Ghosting Spotify: A How-To Guide
The Joyful Sabotage Guide to Supporting Real Music and Reigniting Pleasure in the Age of Tech Oligarchy
Spotify, much like social media, has become one of those corporate structures so deeply embedded in our daily lives that it’s hard to imagine a world without it. It’s the soundtrack to your morning commute, the background noise to your workday, and the curated vibe for your weekend hangouts.
But here’s the thing: just like social media, Spotify isn’t as inevitable as it seems. In fact, its entire existence hinges on a fragile ecosystem of artists, listeners, and major record labels—and it’s far more vulnerable than it looks.
Think about it: social media feels impossible to escape because even if you leave, you’re still surrounded by people who spend hours a day scrolling, posting, and living in that toxic bubble. Leaving makes you an outsider—to friends, coworkers, family, and even culture itself.
Spotify operates in a similar way. It’s everywhere, and opting out can feel like cutting yourself off from the music world entirely. Of course that isn’t true, they are but a mere blip on the timeline of musicology. But here’s the real truth: these corporate giants aren’t as invincible as they appear.
Their power relies on a delicate balance of user behavior, artist participation, and big-label contracts. If enough independent artists walked away, or if users ghosted the app en masse, the whole system could teeter and crumble faster than anyone expects1.
Why? Because Spotify’s entire business model depends on securing deals with the big-name record labels—Sony, Universal, Warner, and the like. If those labels see the writing on the wall—if they sense that Spotify is losing its grip on users and artists—they could easily refuse to renew their contracts.
And just like that, poof. The whole thing collapses.
2024 was the first year Spotify turned a profit, I think it would be particularly hilarious and poignant if 2025 becomes the year that the house of cards begins to tumble, when users and artists are collectively like: hold up. That’s enough. This isn’t fun.
The Purpose of This Guide
It’s not just about the music. It’s about recognizing that these corporate structures aren’t inevitable. They’re not unstoppable. And with just the right shift in behavior—whether it’s artists walking away or listeners hitting pause—we can tip the scales.
Spotify isn’t some all-powerful overlord—it’s just another corporate tech machine, and guess what? We get to decide if we like the world it’s building. A system that turns art into pocket change while CEOs swim in gold-plated Scrooge McDuck pools? Nah.
But here’s the fun part: We don’t have to accept it. Culture isn’t fixed—it’s a playground, and we’re the ones who get to redraw the rules. Should artists leave? Should users leave? Should we all leave? What would replace it?2
This guide isn’t a guilt trip, ‘cause ew, gross. Who wants that? It’s a mischief manual—a little nudge to ask: How can we make the music industry more alive?
Maybe you ditch Spotify for Bandcamp Fridays. Maybe you blast your favorite indie artist’s track from your bike speaker like a rogue DJ. Maybe you Venmo your favorite new indie artist $3 with a note that says “This slaps, here’s a coffee.” Small acts stack up.
Harm reduction isn’t about purity; it’s about joyful resistance. This guide will walk you through:
Top Reasons You Might Consider Leaving or Downgrading Your Spotify Account
Which Listener Are You? (The Trade-Offs You Might Not Realize)
How to Do A (Free) Super Fun Audio Test!
But What About My Playlists???
But Wait, Are Other Platforms Really Any Better?
How to Run a Digital Library ( Cuz I Friggin’ Forget)
Bring It On Home: Investing in Analog Music
Sprinkle Me, Man: Listening Parties and Other Ways To Get Offline
Learn How To Listen Again (It’s Psychedelic)
Be The Gift Economy
So take what sparks you, leave the rest. The goal? More thriving artists, more weirdo brilliance, more systems that feel human. Ok, let’s get into it!
Top Reasons You Might Consider Leaving or Downgrading Your Spotify Account
1. Artists Earn Pennies While Spotify Cashes In
The music industry isn’t just broken—it’s been deliberately engineered to exploit. Streaming platforms, particularly Spotify, have transformed music from a valued art form into a bulk commodity, where artists’ labor is systematically devalued.
The numbers tell the story: artists earn a paltry 0.003 to 0.005 per stream, meaning it takes a million streams just to scrape together $3,000—barely enough for a month’s rent in most cities.
