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PAID AD: Hi, this is Joe from Vanta.

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PAID AD: In today’s digital world, compliance regulations are changing constantly, and earning customer trust has never mattered more.

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PAID AD: Get started at vanta.com.

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PAID AD: We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message.

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PAID AD: Wayfair’s got style tips for every home.

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PAID AD: This is Styles McKenzie helping you make those rooms sing.

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PAID AD: Today’s style tip.

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PAID AD: When it comes to making a statement, treat both patterns like neutrals.

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PAID AD: Go wild, like an untamed animal print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table from wayfair.com.

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PAID AD: This has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.

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ROBONZO: Hello and welcome to another episode of The Unstarving Musician.

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ROBONZO: I am Robonzo.

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ROBONZO: This is my podcast.

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ROBONZO: It features interviews with independent musicians, artists and creative professionals who share their experience and expertise on recording, touring, gigs, the creative process, marketing and more.

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ROBONZO: I also drop solo episodes that focus on themes from many conversations, research and off-mic interviews.

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ROBONZO: It’s the podcast intended to help independent creatives better understand the marketing, business and creative processes that empower us to do more of what we love, create art that matters.

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ROBONZO: How are you?

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ROBONZO: Where are you?

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ROBONZO: What are you wearing?

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ROBONZO: I’m always interested.

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ROBONZO: I have a gig this week, back by popular demand or because another band canceled or both.

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ROBONZO: My band, Robonzo, will be at Moser Cafe Couture in the El Centro district of Queretaro.

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ROBONZO: We’ll be joined by a new drummer, Isaac Villagomez, a guy I’ve had my eye on ever since I first saw him play at Moser over two years ago.

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ROBONZO: Our former drummer, Gustavo Guzman, is traveling and most likely making a move from Queretaro to Los Cabos.

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ROBONZO: For the Beach Life, we will miss Guz.

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ROBONZO: We are excited to welcome Isaac.

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ROBONZO: It should be a good time.

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ROBONZO: I’m going to watch the Bad Bunny half-time show of the Super Bowl, which will be my first time to see Bad Bunny perform, albeit on the telly.

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ROBONZO: I’m looking forward to that.

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ROBONZO: Friday, February 6th is Band Camp Friday, and you may be listening to this after Friday, February 6th.

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ROBONZO: But you should know that Band Camp waves their revenue share and passes the funds directly to artists and labels on Band Camp Friday, and that has resulted in millions of fans paying over 120 million directly to labels and musicians they love, in addition to helping artists pay rent or fund album recordings and tours.

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ROBONZO: Band Camp Fridays also have become a beacon for artists and record labels looking to raise awareness for causes or raise money for charities.

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ROBONZO: So check it out and support your favorite Band Camp artist.

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ROBONZO: There will be a link in the show notes to the 2026 Band Camp Friday schedule.

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ROBONZO: It does happen throughout the year, so check it out.

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ROBONZO: On to our topic at hand for the day.

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ROBONZO: What if the best business decision you can make is to accept that your music is unmarketable?

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ROBONZO: Not unmarketable in the sense that nobody wants it, but unmarketable because, or in the sense rather, that it’s never going to compete for playlist placement alongside like Taylor Swift or name your artist.

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ROBONZO: It’s never going to rack up millions of streams.

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ROBONZO: It’s never going to fit neatly into what Spotify’s algorithm thinks people want to hear.

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ROBONZO: This can sometimes happen because an artist’s music doesn’t fit neatly into a genre box.

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ROBONZO: That was the case with musician, producer, and record company executive Don Was with his latest release Groove in the Face of Adversity.

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ROBONZO: As a sidebar, you can hear a great interview with Don Was on the podcast Broken Record in which he talks about his new album and rich career.

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ROBONZO: But even more related, last year I spoke with Abe Partridge.

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ROBONZO: He’s a band leader, composer, singer, songwriter who’s been making a living in music for years.

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ROBONZO: And Abe said something that gave me pause in that conversation.

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ROBONZO: He said about some of his projects, I exist in a niche.

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ROBONZO: Why do I need to be on platforms that cater to the top stuff?

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ROBONZO: Think about that.

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ROBONZO: He’s deliberately choosing not to put certain projects on streaming platforms.

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ROBONZO: Not because he can’t, but it doesn’t make business sense for what he does.

