How This Singer Sells MORE Music WITHOUT SPOTIFY

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[@blu_rain]

Mary's a great creator. With this video, she's vocalized a possible solution to an issue independent artists face. It also leads me to believe that it takes a mighty effort to make enough money to sustain yourself solely off your music without being in the content creator space (you need that fan base to purchase your CDs).

[@RealHomeRecording]

She and Curtiss left out one thing: piracy. Curtiss pirated her video and people would MAYBE pirate her music...leaving her with $0.00 in streams.

[@Alexanderthetitan]

I’m convinced music will go back to physicals heavily.

[@holamix]

Highly doubt it, I do not see people going from having everything in one place (there phone , on one app) to having to carry around things like big ass binders of CDs again and have it take up a full seat in the car haha , only people that are really gonna support a physical copy are die hard fans of artists or group or people that really love music

[@thahyst]

Physicals how? Bring back CD's or Tapes? Idk man. Nice thought, but I highly doubt it.

[@misswill8488]

He probably means digital downloads stored in a cloud. The streaming business is not making nobody money (not the music nor movie industry, which is why they’re on strike now), and the fans don’t own anything. So, they can lose access as well. Digital downloads (MP3’s and MOV’s) used to make money. If people were able to download to a cloud, where they do not have to take up memory on their phone, by saving it on their phone, I’m pretty sure it would go back to that. The reason being is because the current model of having unlimited access to all free music is unsustainable. So, it will cause the creators to go out of business and new material to stop. You see how music has already gone down from 3-4 mins to now 2mins per song. It’s already on the decline.

[@thahyst]

@misswill8488 yeah that's been happening. About 2 - 3 years ago artists have been starting to make 1:30 songs... and that is short. That also has to do with the average attention span dropping from 8 seconds to like 3 or something. Tbh I literally just read what MOV files are... cannot believe I didn't know that, lol.

[@holamix]

@@misswill8488 I doubt shit will ever go back to that, even creators still use these services knowing they're f'n people, problem to me with music, especially shit like rap or any electronic music, it's in reality to easy to make, there's no fans anymore, everyone is an artist and there's to much shit being released which to me is why songs and projects are shorter, there's no sense in working on an album and putting all the work when in a week it's gonna be forgotten, you might as well drop 20-30 min projects every couple of months to stay in the cycle and relevant, I was just showing this shit to my boy every underground release is 20-25 mins and the same artist are constantly dropping these projects , also another thing is the delusional of a lot of artist, the reality is a lot of us just aren't that good to have people wanting to listen to the shit we make

[@magnetikphrequence]

I’m ready to leave Spotify yesterday! It’s about time we take our leverage back, I’m about to go independent fully by taking all of my songs off streaming platforms.

[@misswill8488]

Why have people forgotten about digital downloads??? MP3’s used to sell. You can store them in a cloud or save them on the phone. Even those made more money than streams.

[@cryptonairepallo]

Love these ideas, it’s time to standup and stand out. That 4 million streams a year equaling to minimum wage was the straw that broke the camel back. I believe artist need to strike these platforms by following suit with what ol girl doing. We should go on strike like these writers and actors, we truly hold the power. They need our music, we don’t need there platform. There’s plenty ways to skin a cat! #RememberThat

[@pablo.station]

I worked at wherehouse music. There was nothing like a hot album release on a Friday night. There were literal lines to the middle of the store to buy a cd.

[@RealHomeRecording]

The days before Napster?

[@PayDaProducer]

She snapped putting the High Resolution Dowload with her Physical Copies. That way her fans can truly support, genius.🛠🛠🛠🛠

[@CurtissKingTV]

🙏🏽🛠️ DIYer fr fr

[@oljones31]

The streaming game, is the reason why independent artists have to do shows to make money. We can’t afford paying $1000s off dollars to make music we will never get back… people use to buy albums just for the artwork… we all should not have to make T -Shirts and spend money creating merchandise, or making KZbin videos, but it is what it is. Great Video

[@7thNoteOfficial]

Exactly

[@lyrionjaheem7675]

Independent artists have to do shows anyway, with or without streaming. Pursuing a music career comes with a heavy financial investment. Not having the dough is irrelevant. Artists have to figure it out and get creative.