But now, Spotify has added insult to injury by implementing a policy where tracks with fewer than 1,000 annual streams earn nothing at all. For independent artists pouring their hearts into their craft, this means their work can literally generate zero income, reinforcing a system where only the already-popular can survive.3
This royalty structure isn’t just unfair—it’s predatory by design, sending a clear message to musicians: Your art has no inherent value unless it’s already winning the algorithm’s lottery.
Meanwhile, the industry perpetuates the myth of "exposure," as if visibility alone should be compensation. The reality is grim: most artists never recoup label advances, playlists overwhelmingly favor major-label acts, and even viral indie success rarely translates to sustainable income. The system isn’t just failing artists—it’s actively rigged to keep them small, indebted, and replaceable.
At its core, this is about more than money—it’s about the degradation of music itself. Platforms like Spotify don’t treat songs as cultural contributions; they treat them as disposable content, a means to keep users scrolling while shareholders profit off of data.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek even had the nerve to say that artists should be happy because “the cost of creating content being close to zero, people can share an incredible amount of content.” Close to zero? Last I checked, recording an album could cost upwards of $20k just to have it recorded and mixed. Not including mastering, distribution, and marketing. Sure, THEN artists can make a bunch of “FREE” TikTok content. Yes. Then we begin to agree with you, billionaire Daniel.
The more music floods the system, the cheaper it becomes, until the very idea of art as a livelihood feels like a relic of the past. For independent artists, the message is crushing: What you create is worth less than a fraction of a penny. If this doesn’t change, we risk losing not just careers, but entire generations of music that never had the chance to be heard.
2. Payola 2.0 Stacks the Deck Against Indie Artists
Spotify has quietly embraced pay-for-play structures that disproportionately impact smaller, independent artists who are already self-funding their own albums (recording, mixing, mastering, distributing, marketing). Here’s how:
Discovery Mode: Artists can opt into a lower royalty rate in exchange for better playlist placement. While it’s marketed as a way for smaller artists to get noticed, it feels a lot like payola—artists paying to be heard.
Sponsored Songs: Spotify has experimented with letting labels pay for playlist placement, effectively creating a two-tiered system where money talks and talent takes a backseat.
Algorithmic Bias: Spotify’s algorithms favor tracks that fit neatly into playlists, often sidelining innovative or niche music. This creates a feedback loop where smaller artists struggle to break through unless they play by Spotify’s rules.
For independent artists, these practices make it even harder to compete in an already uneven playing field. It’s a system that rewards those who can afford to pay—not those who create the best music.
3. The Streamshare Model Is A Rigged Game for Big Names (And Dead Ones)
Spotify’s royalty system, known as the streamshare model, is designed to reward the already-rich and famous.
Spotify pools all the revenue from subscriptions and ads, then distributes it based on an artist’s share of total streams. Sounds fair, right? Not quite.
The problem is that big-name artists—think Taylor Swift, Drake, or Beyoncé—already dominate the streaming charts. Their massive fan bases mean they rake in a disproportionate share of the royalty pool, leaving crumbs for everyone else.
For smaller, independent artists, this means they’re competing against global superstars for the same pot of money. Even if an indie artist manages to get a million streams, their earnings are a drop in the bucket compared to what the big players take home.
In short, the streamshare model is a winner-takes-most system. It rewards the artists who are already winning, while making it nearly impossible for smaller creators to break through. It’s like showing up to a poker game where the house always wins—and you’re not even allowed to sit at the table.
Right now, the music industry is running on nostalgia fumes4. 70% of all streams are songs are old catalog and not new —not because they’re all timeless masterpieces, but because corporations see them as safe, predictable profit. Why gamble on the future when you can monetize the past?
Spotify pushes "Greatest Hits" playlists. Legacy labels prioritize reissues over new signings. The Grammys gave Best Rock Performance to a literal dead artist. And let’s be real—not every old song is a When Dove Cry-level triumph. Some of it’s just slop, propped up by nostalgia and algorithms banking on familiarity over artistry.
