Million Dollaz Worth Of Game - MIGUEL: MILLION DOLLAZ WORTH OF GAME EPISODE 236

Episode Date: September 3, 2023

Today we sit down with Grammy-winning R&B sensation, one of the most consistently brilliant artists of the last decade, Miguel. With a voice that can melt hearts and lyrics that touch the depths of emotion, Miguel has carved out a special place in the R&B landscape. From his early beginnings in the industry to his rise as a global music icon, this episode reveals the stories and experiences that have shaped his unique sound and artistic vision. Miguel speaks on his latest project, his thoughts on the evolution of R&B, and his perspectives on the power of music as a medium for storytelling and connection. This episode is a celebration of creativity and a tribute to an artist who continues to captivate audiences worldwide.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mworthofgame

Hey, million dollars worth of game listeners. You can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Prime members can listen, ad free on Amazon Music. Right. I mean, we right here. You see what's going on. We were the legend, Miguel. He was just singing some tunes.

I don't know what was going on. If he wanted us to do it like an album together. The intro. Like, we must, to the podcast. The new bar still on the podcast intro. He was off camera. Mm-hmm. You know, he got it at the morning with the classics.

You know, the mornings be the perfect time for a classic song, you know. Yeah, that's what it's about. Man, let me ask what everybody want to know. Yeah. You broke the internet. You're swinging from the air. Your body suspension. Body suspension.

Yeah. I want to know. Yes. At some point in the show, did you say, this one? wasn't a good hot damn. Did you think because, you know, like, when I go get tattoos, you know, you'd be excited.

You'd be like, yeah, I can't wait. You get there and they'd be like, and you're like, oh, this wasn't a good. I shouldn't have done this shit. I shouldn't have that. He didn't know it's going to hit like that. I didn't do it. Right.

Right, right. That's like all my hand tattoos was like that and down the side. But, um, oh, you were scared that your hand tattoo had you, your tattoo had you like, oh, this shit's painful. I was just saying like when I, when I got there's a couple tattoos like that where in that area right here on my elbow,

you know, there's moments where you're just like, ooh, that's not pleasant at all. And, um, but, uh, the first, to answer the question, the first time, the initial time doing suspension, um, the piercing was fine. The piercing was okay. And then it was once they had, had me hooked in, um, my instructor, Steve was, like they kind of forewarn me that there's going to be a moment where you're not going to know

if this is something that you can go through with and he was like and it happens to everyone especially the first time he said um he said and typically it's it's it's a it's just a decision to trust to to let go of needing to control or or uh really can what he said was you have to trust that your body can handle the pain, which is the same, which is the same thing that we do when we work out. You go to the gym and you get to that last set or you push through because you're trying to, you know, go a few more reps on your last set or whatever or you push, you know, another weight. Your body is telling you no because that's what your brain and your body is supposed to do. It's like a fight or flight response, right? We get into pain. We, we,

your body goes, I need to protect you, so you can't do this, you know? And so there was definitely a moment, but I'll tell you the, the, it was a revelation in this moment. I was strapped in, I was still kind of on my toes, tippy toes, you know. And most of my weight is on my, you know, on the hooks. And he said my face turned green. Like, I, like, he could see that I couldn't tell. and he looked at me, he said, this is where you have to remind yourself that you can handle the pain and that you don't have to always be in control of the outcome. Trust yourself. He's like,

I've done this many times for many years and this is the safest, most, you know, common and easiest point of entry. Like, you're safe, basically. I think it was the letting go of, of, of, needing to be in control, that was a life lesson. And it changed so much for me. And it was at that point that I lifted my toes off the ground. And I was fully basically on trusting my body and the strength of my body. And it was a, so by the time we'd been on stage, I'd done it two times prior. So you had to do a full rehearsal?

No, I hadn't rehearsed for it for it because every time I, every time I, every time. time I've done suspension it was with a purpose it was it was like for deeply personal you know purpose it was a meditative intention there was I'd done a lot of work and thinking and journaling prior to and there was a reason you know um the the the the purpose on for the for the art performance was to really introduce the tone of the next phase and this next project because have been through a lot of life since the last time everybody's seeing me. You know, it's not all pineapple skies, you know,

and life does that, as we know. Life, life, life, and life, and life's, hard, you know. Yes, it do. Yeah, and there's joy and there's pain and there's all of that in there. But it was important to me to really open up the conversation of like, what is acceptable for when you're expected to be? a certain way and you realize that your life is changing and you're evolving you feel

me so um yeah and that's what people don't understand like uh you know you came out what 2010 something yeah 2009 2009 yeah even you aren't the same person you was in 2010 who is like nobody who is like life's been lifeing yeah so i've been growing yeah as a person as a human being as an artist as just a general person in the world I've grown I'm not like some people want you to stay the same forever like it's like nah

