IDHAS And Streaming

 

This isn't a piece to go into the pros and cons of the streaming sites. People know my thoughts, but I want to explain why I Don't Hear A Single doesn't use links to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music. It is because we have always been primarily about the music and the musician. I understand that people may use it as a radio station and that is valid, but like any FM, Digital or Internet Station, it is hard to get your music played and listened to. Spotify is like anything on the internet, you have to know what you are looking for, so how do you discover anything new?

There are algorithms that pick up what you listen to and suggest other things, but you need to loads of songs so that that algorithm picks up on your listening habits more accurately. Listeners to the type of music we like are not always habitual users, more looking for something that hits the spot and playing that regularly. People think that I am on an earner from Bandcamp. I earn nothing from music, quite the reverse. I use Bandcamp because it is a place where artists can build an identity, have their music listened to and heaven forbid, maybe even earn some money. 

On the subject of algorithms, Bandcamp's algorithm has my tastes to a tee. Yes, I use it a lot, but I get a weekly email recommending five albums and without fail, I either know about them or they interest me. On Artist's own pages, they can recommend five albums and so like Blog Rolls it directs people to other similar artists. IDHAS is built around my own tastes, not all of them, so there is a fair chance that you may like something that I like. It is a bit more than other places who concentrate on say Power Pop or Indie Pop, but it still covers a very limited range. This can filter out the obvious genres that we don't cover.

Although our following is looked upon as large, we are in a limited area. But with the followers that we have, there is a chance that an artist will be picked up by other writers, DJs, record labels etc. I look upon us as a door opener. Artists are never going to get thousands of listeners, but as others pick up on the music, it can grow and grow. I am told we are influencers, a horrible word, which we are certainly not. But we are also not a place that relies on PR or music that everyone gets sent. Most of our time is spent looking for new music that is largely undiscovered by artists who couldn't afford PR or Pluggers.

I do get very frustrated by artists who don't give themselves a social media artist page, Bandcamp or internet home, because what IDHAS does is useless to them if potential listeners have nowhere to find you. Likewise when we link to other Blogs who don't link back, because it is about giving an artiste every chance. In an ideal world, artists would make some money from the interest we garner. Many don't, but at least we give them a chance. I just don't get that musicians are happy with plays or made up charts. I want them to be known for their music. 

So if you are looking for others to hear your music, the streaming sites are easy to use and give you a small chance of being heard, but don't you want like minded individuals to hear your music. Might there be a chance of making a little money to record the next album? There are many grifters and chancers out there, so why not rely on what you alone can do? Without paying anyone.

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