4. Ok, Ok… Enough About Indie Artists… What About ME, bro? Well Bud…. Your Playlists Are Filled with Generic Stock Filler And They Think You’re Too Dumb To Notice
Ever get the vibe that the vibe is… off? That’s because Spotify is filling them with “ghost artists”—fake musicians producing cheap, generic tracks — stock music that they can stuff into playlists as a way to prevent paying higher royalties.5 These songs, often created by stock music companies like Epidemic Sound, are prioritized over real artists who would get paid more if their music were featured.
Spotify’s Perfect Fit Content (PFC) program actively promotes these low-cost tracks to improve profit margins. The result? Your playlists start to feel like beige background wallpaper rather than a curated musical experience.
Artists are getting shoved out while the structures for compensating artists and performances are being quietly dismantled in backroom deals. It all feels like they are teeing us up for the bright future of AI generated music in which real human musicians are completely obsolete. Who needs people with souls when you have data?
And even when they are not pumping your earholes with actual stock music, they are influencing a Spotify vibe, a curated palette that is a bizarro world version of musical reality, tampered down to be a little more digestible.
Journalist Jeremy D. Larson explains in an article, The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming6, how the more GenX recognizable and popular in the 90s track “Cut Your Hair” from Pavement has half as many streams as an obscure B-side track, “Harness Your Hopes”.
“Whereas many Pavement songs are oblique, rangy, and noisy, “Harness Your Hopes” is among the most pleasant and inoffensive songs in the band’s catalog. It is now, in the altered reality of Spotify, the quintessential Pavement song.”
This type of moving tastes to the middle is the Spotification of culture that is happening worldwide, stripping us of our own claim to identity, geography, time, and context.
5. Spotify’s War Investments
In a move that raised eyebrows—and outrage—Spotify’s CEO invested heavily in Helsing, an AI company that develops military technology7. For a platform built on music and creativity, this feels like a strange—and ethically questionable—detour.
Helsing develops AI-enabled military software, including systems used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). These technologies have been deployed in conflicts like the ongoing war in Gaza — often with devastating consequences for civilians.
It’s hard to vibe out to your favorite playlist when you know your subscription fees might be funding the war machine.
6. Spotify Sponsored Trump’s Inauguration (Yes, Really)
If funding military AI wasn’t enough, Spotify also has a history of cozying up to controversial political figures. In 2017, the platform sponsored Donald Trump’s inauguration, but it didn’t stop there.
Spotify, this go-round donated $150k to his inauguration8. In a statement, Spotify defended the move, saying it was part of their efforts to “expand our presence in Washington, D.C.” and advance their policy goals, “regardless of who is in power.” If you’re someone who cares about social justice and ethical business practices, this is just another reason to hit pause on your subscription.
7. And If None of That Convinces You, The Sound Quality is Garbage
Let’s start with the most obvious reason to ditch Spotify: the audio quality is just trash.
Spotify streams music at a maximum bitrate of 320 kbps (kilobits per second) for Premium users and 160 kbps for Free users. While 320 kbps might sound decent on paper, it’s still a compressed format that sacrifices detail and depth for smaller file sizes.
Compare that to platforms like Tidal or Qobuz, which offer lossless audio (CD-quality or better) and even high-resolution streaming (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). The difference is night and day—like swapping out a blurry JPEG for a crystal-clear 4K image.
Even if you’re listening on cheap earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker, you’ll notice the lack of clarity, dynamic range, and richness in Spotify’s audio. It’s like hearing your favorite song through a tin can. And if you splurged for the high quality headphones, car, or home stereo? You are piping literal garbage through them.
For audiophiles or anyone who cares about sound quality, Spotify is a non-starter.
Which Listener Are You? (The Trade-Offs You Might Not Realize)
Spotify dominates streaming, but its one-size-fits-all approach ignores how differently we experience music. Not all of us listen to music the same, we all have different habits, needs and relationships with music. For some, leaving is an easy ethical win; for others, it’s a trade-off. The real question isn’t whether to quit—it’s what you stand to gain (or lose) based on how you listen.