Melovede the values the values see it's like what people forget is that like your values can remain and should I think should remain unless you have values that are like don't work for you and you need those need to evolve right and this is like just something

I've learned as a man growing up you know just growing up yeah what is consistent about my character are my values you feel me but my my the things that change are things that either don't fit for me or they don't work for me they don't they're not the right representation of the kind of of my values they don't express my values in that way everything else the clothes I wear like that's like every that's you feel me like that's like seasonal like fashion like fashion changes you know all the time and and the way people express themselves through fashion is going to evolve whatever but your values the person wearing the clothes is what it's really about you feel

me and i think art expression these are things that are meant to um express maybe the tone of the value the purpose and the value for art for me why i express myself is because i feel like emotion is what connects connects human beings you know i was like why i could hear a song in another language and be like i don't know what they're saying but this shit's hot i can feel it kids. And I can feel it. This is a banger or this makes me feel pain or this makes me feel sadness or whatever. You may not understand it, but the emotion is what we connect to.

And I think that's why I make music is even when I couldn't understand for all we know by Donnie Hathaway as a little kid, I didn't ever know pain like that. Pain and love, you know, and having to let go of that. I never knew that as a kid, but I felt it. I felt that supremely. And I wanted to be the kind of artist that made music like that. And I've been blessed to be able to do that, you know. And so regardless of the tone of the art, the intention and the principle is pure.

Yeah. And it's coming from a really, a place that I think is greater than you myself, you know. Yeah. This episode of Million Dollars Worth a Game is brought to you by Body Armor. from sports drinks to sports water body armor keeps us hydrated all day long whether we're talking watching or even playing sports body armor our go-to choice like no matter what we're doing body armor and I'm a I'm a big fan of the water the body armor water all keeps me hydrated Real hydration, real ingredients packed with electrolytes, vitamins, and nothing artificial.

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and get yours today right yeah early on going into you know music right was it ever anything that you felt personally growing up girl somebody broke your heart and just and then and later on as you grew up in life it tapped into your music and you pull from that was it places like that did you pull from relationship experiences that you pull from i mean as a we always are pulling from as a writer as a songwriter I'm always pulling from my experiences I try my best

to make that in real time um this this album in particular viscera is it is sort of is like a synapsis of a long period of time a large block of time

so I'm pulling more from the last five six years you know it's not so much and sometimes if I'm like I'm just writing a song just because or whatever like someone needs you know what's to need a hook for something and they wanted to be about

A, B, and C and I'm not going through that then yeah I'm going to pull from something else something that I've experienced in the past right but yeah that's the best brother that's the best answer I could probably be growing up did you ever in a million years think you'd be in this position right here

because you know some people like no I always knew was going to be some people really feel like they're like no and then some people be like gilly i didn't have no idea it just i had a song it took off and then next thing you know i looked up and i was mckel the biggest one of the the biggest artist in the world no man that's i mean not the biggest artist by far but i always knew i was i was i'm here to create you know and there was nothing else in my brain that made me doubt that I wasn't going to make music my career like this was this was all that there was for me you know as a kid yeah um I made for this you know I've been blessed I've been blessed to to see to have

emotion that is universal come through me and those are indications and also it's like connecting with fans right to be straight to be to be to be to be to be real is like that feeling on stage when you're like supremely connected to like tens of thousands of people you know there's nothing more spiritual or unanimous than that and that's also like reaffirming so no no i never i've never doubted that this is what i was built to do and meant to do or that i was going to do it and for me it was always in my brain it was like It's just time. Time and time.

Right. Yeah. That's the best part about music is the performance for you. No, no. The best part is there's like different, there's different points. It's surprising, surprising myself, like I've surprised myself in what came through and like how real it felt. Like to the point where I'm like, wow, I don't know even where that came from. Right.

That feels, that's what I'm saying is like, that feeling. is that feeling is I can't explain that feeling it's greater than me you know it's sure thing adorn I don't remember writing those songs

you know what I mean girl with the tattoo I remember the idea I remember why but it just happened you know use me you know on kaleidoscope dream

kaleidoscope dream in and of itself coffee arch and point you know what i mean like these songs are like i was either so having fun and not thinking about it man it's love thank you arch and point that's come on it's love yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah what was a song for you that you was unsure about like i don't know i love it but it might not do and it was just like songs i don't know i don't I didn't know about, uh...