[@oljones31]

@@lyrionjaheem7675 you don’t need to invest $1000s in gear to have a music career. If you are a musician, that is a little different, but even then, you don’t have to go broke for the sake of making music.

[@lyrionjaheem7675]

@@oljones31 Understood. But I’m not talking about investing in gear. I’m talking about investing into your career (ex. mixing/mastering, website, studio time, marketing, live performances, etc.) The game has never been, nor is it designed to be cheap or free. In the music business, like any other industry, you get what you pay for.

[@oljones31]

@@lyrionjaheem7675 I agree with you

[@PetrolMediaInc]

I love this. I’ve stopped posting music on Spotify after seeing 400,000 plays didn’t even crack $3

[@nobodyspecialmusic]

Idk how that happened. A million pays about $4000 lol

[@PetrolMediaInc]

@@nobodyspecialmusic depends on the splits and circumstances. I coproduced “there it go (the whistle song) and the Spotify pay out for that track has been crap for years.

[@nobodyspecialmusic]

@@PetrolMediaInc didn't think about splits. That makes sense

[@honeycombz34]

Aw hell nah 😬

[@PetrolMediaInc]

@@nobodyspecialmusic it wasn’t that simple back then. You have to remember this was way before streaming and the shady deals production companies did to new producers. We didn’t know and we learned the hard way. Since that placement we learned how splits worked and never let it happen again. But at the same time learning how little steaming pays has been ridiculous. Even with the bad deal on that song I got paid. It’s easy to say today “oh they should have could have would have”, but back then if you wanted in at Defjam things had to happen a certain way. There were writers credited that did nothing. Just owners of things. It’s not like that anymore because it can’t be.

[@rahshareefjr4086]

Tower Records 🙌. Man we see the writer’s/actors strike , these big companies just want content after content and cut out the actual artist who created the content. It’s tough to keep up with a million shows/ a million albums , this society just consumes too much . We need a producer union 👀

[@osmanhalifa7348]

I think USB sticks would be a great option to look into to release albums. Package it like traditional CDs

[@jayceoncollins9537]

I was thinking the same usb sticks would be more beneficial since cars nowadays removed CD players 😂

[@user-ew6el2xt7r]

@@jayceoncollins9537question is will everyone use it ?

[@misswill8488]

That’s good, but I think digital downloads into an online cloud space would be more effective. Then they’d just pay per download.

[@MakeLifeExtraordinary]

Absolutely. The fact is, record companies have been ripping off artists since the beginning of music recording. It was better back when there was physical copies being sold, as at least the Artist would receive that dollar per copy. Which adds up over time. Even though it was nowhere near fair to the artist how much the record companies took. Though I think a lot of the issues happen at the time the artist signed their contract. Some artists read up and understood how the music industry works, which means they didn’t take the signing bonus(loan) and instead upped their percentage on the backend of sales and everything they did. Most people do not know that the only way that Artists generally make all of their money is from touring. which is why a lot of Artists now are upping their ticket prices… Because of the contracts they signed, they see very little to no money on the backend of Music sales. Record companies now are also taking large percentages from everything the artist does outside of music. That means if they do a movie or a TV show or anything where they make money… the record company gets a cut. So the fact that the artists are finally wising up and doing what they can to cut the record companies out of the loop… by doing the promotion and recording themselves, is awesome. Because record companies have raped and pillaged artists long enough. and now I think they are truly scared because people can pretty much do their own leg work, and the only thing they really need to do is hire a booking agent to get them gigs to promote their music. Even that can be taken care of, by simply doing live shows online. So bless every artist who has decided that their career is better off in their own hands, and the record companies can do without them. Because it’s about time they get a wake up call and understand that the Artist is 50% of the collaboration. Without them, there’s no music… therefore, no concerts, therefore no videos, and the money printing machine ceases to exist.

[@randyswagg9295]

This is very true. The music industry is vastly changing.

[@OnlyZips]

Yeah this is eye opening streaming has become such a microwave approach to consuming music we need to try new approaches to give our listeners a better way to digest the music to stick to the ribs and ultimately become more invested in the musical experience we are sharing/taking our time to create.