Background Music Listeners — won’t miss much. You know you’re a background listener if you find yourself pressing play on pre-curated playlists like “Focus,” “Chill Dinner,” or “Sleep.” Alternatives like internet radio or Bandcamp playlists offer similar convenience without Spotify’s ethical baggage.
Mood Curators — might initially mourn Spotify’s algorithms, but platforms like Tidal and Qobuz deliver better sound quality—and a cleaner conscience with other ways to support artists like purchasing digital downloads on platform (Qobuz/Apple). And you might find that Spotify wasn’t truly curating a you-vibe, they were curating a Spotify vibe, a middle of the road music palette that suddenly widens and gets more interesting when they are not at the helm anymore.
Album Obsessives — stand to gain the most. Ditching Spotify means deeper artist connections, lossless audio, and escaping a system that reduces music to disposable content.
The common thread? Everyone benefits from rejecting a model that underpays artists and fuels exploitative tech. But the best protest isn’t waiting for a perfect alternative— there is no magic VC venture backed solution coming to save us all — the answer likely lies in diversifying how we listen so the industry has no choice but to change.
How to Do A (Free) Super Fun Audio Test!
This was the clincher for me. I was reading all the articles and knew all the information about the skeez factor about Spotify but I also was getting a lot of benefit from the platform (especially as a curator) so I was reluctant to think about moving off the platform, until…. I did the audio test.
Both Tidal and Qobuz offer free trials, they both use higher audio file formats than Spotify. Listening to Spotify vs. Qobuz is like being handed a photocopy of a sunset versus standing outside in the open air and watching the sunset with your own dang eyeballs.
Spotify’s compressed files give you the general shape and color of the music, but Qobuz’s lossless audio reveals every shimmering detail—the breath between vocal phrases, the grit of fingers on guitar strings, the full resonance of a cymbal crash—as if you’ve stepped directly into the recording studio. You hear every sound the artist intended for you to hear and feel.
When I did this test, I felt sick (and exhilarated and giddy!). But primarily, that was literally the word that came to mind. And weirdly, when I did the test with my sweetheart, that was the exact word he used too. Sick.
Sick because:
Wow. Have I really been listening to music at this shit level this whole time. Neil Young has been harping on and on about it but I didn’t really understand, but now I do. I feel sick and sad about that.
And sick, like whoa. I kind of feel more vibrations moving through my body and I’m not entirely used to this and it feels like a lot.
How to Do the Test
Both Tidal and Qobuz offer free trials to their services, pick one to download - either desktop or mobile app. You will need to have a good connection to do the test, preferably wi-fi.
Both Qobuz and Tidal have a few different level of sound quality that they produce depending on your connection, so you want to make sure that you are on the highest level possible AND that the track you are listening to is HIGH-RES. Some files are only available in CD quality, others are labeled low. Keep your eyeballs peeled for something labeled High Res.
I chose to listen to Kendrick Lamar’s GNX album on Qobuz for my test.
You don’t need a fancy Stereo or anything, but one that you can crank it up a bit is fun. I did it in my car - it’s a pretty standard, basic car stereo, nothing remarkable.
But What About My Playlists???
Dang dude, I hear ya. You spent hella time building the perfect little mood playlists full of gems that do just the right thing for you at just the right time. It would be so tragic to lose all those.
Hella tragic.
Well, good news! You won’t lose them.
Both Tidal and Qobuz offer playlist transferring that’s super simple and snappy using a third party app when you sign up for their service. There’s also a whole ecosystem of apps built to help with playlist transferring that are easy and cheap (or free) to use if you decide to go with a different platform (like Apple or YouTube). I recommend Soundiiz or TuneMyMusic for making your transferring hella quick. It’s very simple and only takes a couple minutes to do.
Insider Tip to any curators out there, Soundiiz or TuneMyMusic are great tools if you need to update playlists on multiple platforms and don’t want to do it manually .
But Wait, Are Other Platforms Really Any Better? (Short Answer: YES)
The Breakdown:
Ethics: Bandcamp > Resonate > Audius > Qobuz
Sound Quality: Qobuz > Tidal > Apple > Deezer
Catalog Size: YouTube > Apple > Spotify > Amazon (but barf) > Tidal
For Leaving Spotify: Bandcamp (buying), Qobuz (hi-res), Resonate (activism)
How to Run a Digital Library ( Cuz I Friggin’ Forget)
Ok, so now that you’re off Spotify, and you’ve diversified your music collection, and you’re back to buying some digital files (ideally .FLAC files so they really pop in your earholes) on platforms like Bandcamp, Apple, or Qobuz… now how do I organize and listen to them?