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ROBONZO: Today I’ll break down the economics of niche marketing.

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ROBONZO: How accepting that you make unmarketable music can actually create a more sustainable career than chasing mainstream reach.

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ROBONZO: How rejecting the streaming everywhere model can generate more revenue.

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ROBONZO: And how owning your niche creates competitive advantages that algorithm-dependent artists will never have.

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ROBONZO: This isn’t about giving up on marketing.

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ROBONZO: It’s about understanding where your music actually fits in the market and building your business around that reality instead of fighting it.

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ROBONZO: Here’s the conventional wisdom.

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ROBONZO: Put your music everywhere.

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ROBONZO: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, every platform you can find.

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ROBONZO: Because you never know where someone might discover you, right?

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ROBONZO: And for some artists, that makes perfect sense.

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ROBONZO: If you’re making music that fits into established genres, that works within the algorithms, that competes for those big playlists, yeah, be everywhere.

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ROBONZO: Cast a wide net.

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ROBONZO: But here’s what happens when you’re making niche music.

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ROBONZO: And I mean genuinely niche, not just I’m in a small genre.

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ROBONZO: Let’s say you’re making experimental jazz rock fusion or something, or avant-garde folk like Abe, or genre bending stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into genre categories.

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ROBONZO: You put it on Spotify, but Spotify’s algorithm has traditionally worked primarily on user behavior patterns.

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ROBONZO: People who listen to this also listen to that.

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ROBONZO: But if you’re making genuinely niche music, there aren’t enough listeners creating consistent patterns for the algorithm to learn from.

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ROBONZO: It can’t figure out who to recommend it to because it doesn’t sound enough like other things in established playlists.

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ROBONZO: You could also be challenged to get placements with independent playlist curators.

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ROBONZO: So it gets shown to basically nobody, maybe a few hundred people if you’re lucky, maybe less.

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ROBONZO: Your payout, as we covered in the last episode, streaming generates pennies per play.

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ROBONZO: So 500 streams maybe gets you two bucks.

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ROBONZO: Now, maintaining a presence on all these platforms isn’t free.

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ROBONZO: Even if your distributor charges a flat annual fee instead of taking a percentage, you’re spending time uploading, managing metadata, updating your profile, promoting these releases on social media, time that could be spent doing something else like selling direct to fans.

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ROBONZO: This is the streaming paradox for niche artists.

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ROBONZO: Being everywhere means being nowhere that matters.

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ROBONZO: You’re not getting algorithmic reach because your music doesn’t fit the algorithm.

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ROBONZO: You’re not building a fan base because the platforms aren’t showing your music to potential fans.

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ROBONZO: You’re just there, generating pennies while spending hours.

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ROBONZO: And here’s the thing that really matters.

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ROBONZO: Those hours could be spent reaching your actual audience, the people who genuinely want what you make, not the algorithm, not the mass market, your people.

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ROBONZO: Now, if you listened to my last episode, number 343, about owned audience and direct-to-fan economics, some of this math is going to sound familiar.

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ROBONZO: We covered why streaming pays pennies, but here’s what we didn’t cover.

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ROBONZO: What to do if your music doesn’t even get shown to people on those platforms.

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ROBONZO: That’s the niche artist problem.

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ROBONZO: Abe Partridge makes a specific kind of music with certain projects.

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ROBONZO: Psychic P, I think that’s the name of one of his projects.

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ROBONZO: That’s like Psychedelic Surf Rock.

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ROBONZO: Satan, You’re a Liar, another one of his projects is kind of experimental genre-bending weird stuff.

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ROBONZO: Beautiful if you’re into it, but it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, and Abe knows that.

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ROBONZO: So here’s what he does.

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ROBONZO: He keeps those projects off the major streaming platforms.

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ROBONZO: Not because he couldn’t put them there, not because he’s anti-streaming on principle, but because the economics don’t work for those projects on those platforms.

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ROBONZO: Instead, his revenue model for those projects centers on live shows and direct sales, physical records, CDs, direct website sales.

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ROBONZO: And here’s the critical part.

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ROBONZO: He’s not trying to reach everybody.

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ROBONZO: He’s reaching his niche.

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ROBONZO: The people who show up to his shows, the people who follow his work, the people who actually want to own physical copies of experimental surf rock records, for example.