[@CurtissKingTV]

🎯🎯🎯

[@TayonMarquis]

I quit distrokid and i haven't received a damn dimes. Im going back selling cd

[@tobypalmore9]

They better Realize they going up on KZbin prices 18.99

[@beatvillainz]

We don’t pay for the service (Spotify) - we pay to kill advertising.

[@ashley5130]

I have never owned a streaming account for any music I honestly do not know how Spotify works or how Apple Music works etc I'm 33yrs old and legit clueless about this stuff I consume music differently

[@michaelandremovies]

3:03 KZbin for me is the closest to this because the imagery that the artist has associated with the track.

[@janwilkendorf]

Very, very good reminder this video! Thank you 🙏

[@JDvirt]

This is dope, you put it in simple terms that most people can understand.

[@artuvwar]

Lowkey.....streams = "you will own nothing and be happy"

[@TGDeuce]

😂 nah fr

[@misswill8488]

Facts!

[@kingavocado74]

The solution is simple. Cater to everyone. Streams and physical are the answer. Nipsey gave us the blueprint already. Larussel is literally killing the game with providing both. How is this still a conversation? Streams pay shit, we know that. But SOMETHING is better than nothing. Create a demand for physical copies and set the price to WHATEVER you want AND provide the stream. Why cut off one revenue? Just keep it all accessible. Why leave ANY money on the table? Another thing to think about is, (pay-per-view) in web development. Someone obviously has the “code” to set the price per stream. Figure it out, build your own platform and set the price per stream. Sounds like a long shot but why isn’t THAT being discussed? Who tf set the price per stream? Shyt is wild.

[@myrona.gilmorejr.]

What does the royalties from BMI and ASCAP look like for Streaming

[@Trinison7]

And I have caught people who still don't understand what this means. In other words the way Spotify pays sometimes you will not receive any income for your streams in a particular pay cycle. After the take their portion, and pray out to Artists that have millions of streams. There was a time when I had about thirty-thousand streams on Spotify and they paid me $0.00 In a Spotify forum I spoke about this and they tried to say it was because my playlist will fake. I was on playlist and also did promotional ads with Facebook. I vetted the playlist and still was subjected to this. This is the beginning of what streaming services are doing. Making it entirely possible for smaller artists on the platform to sometimes have no revenue on streams for particular pay period. The only company is Google who owns KZbin that says they will not change anything. Assuming this means they're going to still pay per stream.

[@ssunomego]

it’s a great time to be alive for a DIY’er grind can take some time and dedication BUT there’s a MAJOR shift among us and it’s beautiful

[@efdartworld]

Nice wake up bro, thank you 💪🏾👊🏾👑

[@Bdubb_00]

Wassup Curtis, thanks for dropping more gems and knowledge for up and coming independent artists 👏🏾🔥💯

[@PushKahlon]

I don’t get why iTunes just didn’t stay as a store n u streamed what u bought…

[@misswill8488]

This!

[@KIDBLAQ]

Thank you sincerely for what you do (you have no idea what you're doing in our lives)

[@baldman5k]

Absolutely L❤VE this. I mean, we’ve all seen the KZbin videos that show how trash the platform’s payout really is, and so at first, I was thinking, “oh great. Another one ☝️”, in my best DJ Khaled voice. But then I heard the accent, and was like 😏 “Woah… How YOU doin…” but then I stopped being a degenerate, started being an actual human being, shut the hell up, and listened to her intelligent, fresh take on how to counter the stream:physical sales gap. The genius simplicity in this has caused me to seriously rethink my release strategies moving forward, especially in the area of promoting new releases. Cuz which fan in their right mind wouldn’t want to IMMEDIATELY give the artist that they’re supporting 8,000+ streams in one swoop??! Hell yeah! Let’s go!! 🔥

[@ewiss7013]

I quite agree with you but don't you think that asking the public to act is like dodging the problem? It's true that for an artist, physical albums help a lot but it's not a long term solution. I understand 100% that an artist don't want to worry too much about marketing but I have the impression that asking the public to do more is like going to a restaurant and they ask you to tip a lot otherwise the business will die, maybe I lack compassion but I have the impression that some artists rely so much on uncertain income that they forget to look for a better solution. I'm not saying that's her case, but it's just an impression. Very good video man.