A lot of us have become so accustomed to Spotify in our life that it’s become synonymous with listening to music. We have forgotten how to technically listen to music without it, like how do I access a file that I own on my phone if I’m out and about on a drive?9
Step 1: Downloading Files
Bandcamp: Downloads are instant (MP3/FLAC/AAC).
Qobuz/Apple: Enable downloads in app settings (Apple uses AAC, Qobuz offers FLAC).
Step 2: Organizing Files
For Everyone:
Create a master
Musicfolder with subfolders:Copy
Music/
├── Artist/
│ ├── Album/
│ │ ├── 01 Track.flac
│ │ ├── 02 Track.flac For iOS Users:
Files App: Store FLAC/MP3s in iCloud Drive. You can play them through iTunes, however some people find the syncing issues a bit annoying.
Evermusic: This low cost app is a powerhouse for play local files and cloud storage (supports FLAC) and can sync to dropbox, google drive etc. All your music is continually available without eating up space on your device.
VLC Mobile: Free open source FLAC/DSD player.
For Android/Desktop Users:
Foobar2000: Lightweight, supports all formats - folks like the clean and uncomplicated interface.
Poweramp: Best for offline playback, has powerful bass/treble and EQ controls.
Plex/Plexamp: Stream your library remotely, mix your own collection in with streamed content from a subscription.
Step 3: Syncing to Mobile
iOS: Sync via iTunes/Finder (for AAC) or Evermusic (for FLAC)
Android: Drag files directly or use FolderSync for auto-backup
Bring It On Home
There has been a huge resurgence in physical record sales, vinyl in particular has grown 7% and outsold CDs for the 3rd consecutive year. People are digging building record collections again. 10
Streaming is the breeze through an open window—there one moment, gone the next, leaving only the faintest impression of where it’s been. But when you take that song you love and bring it home on vinyl or CD (or even cassette!), you perform a kind of alchemy. You transmute the ephemeral into the eternal.
This is no longer just data in the cloud, a temporary visitor in your life. It is now an artifact, it is now an object, a presence in your home. This album is now yours—not in the way a streaming license pretends it is, but in the way that a well-loved chair or a favorite coffee mug is yours.
It is an extension of your identity, a statement of what moves you. The weight of the record in your hands, the ritual of cleaning the dust from its surface before playing, the way the light catches the grooves—these are the sacraments of a deeper devotion.
Owning music is an act of defiance against disposability. In a world that asks you to rent your joy in monthly installments, you’ve chosen to carve yours into something solid. The crackle and pop aren’t imperfections—they’re the texture of time itself, the sound of your life being woven into the music’s history.
When you place the needle down, you’re not just pressing play. You are retracing the steps of your own history. You’re stepping into a current that flows both ways—the music changes you, and you, by choosing to shelter it, change the music. It becomes more than sound; it becomes an heirloom of your attention, proof that some things are worth holding onto.
Streaming is the spark. Owning is the fire.
So preview, yes. Discover, absolutely. But when you find the ones that matter—the songs that feel like they were made just for you—bring them home. Give them a place to live. Let them take up space in your world. Because music was never meant to be weightless. It was meant to be held.
Sprinkle Me, Man: Listening Parties and Other Ways To Get Offline
The Lost Art of Shared Listening — How to Discover Music Beyond Algorithms
There was a time when music wasn’t just a solitary swipe, a private algorithm whispering in your ear. It was something passed hand to hand, a shared secret, a collective gasp when the needle hit the groove. We can reclaim that.
Listening Parties — A Rebellion Against Isolation
Imagine this: You gather friends—online or in your living room—and for one hour, you surrender to an album in full. No skipping. No distractions. Just the ritual of listening together. The silence between tracks becomes part of the experience. The way someone exhales at the climax of a song tells you more than a thousand "similar artists" ever could.