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ROBONZO: Now, Abe does have other projects on streaming.

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ROBONZO: He’s not dogmatic about it.

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ROBONZO: But, he’s strategic.

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ROBONZO: He evaluates.

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ROBONZO: Does putting this music on streaming platforms serve the business model for this project?

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ROBONZO: Or does it just dilute my energy and generate pennies while I could be focusing on direct sales and live performance?

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ROBONZO: This is what I mean by deliberate choice.

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ROBONZO: Most artists default to put it everywhere without asking whether that makes sense for their music, their audience, and their business model.

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ROBONZO: Let me give you the framework for making the strategic decision.

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ROBONZO: And this is different from last week’s direct sales conversation, because this is specifically about whether streaming platforms serve niche music at all.

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ROBONZO: First question, does your music fit streaming algorithms?

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ROBONZO: And I don’t mean, is it good?

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ROBONZO: I mean, does it sound enough like established playlist material that algorithms can figure out what to do with and who to show it to?

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ROBONZO: If yes, streaming might work.

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ROBONZO: If no, you’re fighting an uphill battle.

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ROBONZO: Second question, what’s your actual revenue per listener on streaming versus other channels?

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ROBONZO: Let’s compare.

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ROBONZO: So streaming pays about 0.003 to 0.00 or I should say 0.005 per play.

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ROBONZO: Physical album sales, $10 to $15 profit after production costs.

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ROBONZO: Digital download, $7 to $10 profit.

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ROBONZO: Live shows, per attendee, rough estimate including merch, $5 to $20 bucks depending on what you’re selling.

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ROBONZO: One person buying your album directly equals roughly 2,000 to 3,000 streams.

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ROBONZO: One person at your show buying an album and a t-shirt, that could easily equal over 7,500 streams depending on your merch pricing.

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ROBONZO: So if you have an audience that will buy directly from you, why are you optimizing for streams?

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ROBONZO: Third question, where does your audience actually live?

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ROBONZO: If your audience is on TikTok discovering mainstream artists, yeah, you need to be on streaming because that’s where they’ll look for you.

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ROBONZO: But if your audience is at niche venues, underground music spaces, specific online communities, do they even care if you’re on Spotify?

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ROBONZO: Would they rather buy directly from you at a show or through Bandcamp or from your website?

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ROBONZO: Fourth question, what’s the opportunity cost?

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ROBONZO: Every hour you spend optimizing your Spotify presence, play listing efforts, social media promotion, pointing to stream links, metadata management, is an hour not spent on something else, like booking shows, building your email list, creating physical products, connecting with your actual fans.

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ROBONZO: For mainstream artists competing for playlist spots, that time investment in streaming makes sense.

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ROBONZO: For niche artists getting 500 streams and $2, that’s a terrible use of time.

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ROBONZO: This is the deliberate choice.

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ROBONZO: Understanding your music’s market position and allocating your energy accordingly.

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ROBONZO: So if you’re not chasing streaming numbers and playlist placements, what are you doing instead?

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ROBONZO: You’re owning your niche.

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ROBONZO: Here’s what that means in practice.

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ROBONZO: When you stop trying to appeal to everybody, you can focus entirely on serving the people who actually want what you make.

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ROBONZO: And those people are incredibly valuable because they’re not casual listeners.

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ROBONZO: They’re committed fans.

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ROBONZO: Think about it from a business perspective.

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ROBONZO: Mainstream artists are competing for attention from millions of casual listeners.

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ROBONZO: They need scale, millions of streams to make the economics work because each listener is worth pennies, fractions of pennies actually.

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ROBONZO: But niche artists, you can build a career on a few hundred truly committed fans.

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ROBONZO: People who will buy every album, show up to the show, buy merchandise, tell their friends.

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ROBONZO: These aren’t people who add your song to a playlist and forget about it.

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ROBONZO: These are people for whom your music means something specific that they can’t get anywhere else.

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ROBONZO: This is why live performance is so critical for niche artists.

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ROBONZO: Abe’s business model centers on consistent touring, not stadium tours, not even necessarily theater tours, although I think he does a bit of that, but regular gigs where he knows he can draw an audience, his audience.

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ROBONZO: And here’s what makes this sustainable.

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ROBONZO: When you own your niche, you’re not competing with the entire music industry.

