In the old days, it was easy. You buy the CD. You buy a ticket. And when that song comes on the radio, you crank it to 11.
But now, with so many ways to access the music we love, it can be hard to know what's actually helping the songwriters and recording artists the most.
Record labels and radio stations aren't kingmakers in the same ways they used to be; Streaming sites and social media are. While streaming sites offer fans a virtually unlimited record collection for a small monthly fee, it's well known that they pay artists in fractions of a penny per stream. That business model brings a lot of criticism, and we're not here to debate that today, but it also offers small, independent artists a shot to reach fans anywhere in the world.
In this case, a pre-save, like, or share is worth a lot more than the tiny per stream payment. Your engagement actions tell the algorithms that this music is worth hearing, and the algorithm in turn shares it with others who like the kind of music you like. Whether we like streaming or not, this is how bands get noticed nowadays.
So, if you love Cassie Jean and the Fireflies, or if you love Cassie and Rich, or (hopefully) both, here are the best ways to support our music.
- First the money part: If you buy the songs, rather than stream them, more of your money goes to the creator. If you buy it directly from our artist website (this website), ALL of the proceeds go to the artist. However, if you're deep in the iTunes ecosystem and that's how you buy and listen, do that. We'd rather give Apple 30% than have you buy our music and not have it in your listening routine. Same goes for show tickets, physical CDs and vinyl, virtual tip jars, and merch. Any time you can buy through the website, or directly from us at a show, more of your money goes toward our next album project. Just make sure the music you get fits the way you listen. We made these songs for you and we want you to enjoy them!
- On streaming sites like Spotify and YouTube Music, you can pre-save, like, share, add to your playlists, and comment. Beyond the number of streams, these are powerful signals telling the streaming site that this music is notable. Remember: Everything that ever went viral began with a single share.
- On social media, you can share, like, and comment. On Instagram and TikTok, you can even create your own reels and select our music as a background. This tells the social channels that people like you may like our music, and the streams pay a small royalty to the artists at no cost to you.
- Of course, the best thing you can do is simply spread the word. If you know someone that might like our music, invite them to check it out. Music is about human connections, and if our music brings you closer to someone else, we've done our job. Play them a song. Send them a link. Bring them to a show. We look forward to welcoming you and your friends.
Thank you for supporting independent music!