The tools are out there to allow you to advertise, sell and distribute your music (I'm not talking about the distribution platforms like distrokid etc, fuck streaming, fuck social media and fuck making content whilst we're at it), why give away control over your art?
My model is this:
* Make some awesome music
* Self host it. Provide means for people to download your music (there are so many methods).
* Allow donations via reputable method
* Crowd fund for big events like creating physical releases, paying for studio time if you need to.
* Play as many gigs as you can/want to do
* Again fuck social media
You have to be dogged and self determined to work hard in order to for your art to be good, once you put the work in and get yourself out there people will want to hear more after seeing your shows.
Most people do not have the means to self-host it. A platform is just make an account, upload the files and cover, set the title, done. The platform might help with getting an audience as well. To self-host you need to have both the technical ability for it and pre-existing audience to use your self-hosted platform.
Most people should try harder. Whats the point of even making music if you're gonna pay all these platforms for no one to even to listen to your music.
And then you have to compete with the major labels who are buying streams to get their artists in the big playlists.
Its a really cleaver system, you have all these services that you pay upfront and then if you actually do get any streams you get like 0.0001% of a cent.
Its a con, the only people getting paid are the platforms.
If you have to use any platform stick your music on youtube using the lowest quality mp3's and then link back to your own website.
Thousands of people you've never heard of have done exactly what you are talking about before returning to their ordinary life with their dreams unfulfilled.
Jerkasses come along and tell other people that they should do the same thing when they have no idea how much passion, time, effort, drive, and focus it takes to do such a thing or how it feels when you realize you've been screaming into the void.
Get a following first and then consider making your own website. It's okay to ladle from the mainstream as long as you don't dive in and never surface.
The point I’m making is this, these platforms aren’t made with the artist best interests in mind, they are created in order to create profit for the business.
It’s the same principle as being signed to a label. The artist is an employee who brings in revenue for the record label.
Read up about Steve Vai’s approach to the music industry.
You would never have listened to what he said had he not first signed with a record label and then released a best selling album that millions of people listened to.
Even if Vai was 1 in a million guitarist, that means there's about 8,000 Steve Vais on the planet right now and you would probably have a hard time identifying a single one of them that doesn't currently have a record deal and has their media on streaming sites.
I'm sorry that I'm sounding rude or dismissive, I'm just making the point that "going it alone" is not an option for anyone who wants to be successful in popular music.
Doing what you're doing is the equivalent of writing a novel and then photocopying and hand binding every copy for sale.
Whats the point of even making music if you're gonna pay for hosting of music no one to even listens to? Bandcamp, Soundcloud, etc. are free for artists, and the barrier to entry is so low a nine year old can get started by themselves (I've seen it).
No need to gatekeep. There's both a use and a market for platforms. This does not invalidate the benefits of self-hosting, which many artists wouldn't even see.
Why do artists feel the need for a platform?
The tools are out there to allow you to advertise, sell and distribute your music (I'm not talking about the distribution platforms like distrokid etc, fuck streaming, fuck social media and fuck making content whilst we're at it), why give away control over your art?
My model is this:
* Make some awesome music
* Self host it. Provide means for people to download your music (there are so many methods).
* Allow donations via reputable method
* Crowd fund for big events like creating physical releases, paying for studio time if you need to.
* Play as many gigs as you can/want to do
* Again fuck social media
You have to be dogged and self determined to work hard in order to for your art to be good, once you put the work in and get yourself out there people will want to hear more after seeing your shows.