00:13:08.700 –> 00:13:12.600
ROBONZO: You’re competing with whoever else is making music in your specific space.

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ROBONZO: That’s a much smaller competitive set, which means there’s room for multiple people to make a living.

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ROBONZO: Compare that to competing for streaming playlists.

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ROBONZO: You’re competing with literally everyone who could theoretically fit the playlist.

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ROBONZO: The barriers to entry are zero.

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ROBONZO: Anybody can put music on Spotify.

00:13:31.360 –> 00:13:39.440
ROBONZO: So playlist spots go to whoever has the best marketing budget, the most social media reach or gets lucky with the algorithm.

00:13:39.440 –> 00:13:46.000
ROBONZO: But your niche, your specific combination of style, approach and audience relationship, that’s defensible.

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ROBONZO: Nobody else can exactly replicate what you do.

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ROBONZO: Now, let’s talk about the economics of direct sales versus streaming.

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ROBONZO: Physical products like vinyl, CDs, cassettes even, have real profit margins.

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ROBONZO: After manufacturing costs, you’re typically keeping 50 to 70 percent of retail sales.

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ROBONZO: So, a $15 CD might net you $8 to $10.

00:14:08.600 –> 00:14:13.780
ROBONZO: One sale equals 2,000 to 3,000 streams in revenue.

00:14:13.780 –> 00:14:17.400
ROBONZO: Digital sales through Bandcamp or your website, even better margins.

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ROBONZO: You’re paying platform fees, like Bandcamp takes 15 percent and then 10 percent after you hit a $5,000 sales mark.

00:14:25.260 –> 00:14:26.960
ROBONZO: But you’re keeping most of the money.

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ROBONZO: A $10 album download nets you roughly $850.

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ROBONZO: These economics are discussed in a similar context in episode 343 that I mentioned earlier.

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ROBONZO: Here’s the kicker though, direct sales builds relationships.

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ROBONZO: When someone buys from you directly, whether at a show, through your website, you have the opportunity to capture their e-mail, thank them personally, bring them into your world.

00:14:51.080 –> 00:14:54.840
ROBONZO: Streaming, they’re Spotify’s customers, not yours.

00:14:54.840 –> 00:14:57.680
ROBONZO: You have no relationship with them at all typically.

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ROBONZO: This is what professional representation changes in the equation.

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ROBONZO: Abe mentioned signing with a booking agent in 2023.

00:15:05.160 –> 00:15:15.160
ROBONZO: That booking agent helps him maintain a consistent touring schedule, which means consistent direct sales opportunities and consistent live performance revenue.

00:15:15.160 –> 00:15:19.800
ROBONZO: Having professional representation doesn’t mean you’ve made it in the mainstream sense.

00:15:19.800 –> 00:15:24.440
ROBONZO: It means you’ve built enough of a niche business that professional infrastructure makes sense.

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ROBONZO: The booking agent isn’t trying to get Abe into stadiums.

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ROBONZO: The agent is helping him efficiently book the venues that serve his niche audience.

00:15:31.500 –> 00:15:34.400
ROBONZO: This is the opposite of chasing mainstream success.

00:15:34.400 –> 00:15:36.960
ROBONZO: This is professionalizing your niche career.

00:15:36.960 –> 00:15:37.280
ROBONZO: All right.

00:15:37.280 –> 00:15:42.640
ROBONZO: So how do you actually evaluate whether the niche market economics model makes sense for your music?

00:15:42.640 –> 00:15:44.000
ROBONZO: Here’s the framework.

00:15:44.000 –> 00:15:46.080
ROBONZO: Honestly assess your music’s market position.

00:15:46.080 –> 00:15:50.820
ROBONZO: So is your music genuinely niche or are you just early in building an audience?

00:15:50.820 –> 00:15:52.180
ROBONZO: There’s a difference.

00:15:52.180 –> 00:15:56.680
ROBONZO: Genuinely niche means your music doesn’t fit established genre conventions.

00:15:57.100 –> 00:16:00.940
ROBONZO: It blends styles and ways that make it hard to categorize.

00:16:00.940 –> 00:16:04.860
ROBONZO: It serves a specific aesthetic or community that’s inherently small.

00:16:04.860 –> 00:16:11.680
ROBONZO: Early mainstream means you’re making music that could find a broader audience and just haven’t built the audience yet.