Formats to Try:
Album Deep Dive: Pick one classic or new release. Listen front to back, then discuss.
Theme Night: (e.g., "Songs That Sound Like Sunset," "The Best Basslines of the ’70s" “Songs to Fall in Love To” or “Rebel Rebel”).
Bring a Song Club: Each person shares one track—no explanations beforehand. Just press play and let the music speak first. Sort of like an open mic except you aren’t performing, you’re sharing.
Virtual Listening Rooms: Use apps like JQBX to sync playback with friends online.
Beyond the Party: Where Music Lives Offline
Local Shows & Open Mics: The best discoveries happen in rooms where you can’t Shazam fast enough. Go to shows and chat with folks, ask what they are listening to lately.
College/Community Radio: Connect with DJs who play what they love, not what pays. If your town doesn’t have a good one, jump on the internet! You can listen to college and internet radio from around the world.
Your Local Record Shop: Pop by and chat with the folks there and get some recommendations. Some shops host listening parties and events.
This is how music was meant to be found11—not through surveillance masquerading as suggestion, but through human connection. No data, just discovery.
Learn How To Listen Again (It’s Psychedelic)
We live in an age where every song ever recorded is at our fingertips—yet so many of us feel disconnected from the music we stream. Why? Because we’ve outsourced our taste to algorithms designed to keep us passive, not passionate.
The good news? You can reclaim the joy of discovery in my own ADHD fueled methodology12 that is my unique blend of clandestine quantum energy, mindfulness, somatics, radical self-love, alternative anti-capitalist economics… you know, and music.
Step 1: Go On "Low-Stakes" Listening Adventures
Your brain needs time to fall in love with new music. Instead of forcing focus during peak moments (like whey you’re working out or trying to unwind), try this:
Play unfamiliar albums/playlists on repeat in the background while working, cooking, or puttering. Do it when it just doesn’t matter. Expose your brain multiple times, upping the familiarity without efforting.
Let the music seep in passively. By the third listen, hooks will emerge, lyrics will stick, and your subconscious will begin to flag the gems, grooves and dancey shit you like.
Save the standouts. No overthinking—just note what bubbles up. Have a method for highlighting them by adding them to a playlist, writing them down, or going back through your internet history.
Why it works: Music often needs repetition to click. Low-pressure listening bridges the gap between novelty and obsession.
Step 2: Integrate (The "High-Attention" Rewind)
Now, revisit those saved tracks with full presence:
Listen intentionally. Crank it in your car, go for a walk with headphones, dance in your kitchen, light a spliff, or listen while reading the lyrics. Whatever heightens listening for you and brings you deeper into the music, do that.
Ask: What does this make me feel? Joy? Nostalgia? Rebellion? The best music moves you—physically and emotionally. Let it.
Feel your body. Really. Put your attention inward and see what the music is doing to your heart space, your gut, your throat, your head. Follow the vibrations and movements around, you might need to close your eyes, but trace where the music is impacting your body.
Follow the thread. Love a song? Explore the artist’s catalog (go back to step one with their other albums), watch their videos, or join their email list (a direct lifeline for indie musicians).
This is where the magic happens. You’re no longer a passive consumer—you’re an active participant in the art. And ohhhh baby, when you’ve stockpiled a trove of fresh tracks on your Low Stake Listening Adventure and then binge them in the Integrate phase? It’s a full-blown dopamine heist.
Picture it: Song after song clicks—that first chorus you suddenly know by heart, the bassline that hits, the lyric that cracks your chest open. It’s like watching dominoes of delight tip in real time, each one flooding your system with "YES, THIS, MORE" chemicals. You’re not just listening to music—you’re mainlining joy drugs.
And the best part? You curated this high yourself. No algorithm handouts—just pure, uncut connection. Now that’s streaming 2.0.
🔥 Proceed with pleasure. 🔥
Be The Gift Economy
In Braiding Sweetgrass and Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer teaches us that across Indigenous cultures, gifts carry responsibility. When we receive from the world—whether a plant, nourishment, a moment of beauty, or music—we're called to reciprocate, not from obligation but from gratitude. This creates a cycle of abundance where giving enhances community flourishing.
