolutely no sign of it stopping and our numbers are terribly modest ( but we were on great deals )

[@cd78]

@@F9Audio thank you

[@dylanhughes4548]

I strongly object to the maths in this video - the way Everton are playing there is no way they will get 60000 watching them.

[@F9Audio]

Ha ha haa ... Brilliant - I'm from near Southampton so could'nt possibly comment

[@wirek89]

I just wanted to make music 😭😭😭

[@F9Audio]

The do so - just enjoy yourself in the art of creation - You don't even have to release it

[@wirek89]

@@F9Audio I think it's the right approach in the end game. Anything happens as a result of making music should be treated as a bonus. Although it would be nice to have a full time job in audio or make money out of it.

[@issiewizzie]

ouch a rat race ... the truth

[@Mclennnan]

Thankyou.