00:16:11.680 –> 00:16:17.580
ROBONZO: If you’re early stage mainstream, the streaming everywhere model might work as you build.

00:16:17.580 –> 00:16:21.880
ROBONZO: If you’re genuinely niche, you’re fighting the wrong battle trying to compete on streaming platforms.

00:16:21.880 –> 00:16:24.680
ROBONZO: Step two, analyze where your revenue actually comes from.

00:16:25.420 –> 00:16:26.800
ROBONZO: Look at the last 12 months.

00:16:26.800 –> 00:16:43.960
ROBONZO: What percentage of your music income came from streaming royalties, physical sales like at shows or online, digital downloads, live performance, door splits, guarantees, tips, merchandise or other areas like licensing, teaching, etc.

00:16:43.960 –> 00:16:50.040
ROBONZO: If streaming is less than 20% of your revenue, why are you spending 50% of your time and energy on it?

00:16:50.040 –> 00:16:53.040
ROBONZO: Reallocate your effort to match where the money actually is.

00:16:54.120 –> 00:16:56.400
ROBONZO: Step 3, calculate your streaming vs.

00:16:56.400 –> 00:16:58.180
ROBONZO: direct sales economics.

00:16:58.180 –> 00:17:00.780
ROBONZO: Take your top 3 songs on streaming.

00:17:00.780 –> 00:17:03.560
ROBONZO: How many plays did they get in the last year?

00:17:03.560 –> 00:17:07.800
ROBONZO: Multiply by 0.004, that’s a rough average.

00:17:07.800 –> 00:17:10.380
ROBONZO: That’s your streaming revenue for those songs.

00:17:10.380 –> 00:17:15.160
ROBONZO: Now, how many of these songs could you have sold directly for $1 each?

00:17:15.160 –> 00:17:18.620
ROBONZO: As part of an album, an EP or a single download.

00:17:19.840 –> 00:17:25.900
ROBONZO: If you sold just 25% as many direct sales as you had streams, you’d make more money.

00:17:25.900 –> 00:17:30.700
ROBONZO: Example, 5,000 streams times 0.004 is $20.

00:17:30.700 –> 00:17:34.520
ROBONZO: 1,250 direct sales times $1 is $1,250.

00:17:35.660 –> 00:17:43.580
ROBONZO: You’d need to only sell 1,250 copies, which is 25% of your stream count, to make $1,200 more than streaming.

00:17:43.580 –> 00:17:46.400
ROBONZO: And those are customers you have a direct relationship with.

00:17:47.040 –> 00:17:49.440
ROBONZO: Step 4, evaluate platform fit.

00:17:49.440 –> 00:17:56.940
ROBONZO: For each platform you’re on, ask, does this platform’s algorithm understand my music well enough to show it to relevant listeners?

00:17:56.940 –> 00:18:01.420
ROBONZO: Is my audience actually using this platform to discover new music?

00:18:01.420 –> 00:18:05.580
ROBONZO: What’s my return on time invested in maintaining this platform presence?

00:18:05.580 –> 00:18:08.960
ROBONZO: If the answers are no, no, and terrible, why are you there?

00:18:08.960 –> 00:18:11.940
ROBONZO: Consider platforms that serve niche music better.

00:18:11.940 –> 00:18:20.360
ROBONZO: Bandcamp has discovery by genre tags, direct artist to fan, or your own website where you have total control.

00:18:20.360 –> 00:18:28.920
ROBONZO: YouTube, the visual context can help categorize un-categorizable music, or SoundCloud, certain niche communities live there.

00:18:28.920 –> 00:18:32.760
ROBONZO: You don’t need to be everywhere, you need to be where your audience is.

00:18:32.760 –> 00:18:34.280
ROBONZO: Build direct sales infrastructure.

00:18:34.280 –> 00:18:35.720
ROBONZO: This is step five.

00:18:35.720 –> 00:18:45.140
ROBONZO: If you’re going to focus on direct sales, you need systems for physical products, manufacturing relationships with vinyl plants, CD duplicators.

00:18:45.140 –> 00:18:48.120
ROBONZO: You need a little inventory storage and management.

00:18:48.120 –> 00:18:53.900
ROBONZO: Sales processes that shows like a square reader, change, display stuff.

