I'm a musician and host of The Unstarving Musician podcast. Liner Notes is my biweekly newsletter that shares some of the best insights garnered from the many conversations featured on the Unstarving Musician. Topics covered include, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, recording, house concerts, marketing, and more.
Liner Notes | What if your music being "unmarketable" is actually good business?
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What if the best business decision you could make is accepting that your music is unmarketable? Not unmarketable like nobody wants it. Unmarketable in the sense that it’s never going to compete for Taylor Swift’s playlist spots. It won’t rack up millions of streams. It doesn’t fit what Spotify’s algorithm thinks people want. Last year, I spoke with Abe Partridge—multi-instrumentalist who’s been making a living in music for years. He said something that stopped me: “I exist in a niche… why do I need to be on platforms that cater to the top stuff?” He deliberately keeps certain projects OFF streaming platforms. Not because he can’t. Because it doesn’t make business sense. This edition is brought to you by Podcast Startup. Whether you're launching your first episode or adding video to your show, Podcast Startup eliminates the guesswork with the systems and strategies I've developed from producing 250+ podcast episodes—without the trial-and-error that cost me months. Learn more at UnstarvingMusician.com/PodcastStartup. From Episode to ImplementationIf you listened to episode 344, you heard me break down three core insights about niche market economics: the streaming paradox, the revenue math that changes everything, and why owning your niche beats competing with everyone. In this edition of Liner Notes, I’ll give you the decision framework you need to evaluate whether streaming actually serves your music. The free edition covers the core concepts and walks through the four-question evaluation process. This week’s Liner Notes Insider edition delivers the complete implementation toolkit—the seven-step process, revenue calculators, infrastructure checklists, and all the resources you need to actually make and execute your strategic distribution decisions. Ready to implement these concepts? Upgrade to Liner Notes Insider here 👉🏻 GET LINER NOTES INSIDER The Core ProblemHere’s what happens when you’re making genuinely niche music—experimental jazz-rock fusion, avant-garde folk, genre-blending stuff that doesn’t fit categories: You put it on Spotify. The algorithm can’t figure out who to recommend it to because it doesn’t sound like established playlist material. So it gets shown to basically nobody. Maybe a few hundred people if you’re lucky. Your payout? Streaming generates $0.003-$0.005 per play. So 500 streams nets you maybe $2. Meanwhile, you’re spending hours uploading, managing metadata, updating profiles, promoting these releases. Time that could be spent selling direct to fans. The revenue comparison is stark: One person buying your album directly equals roughly 2,000-3,000 streams. One person at your show buying an album and a t-shirt could equal 7,500+ streams. So if you have an audience that will buy directly, why optimize for streams? The Platform Evaluation FrameworkAbe Partridge makes genuinely niche music with his side projects:
Beautiful stuff if you’re into it. But it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, and Abe knows that. His strategy: Those projects stay off major streaming platforms. Instead, his revenue model centers on live shows and direct sales through Bandcamp, his website, physical records at shows. He’s not anti-streaming dogmatically. He has other projects on streaming platforms where it makes sense. But he’s strategic about which music goes where. Here’s the framework for making that decision: Question 1: Does your music fit streaming algorithms? Not “is it good”—does it sound enough like established playlist material that algorithms can figure out who to show it to? Abe’s answer for Psych P and Satan You’re a Liar–No. As he put it in our conversation: ”I exist in a niche… why do I need to be on these platforms that cater to the top stuff? I’m not in that category.” His music is too experimental for algorithmic categorization. Spotify can’t create behavior patterns from his listeners because there aren’t enough of them, and they’re too diverse in their other listening habits. If algorithms aren’t working for you, that’s data. Not a failure—just information about where your music fits in the market. Question 2: What’s your revenue per listener on streaming vs. other channels? Let’s compare:
For Abe, selling 50 physical copies at shows and through Bandcamp generates $500-750. That’s the equivalent of 150,000-250,000 streams—which his experimental projects would never generate on Spotify anyway. Question 3: Where does your audience actually live? Abe’s audience shows up to underground venues. They browse Bandcamp by genre tags. They value direct artist support and physical media. Do they care if he’s on Spotify? Not particularly. They’re already finding him through channels that work better for niche music. Question 4: What’s the opportunity cost? Every hour Abe could spend optimizing his Spotify presence—playlisting efforts, social media promotion pointing to streaming, metadata management—is an hour NOT spent on what actually generates revenue: booking shows, creating physical products, maintaining his Bandcamp presence, connecting with fans who buy directly. For genuinely niche music, the economics flip. Direct sales and live performance generate more revenue with less effort than competing in a game that’s not designed for what you do. Ready to Run Your Numbers?That’s the decision framework. But implementing it strategically requires working through the analysis with your specific numbers and projects. Liner Notes Insider subscribers get the complete implementation toolkit this week:
This isn’t about being anti-streaming. Abe has projects on streaming platforms where it makes sense. It’s about making strategic distribution decisions based on economics, not defaults. Click the button below to upgrade to Liner Notes Insider for access to the complete framework.
This free edition of Liner Notes complements episode 344—if you want to hear the full conversation with Abe that inspired this framework, episode 324 goes deeper into touring strategy, live performance revenue, and building sustainable careers through direct audience relationships. Listen to episode 344 and read the show notes 🔗 Listen to episode 324 w/Abe Partridge 🔗 If this resonated, hit reply and tell me: Are you keeping any projects off streaming platforms? What’s your reasoning? Peace, love and more cowbell, P.S. – Quick reminder that Bandcamp Friday is March 6th. On Bandcamp Fridays, Bandcamp waives their revenue share and passes funds directly to artists—has resulted in fans paying over $120 million directly to musicians. Abe specifically uses Bandcamp for Satan You’re a Liar. For niche artists, platforms that emphasize direct artist-to-fan sales and discovery by genre tags often work better than algorithm-dependent streaming services. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free email here. Questions, thoughts, complaints? Hit reply to reach me directly! I'd love to hear from you. 📬 Support the Unstarving MusicianIf you LOVE this newsletter, please visit UnstarvingMusician.com/CrowdSponsor to learn about the many ways of showing your love and support. We have a new tip jar there, so you know... Click, tip, done. Your support = Love 💟 Affiliate Partner ResourcesYou can also support us by using one of our affiliate partner links below–we'll receive a small commission. Thanks for your support! 👊🏼 Kit – Email Marketing for Musicians Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is an email marketing and audience building software that helps musicians like you turn your passion into a full-time career by connecting you to your fans faster. Start a free trial. Dreamhost Web Hosting Get a Website Built for You — 100% Free! You don’t need to hire a designer, mess with templates, or figure it out yourself. The team at Dreamhost will create a beautiful, mobile-friendly website that’s ready to launch — completely free, when you sign up for a year of web hosting. Limited time only offer. Get started! Explore more cool products and services on our Resources page. -- Share this email and/or read it on the web Stay in touch! |
Liner Notes
I'm a musician and host of The Unstarving Musician podcast. Liner Notes is my biweekly newsletter that shares some of the best insights garnered from the many conversations featured on the Unstarving Musician. Topics covered include, songwriting, touring, sync licensing, recording, house concerts, marketing, and more.
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