Indie musicians share their art as more than mere commodities—they offer gifts. When we stream their music, we receive something precious, often without providing fair compensation. If we approach their work as we would a neighbor's basket of freshly picked garden strawberries place in our hands, our perspective shifts.
Embracing this gift mindset makes supporting these artists natural, joyful, and necessary. Here's how to give back, whether through your time and energy (free) or financial support (if you're able). And we can think outside the box that’s been handed to us, creating new systems for engaging with each other (people are wildly creative!)
Free Ways to Give Back (If You Stream Their Music or Just Love them So So Much)
(Because attention is currency, too.)
Follow, save, playlist – Algorithms favor engagement; your clicks amplify their reach.
Share & shout them out – Social media love costs nothing but builds connection.
Request, review, rally – Request their music on local radio or drop their link into a playlist suggestion
Join their email list – The artist owns and controls their own email list, unlike corporate owned platforms like Instagram. Jump on their list and become a part of their community.
Let the music change you – Many artists are doing the labor of world building and imagining a future (usually a more loving, kind and peaceful one). They are showing us versions of those worlds through the music, offering us a glimpse of who you could be if you were to be transformed. The biggest gift you could give the artist is to allow yourself to be transformed by their music.
Financial Support (If You Can)
(Money is just one way to keep the gift moving.)
Buy direct (Bandcamp > streaming) – A $5 purchase often equals thousands of streams. You can also buy .FLAC files on Qobuz or .AAC files on Apple Music.
Check out projects like
where you can gift songs to others on their birthdays! This decade-old do-gooder club for metalheads—founded by our very own and friends. Why not start one in your favorite genre? Jazz Bandcamp Gift Club, anyone?Tip or join Patreon – Sustain them like you would a storyteller by the fire.
Bring the Music Home – Snag some vinyl or merch and make the music a part of your life.
Attend a Show – Go see them live! Yes!
A Note on Reciprocity & Realness
The music industry is broken—artists are underpaid, and fans are stretched thin. If you can’t give financially, that’s okay. You are not a charity; you are part of a living network of care. Reciprocity isn’t about guilt—it’s about flow.
Maybe today you stream, tomorrow you share, and someday when the tides turn, you throw $5 their way. Or maybe you never can, and that’s still valid. What matters is holding the spirit of gratitude: "This music is a gift. How can I let the artist know it reached me?"
So do what you can—a save, a shoutout, a moment of true listening—and trust that it counts. The gift economy isn’t about tallying debts; it’s about weaving connection. However you give back, you’re keeping the circle alive.
The gift grows when passed on. What we give returns—not always to us, but to the whole ecosystem.
Every stream, save, or share is a vote for the world you want. When you engage deeply, you’re not just a listener—you’re part of an ecosystem that values art as art, not just content.
Try this today:
Pick an unknown album. Let it play 3x in the background.
Save one song that snags you. Listen to it like it matters.
Pass it on—tell a friend, buy a track, or join the artist email list.
The algorithms won’t change overnight, but your relationship to music can. Start small. Stay curious. And remember: Your attention is power.
And Hold This Vision With Us: Big Guy on The Hill Energy in 2025
Thanks for reading along with our Guide, drop any additional tips for the broader community on how you’re diversifying your music listening experience in the comments ✌️
Fun in the Footnotes!
Wow, I have read a fuckton about Spotify in the past few months. Thank you to all the people who have come before me, the journalists who broke big serious issues like war investments and ghost artists, the indie musicians chipping in their unique and much needed voices13 in the conversation, and examples from folks who have already left Spotify and how it’s working out for them. Paradigm shifts are possible, y’all. Question is: do you want it?
Dig deeper into this point with a great video by Benn Jordan Why Spotify Will Fail.
Awesome artist perspective by Queen Kwong on why leaving Spotify is a tough call for artists… making me to wonder if it might be up to us listeners to start teetering the house of cards first.
From : Spotify recently decided to punish artists whose tracks don’t generate 1,000 streams in a 12 month period. Those tracks now won’t receive royalty payouts.Mark Johnson, founder of the Fortune Signal record label, decided to calculate how this impacts his artists.
