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.
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.