[@CurtissKingTV]

I hear you and think we all as creatives need to take accountability for our business. However I also understand that so much of our value and connection to our audiences is built on emotion and not convenience. When we attract true fans they are invested deeper than just our product, they are invested in us as human beings. They want to see us win and be transparent. I think part of that transparency is letting them know when things are rough and they need more intentional support behind a specific cause.

[@ewiss7013]

yeah you are right, I think maybe too much about the future of the industry and not enough about the artist. Being transparent and expecting public support, in my opinion, is not going to move the industry forward, but if the artists don't eat, there's just no industry. you win, you made me switch sides lmao.

[@TGDeuce]

@@ewiss7013 but u don’t have to switch sides. Both of you are correct in your perspectives……. Ewiss u are correct in the sense of Business (which is important, can’t be ignored) and moving forward and the expectations that need to be in place…. Curtis is on Point from the Creator perspective, the Connection is Pure enough to be Transparent to where sometimes the fan base has to step up as well, to get what they want from their artist..

[@TGDeuce]

Love reading real comments and threads. 💯

[@misswill8488]

I disagree when an artist can’t even make any money off of the actual music anymore. They literally have to sell something ELSE to be profitable. That’s like telling an author, so what you don’t make any money off of the book you wrote and are selling, hey, at least you make money off of being a coach or guest speaker on shows. When does someone ever create something, sell it, and be told they will not receive money from it. Spotify currently pays 1/4th of a penny per streams and that amount is split between the songwriters. That’s no money. And because of streams, now that takes away digital sales, which used to bring in money from the artist. So, I think your whole restaurant/tip analogy is way off. An artist should most definitely be entitled to the sales or money made off of their creation. You wouldn’t create something to sell and then say that you’re acting entitled to expect earnings from that. You wouldn’t work a job for pay and be okay with not getting paid for your work. That is a more proper analogy.

[@Prod.ijay2135]

I get the concept of physical copies of music. however, how many people still own CD Players? these new vehicles don't even have those built in any more. Now selling exclusive designed usb flash drive keychain albums/eps would be more profitable plus fans would consider it a collectible Item and possibly a fashion statement depending on the design.

[@simpswagx]

behind this 10000% , as an artist

[@steps2uccess]

Wow thanks for bringing this to the culture! 💛

[@RayLone]

"In the name of business, make this make sense"...The middle man always wins.

[@MujjOMusic]

This is on point curtiss this is on point DIY is the way !!!!!!!!

[@jazsebastian]

Great video man! :)

[@musicman195959]

My entire music collection consist of music CDs which I listen to regularly.

[@Th3Melan8dGawd_]

This is a great video. I'm definitely selling hard copies and merch of my next music project.

[@donadonis7779]

I felt this one in my soul.

[@johncollins3046]

Great vid 🔥

[@jackgolden5006]

So true, doing the same with my next work.

[@MarcPlaysDrums]

Yes!!! Mary is dope!!!

[@KingzdomWRLD]

Dope info! Never really favored the streaming format on tech expansion in sound spaces.

[@angeluvsvid]

I miss going to those cd stores

[@CurtissKingTV]

Me too!

[@TheArtistTv]

LOOOOOOOVE THIS 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎

[@demodeiowa]

This needs to be normalized! Also, when are we gonna see independently owned streaming services that figure out to be fair with artists and their royalties

[@princeamu]

You can sell digital copies too no?!? Spotify has that option as merch. Question is does every artist have access to sell that?!?

[@CurtissKingTV]

Personally, I’m hella cool on letting them get the exclusive on any of my music related products outside of streaming. They already monopolize that

[@FonkedUpProductions]

These kids do NOT remember going to buy a CD Curtiss 😂

[@CurtissKingTV]

Lol I know! I was talking to you fellow boomer! 🤣

[@FonkedUpProductions]

@@CurtissKingTV my favorite part was the lyrics in the booklet or for rock CDs the mini bio on all the members lol

[@CurtissKingTV]

@@FonkedUpProductions same! In a weird way I even miss that chemical print smell from the booklet

[@djmckaytv]

A few questions. 1. Who even owns a CD player to play a CD? I don’t think the younger generation will hear your music because they don’t have CD players for sure. Will people buy cds and flash drives of your music when they are so conditioned just to use Spotify and stream for free?