00:18:53.900 –> 00:18:58.380
ROBONZO: An online store like with Bandcamp, Shopify or on your own website.

00:18:58.380 –> 00:19:03.620
ROBONZO: For digital products, Bandcamp presence or website download system.

00:19:03.620 –> 00:19:08.520
ROBONZO: Email delivery automation if selling to your site, PayPal or Stripe for payment processing.

00:19:09.600 –> 00:19:15.160
ROBONZO: For live shows, email sign up sheet at every show, build your list, build your list, build your list.

00:19:15.160 –> 00:19:18.500
ROBONZO: Product display that’s visible and accessible.

00:19:18.500 –> 00:19:20.340
ROBONZO: Clear pricing and sales pitch.

00:19:20.340 –> 00:19:24.380
ROBONZO: New album just out, $15 cash or card, that type of thing.

00:19:24.380 –> 00:19:30.700
ROBONZO: This infrastructure costs time and money to set up, but once it’s running, it’s your revenue engine, not Spotify’s.

00:19:30.740 –> 00:19:33.600
ROBONZO: Step six, create your own audience.

00:19:33.600 –> 00:19:39.820
ROBONZO: This is the foundation, email list, and SMS or WhatsApp list if you’re comfortable with either of those.

00:19:39.820 –> 00:19:49.940
ROBONZO: I’ve created a WhatsApp list with my local project here in Mexico because here, and last time I checked most places outside the US, WhatsApp is widely adopted for messaging.

00:19:49.940 –> 00:19:54.160
ROBONZO: Some way to reach people directly without depending on an algorithm.

00:19:54.160 –> 00:20:05.840
ROBONZO: At every show, you want to say something like, if you want to know where I’m playing again or when new music comes out, drop your email here or scan this barcode to join my email or WhatsApp list.

00:20:05.840 –> 00:20:10.620
ROBONZO: At every interaction, join my mailing list for early access to new releases.

00:20:10.620 –> 00:20:13.840
ROBONZO: Treat this like the valuable business asset that it is.

00:20:13.840 –> 00:20:18.400
ROBONZO: These are your people, not Facebook’s, not Instagram’s, not Spotify’s, yours.

00:20:18.400 –> 00:20:27.520
ROBONZO: Step 7, based on everything I’ve just discussed, option A, keep everything on streaming, continue optimizing for playlists and algorithmic reach.

00:20:27.520 –> 00:20:32.940
ROBONZO: Option B, selective streaming, only projects that fit mainstream categories.

00:20:32.940 –> 00:20:39.260
ROBONZO: Option C, minimal to no streaming, focus entirely on direct sales and live performance.

00:20:39.260 –> 00:20:41.280
ROBONZO: None of these are right or wrong.

00:20:41.280 –> 00:20:44.340
ROBONZO: It depends on your music, your audience, and your goals.

00:20:44.340 –> 00:20:46.040
ROBONZO: But here’s the key, it’s a choice.

00:20:46.040 –> 00:20:54.460
ROBONZO: You’re choosing your business model based on economics, not defaulting to put it everywhere because that’s what everyone says to do.

00:20:54.460 –> 00:20:56.040
ROBONZO: Let’s bring this back to the core insight.

00:20:56.860 –> 00:21:08.240
ROBONZO: The streaming model can work beautifully for mainstream music, music that fits algorithms that can reach millions of casual listeners that generates sustainable income through pennies per stream at massive scale.

00:21:08.240 –> 00:21:16.420
ROBONZO: But if you’re making niche music, genuinely niche music that serves a specific audience that’s never going to be huge, the economics flip.

00:21:16.420 –> 00:21:25.220
ROBONZO: Direct sales, live performance, and owned audience relationships generate more revenue with less effort than trying to compete in a game that’s not designed for what you do.

00:21:26.160 –> 00:21:28.940
ROBONZO: This isn’t about being anti-streaming.

00:21:28.940 –> 00:21:31.480
ROBONZO: Abe Partridge has projects on streaming platforms.

00:21:31.480 –> 00:21:38.400
ROBONZO: This is about being strategic, understanding where your music fits in the market, and building your business model accordingly.

00:21:38.400 –> 00:21:41.180
ROBONZO: Here’s the question you need to answer for yourself.

00:21:41.180 –> 00:21:49.180
ROBONZO: Are you making music for everybody as in with broad appeal, or are you making music for somebody specific as in a real niche?

