What I Tweeted At The Spotify CEO
I had some thoughts for Daniel Ek.
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Last Thursday Spotify CEO Daniel Ek tweeted this out.
I didn’t love the tweet for many reasons, among them the fact that Spotify recently decided not to pay artists for songs with under 1,000 streams and gutted 17% of its workforce before paying Joe Rogen $250,000,000 just a few months later. I decided to let Ek know how I felt while telling him about my Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist.
The tweet took off and the number of people who saved/followed the Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist grew by several hundred in a matter of days. (The Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist is also on YouTube. The tracklist is somewhat different because of the difference in streams across platforms.)
At or around the same time, several songs broke the 1,000-play threshold. It seems like more and more songs are breaking through each week, which is exciting. The list includes “Another Day” by Raggedy Jeans, an instrumental favorite of mine and the leadoff song on the playlist.
Silky Vincent Group's gorgeous “Tomorrow” - a personal highlight from the playlist and a song I’ve listened to endlessly in recent months - also broke 1,000.
I don’t know how much of a difference a playlist like this can ultimately make, but just the fact that it’s helping some music I love to find new listeners is exciting. I’m also using it to collaborate with different DJs and producers.
In case you missed it, veteran DJ, educator, rapper, and producer Kenan Bell cooked up an excellent 20-minute mix on YouTube that incorporates 15 different songs from the playlist. I loved his selections and the way he wove them all together. I highly recommend taking the time to sit with this mix.
So what’s next for the Less Than 1,000 Spins playlist? I have something in the works with a very talented producer I interviewed a few years ago. It’s happening later this week. Stay tuned.
Well done Gino.
Appreciate you!