“It took me the better part of an evening to collate the numbers for one of our artists,” he explains. “You can't pull this straight from Spotify For Artists (because... obviously). It takes some heavy lifting to put the pieces together.” The results were revealing—and disturbing.
I share his chart below (with Mark’s permission). The result of this policy is obviously to punish the small indie artists—who are already struggling the most for survival.
Liz Pelly’s The Ghost’s In The Machine: Spotify’s Plot Against Musicians. Also by Liz Pelly, Mood Machine, The Rise of Spotify and The Cost of the Perfect Playlist
The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming by Jeremy D. Larson
Deep Listening Framework
This post is to give an overview of my simple methodology for discovering more music to be obsessed over, current unfair systems be damned.
From
who recently left Spotify and release their EP on cassette: “I teach artists to build their careers without relying on streaming.Does that mean my students can’t upload their music to Spotify?
Of course not.
After all, most people listen to music on streaming services.
That said, here’s how I think about making my music available.
Spotify is super evil. I don’t fuck with them and I absolutely never will. I don’t want to make them another cent and I certainly will never pay for playlist placement. For more on this, I recommend Liz Pelly’s new book, Mood Machine.
One could make the argument that there’s no harm in putting your music up on streaming services, but if you’re not directing traffic to it, there’s a good chance your streaming numbers will be low. Sadly, this is a metric many people in the industry have come to rely on (despite it being a poor indicator for stuff like an artist’s ability to sell records, for example). I’m not convinced that putting your music on streaming platforms for the convenience of your fans is actually worth it.
Keeping your music off streaming platforms and directing people to your Bandcamp is simply cooler. There, they’ll stream music in a place where they’re also being gently nudged to buy your record, cassette, t-shirt, etc. If someone supports your music on Bandcamp, you’ll get their email address and zip code, super valuable assets you’ll be able to use to market to them again and again.
I’ve got a new favorite tool for release promo called getmusic.fm where you can upload your Bandcamp download codes for avid music fans to use. Your first release is free (100 download codes!) and subsequent releases are only $10. This will lead to your Bandcamp optics looking great, as it will show the people who have downloaded your record. It will also build you an email list of real people who liked your music enough to actually download it. For my money, this is a great value.
The other cool thing about Bandcamp only is that you kind of throw up this wall of your music being a cool underground thing you can’t find anywhere else. Listening to music that’s less available increases the perceived value of a release.
In order to get onboard with marketing your music in this way, you need to be willing to turn your attention away from “doing big numbers” and toward making meaningful connections with one fan at a time. I’ve been working in the music industry for 20 years and I can tell you that building a fanbase of real people who care about your music is more valuable than the best vanity metrics money can buy. Every time.
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“The corporate record industry has always been evil. It was created to pull our focus away from the working class musicians in our communities and toward a small handful of mass-marketed music products. It was built on the exploitation of black musicians. That is its nature. It has always used women as party favors. That is its nature. People complain about the current era of Spotify as if the corporate music industry has ever been a safe, nurturing space for musicians, but it hasn’t. We now have the tools to create sustainable independent businesses around our music. But most artists are busy doing everything they can to operate in a system that was never designed with their wellbeing in mind. Follow along if you want to learn how to build your music career without bleeding your life into reels and streams and without playing the game of the corporate record industry.”
Yes, Dudes. Follow along.
is for women and queers trying to make music and it’s gewd.14 Great round up of non-algorithm methods of online music discovery
15 The motherload of Substack music finds!!! A directory of musicians, DJs/selectors, playlist curators, reviewers/critics, producers, composers, historians/scholars/researchers, podcasters & radio Hosts, collectors, educators all here writing in the Sunstack ecosystem. You’re welcome.
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Thanks Ted for cross-posting this, I’m super excited to read what you’re envisioning as the next wave to replace the current streaming systems.
I have over 200 public Spotify playlists covering everything from Medieval Plainchant to Jab Jab from Grenada. I spent months on many of them but I finally quit and it feels great. I've started listening to all of the music I've bought and been sent. That's still over 1500 tunes in 2025 alone so it's more than I need.