[@T1C3]

I would like to see streaming platforms fork over that dollar per stream😉 We pay to get it on there anyway. 😅

[@SwizzTha450GOAT-kg3eh]

Told you artist getting pimped🤷🏿‍♂️. Some folks talking bout CDs high to make 🤔, no it's not, specially if you pressing and printing yourself. It's an investment that's not bank breaking🤷🏿‍♂️

[@thahyst]

Man, I miss CD's.

[@angermanagementstudios]

I have a listen on Apple Music. If I like it, I buy it on vinyl and cd. Simple.

[@juswolf22]

I don’t think it’ll ever be perfect. We’ve heard the countless stories of artist be screwed over by these labels, well now we have the opportunity to connect directly to our fans and build something without the labels. The old model of physical is dead all across the board that’s not coming back, we’re creators let’s get creative here.

[@miahdona8161]

I already know I'm not getting famous or rich off this shit, I just enjoy the art form

[@kasamajef]

Honestly the $9.99 to $0.99 broke my heart 💔

[@centralmusicplaza]

MORE ...

[@downnorthmusic]

there is another way

[@SwizzTha450GOAT-kg3eh]

And software has made it to simple for whoever to make music and all music don't sound good. It's artist all on KZbin and I be like who tf is this, everyone doing beats, music is flooded nowadays. Everyone sound like everyone, in the 90's every coast (west,east, mid west, South etc) had they own sound for that coast. Now everyone wanna sound like everyone else🤷🏿‍♂️

[@myrona.gilmorejr.]

Her last name makes me think of rumpelstiltskin

[@dgwvjhth]

Well I don’t know much, but I’m sure about one thing, she needs to get a de-esser.

[@Yadeehoo]

Couldn't it be that her music just doesn't get enough listens for whatever reason ? Those in the millions plays seems to make good income. Good for her tho her TY channel is going strong

[@soundsbysoop]

hi curtiss

[@LottoHaze]

So crazy that this video drops king, I’ve been developing something that addresses and may solve this problem. I’d love to talk to you more about it, I’ve already gotten samples made 👌🏽🔥🔥💿 let’s set up a meeting (I’ll pay, bc I believe you’re just the right person to bring this to)

[@oubimcius4032]

Physical will always be king especially now. Taylor swift did 400k physical.

[@bulagazibaggy1511]

Thee unfortunate truth about all this, is that once you set your attention on such politic, you lose on the core reason you wanted to an artist. Speaking from an artist point, cause these type topics will somehow end clouding up your creativity. Well you lucky if you have someone handling all that. But that can also affect the when nd how you release. End up back to being like the major. If it doesn't generate then I am done with making music. If people like Jay Z and Drake have sum up so much with the old, let us find ways to benefit with the new. If the issue is money. But if it is music, keep releasing this is a better time. cot effective. But in her case I understand

[@trilllife28]

so Curtiss King would this not be scamming then ???? with streaming and how can us as the people get this fixed

[@CurtissKingTV]

I’m not sure I follow. What part are you referring to when it comes to scamming? If you mean fixing streaming, that’s a long term battle. What we can do is create physical & digital products that our listeners value. At the right price points this can make up for the income that streaming can’t.

[@trilllife28]

@@CurtissKingTV Thank you and that is what i was trying to say

[@ashley5130]

f Spotify 🔥

[@anteupbeats]

Spotify black cat seo

[@ashleyispresent]

i think it’s so damn annoying when artists dont put their music on spotify. its just impractical, and my lazy ass is definitely not going over to some other window to put on some artist, let alone put in a cd? Hah. Im an artist myself and i have totally accepted that im not going to make money off of selling music. Id rather give an easy listening experience to my listeners rather than expecting them to climb over mountains and shit just to listen to my music because im special…. Lol.. eventually when u r popular enough the real fans will buy hardcopies or merch anyways

[@Inthefieldtv]

So they killed nip cuz he was finna bring back physicals‼️ they want our money

[@MgmDinero]

EA Ski said it first