00:21:49.180 –> 00:21:56.880
ROBONZO: If it’s for everybody or at least for a broad enough audience that you could theoretically get playlist placements and algorithmic reach, then yes, be everywhere.

00:21:56.880 –> 00:22:00.040
ROBONZO: Optimize for streaming, chase the playlists.

00:22:00.040 –> 00:22:12.240
ROBONZO: But if you’re making music for somebody specific, for a niche that loves exactly what you do, that can’t get it anywhere else, that will show up to buy directly from you, then stop competing in the wrong market.

00:22:12.240 –> 00:22:19.400
ROBONZO: Own your niche, build direct relationships, focus on the revenue streams that actually work for niche artists.

00:22:19.400 –> 00:22:25.200
ROBONZO: Live shows, physical products, digital direct sales and owned audience communication.

00:22:25.200 –> 00:22:28.460
ROBONZO: The path to a sustainable music career isn’t always about getting bigger.

00:22:28.460 –> 00:22:33.480
ROBONZO: Sometimes it’s about getting better at serving the audience you already have.

00:22:33.480 –> 00:22:46.260
ROBONZO: For more on evaluating platforms and making strategic distribution decisions, check out LinerNotes, the newsletter from yours truly that covers highlights from this, and 300 plus conversations I’ve had with musicians and artists.

00:22:46.260 –> 00:22:53.940
ROBONZO: LinerNotes Insider gets you complete frameworks, loads of useful resources, and premium content that goes beyond the podcast interviews.

00:22:53.940 –> 00:22:57.160
ROBONZO: You can check them both out at unstarvingmusician.com/linernotes.

00:22:59.560 –> 00:23:00.780
ROBONZO: I’m Robonzo.

00:23:00.780 –> 00:23:02.760
ROBONZO: This is The Unstarving Musician.

00:23:02.760 –> 00:23:04.100
ROBONZO: Thanks for listening.

00:23:06.720 –> 00:23:09.620
ROBONZO: As an independent podcaster, your support means the world to me.

00:23:09.620 –> 00:23:11.680
ROBONZO: You could even say I depend on it.

00:23:11.680 –> 00:23:14.500
ROBONZO: With that in mind, here are some things you can do to help support us.

00:23:14.500 –> 00:23:16.100
ROBONZO: Follow us on your favorite podcast app.

00:23:17.260 –> 00:23:19.600
ROBONZO: Leave us a review on your favorite podcast app.

00:23:19.600 –> 00:23:26.200
ROBONZO: Or shoot me a review by email, robonzo at unstarvingmusician.com, that I can use on the website.

00:23:26.200 –> 00:23:28.520
ROBONZO: Or just share this episode with a friend.

00:23:28.520 –> 00:23:31.760
ROBONZO: This makes a huge impact on our audience growth.

00:23:31.760 –> 00:23:43.480
ROBONZO: You could also visit our crowd sponsor page at unstarvingmusician.com/crowdsponsor to learn of the many other ways of supporting the podcast, including a quick and easy online tip jar.

00:23:43.560 –> 00:23:48.100
ROBONZO: It’s like click, tip, done, easy, and super appreciated.

00:23:48.100 –> 00:23:59.060
ROBONZO: You’ll find many ways of showing your support there, including through our affiliate partners like Banzoogle, Kit, Email, formerly ConvertKit, Dreamhost, and others.

00:23:59.060 –> 00:24:03.360
ROBONZO: The music you’re hearing is New God’s Part 2, the instrumental mix by yours truly.

00:24:03.360 –> 00:24:08.100
ROBONZO: You can hear the full version downloaded or buy it at robonzo.com.

00:24:08.100 –> 00:24:18.880
ROBONZO: And if all this was too much to remember or process, just go to the show notes for this episode at unstarvingmusician.com to find links to all the stuff talked about in this episode.

00:24:18.880 –> 00:24:22.980
ROBONZO: You can leave us feedback, questions, comments, complaints at unstarvingmusician.com/feedback.

00:24:25.500 –> 00:24:26.900
ROBONZO: Thanks for listening.

00:24:26.900 –> 00:24:29.880
ROBONZO: Peace, gratitude, and a whole lot of love.

00:24:33.280 –> 00:24:35.580
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