Because you know some songs we being sure about. We'd be like, uh, did you might have your homie that's like, or your partner that's like, I'm telling you, man, this is going to go, man, it's the one. And you like, this one, like, I'm telling you, man, everybody loves this one. No, truth be told, um, very first single that came out as a professional recording artist, all I want is you. Mark Pitts is like, that's my brother. He signed me and he believed in me before,

I could even put music out. He fought for me and fought for the music. And he was so sure of this song. The production and anything was crazy on that. Man, but at the time, people forget the context of music at the time. It wasn't like, even hip hop didn't sound like that anymore. It was like hip hop was going in a different direction. So we weren't getting boom bap, you know.

Yeah. And I had been. It was more the 808. Yeah. Yeah, we were getting to, yeah, we were moving to the south, which was, which was dope. It was a great, great time. We were getting a lot of Atlanta, right? Yeah, right?

Absolutely. Yang, Yang Twins. We were getting, like, we were getting all the, like, crunk, five. You know, it was a good time. But there was, we weren't hearing a lot of that sound. And, yeah, I just was like, man, I don't know about this. I was like, this is my first single. There was a song called Quickie that I wrote.

And I was like, I feel like, this is just. out the gate going to be a banger you know which it did it turned out to be but in terms of introducing me as an artist he was he was so sure of it and you know I had to trust him and he was right he was right man right

thank God you trusted him yeah yeah yeah and that's a lesson to someone to a lot of the artists out there sometimes you got to let the people that's been doing their job for a long time do their job it goes back to always needing to be in control

it's been a it's been a life theme of you know trusting trusting people who truly you know love and care for and see you even outside of yourself right I think there's there's something powerful in being able to do that and I you know I can honestly say like it's been a journey for me you know that's been a journey so yeah when we when we have people that love us on our team who are really going to ride for us and trust those people

absolutely especially when they been doing their job for a long time. Facts. Yeah, yeah. You know, they could just love you. They could be there for you. They ain't been doing this job. I'm not making you my account.

In case you're my home. Yeah, yeah. No, you cannot do my taxes. No, we're not doing it. You're having me in trouble. But when you got people that's there, they love you, they've been doing this job. They're good at doing that job. You have to trust them and doing their job because that's their job.

You haven't been doing it. Now, with the, but the change is. music sounds people attention spans eight 12 seconds is there any fear as you go to create a new album and you've been

out of the game for a while is it fear there as an artist like that artist fear where you'd be like how are you going to take it do you overthink it sometime when you creating man I'm an overthinker

I really am so there's definitely I have to do work to I got to do work to get out of my way often and that's where you know I don't want to I don't want to I like what I love about the podcast is that it's light and you got you know it's like I feel I don't want to make it always so serious but that's a that's a real thing is like for me it's been figuring out ways to get my conscious brain out of my out of the way of what's greater you know It's like we all have intuition and an intuitive quality that connects us, I think, to

what's greater than us to God, really, you know, to the source. And I think our experience and fear, like you said, is like people expecting A, B, and C and maybe this is not what they really want, or am I, you know, is this too different for them, is it something familiar, but then you're, you want to stay true to yourself. you know and there's a reconciling that that entails but I think when you trust you know what one your connection your ideas and the work that you've put into it you know it's like trust your just really trust yourself and trust was greater and let that come through that's that's been the real work for me and truly be honest that in order to truly be successful you have to be

willing to fail. That's just part of the process. You have to be willing to fail. You got to. So, you know, you're not willing to go out there and say, ah, I believe in what I did. I got to trust the work that I did. I got to trust that. I put enough hours in. I put enough time. And now I got to let that energy out to the world. Maybe they might accept it this time. Maybe they don't. But that's still, I got to come on. Let's come right back in and give them something else. See, a lot of times people think, you know, The Triggs, the Beyonce's, the McGales, the weekends, the Chris Browns, they forget that those people are human, too.

Yeah. Yeah. They got feelings, too. They get nervous, too. They got a big project coming out. The world's waiting. They get little butterflies in their stomach, too. Because at the end of the day, this is something that people are passionate about,

something that they love. This is like an album is almost like a child to you. Like, I'm coming with. I'm about to drop off. Yeah. So, of course, when you drop it and you want it to be successful. You wanted people to be accepted to it. So let's always remember that he's human too.

You get a little nervous too when it's time to drop. Yeah, what I'll say is like, I'm sort of, I'm not nervous. Yeah. But you know, when it's time to drop, it's like. No, no, I really, like, I've done it. And this is humbly. Yeah. Actually, no, we're not doing humble anymore.

Right. No, I need everybody out there to go look up the word humble in the dictionary. Break it down. In the dictionary, humility is associated with undermining yourself. Yes. We're not here for that. We are not here for that. No one out there should be there to, to, I like this quote, Dion Sanders.

I just, I like, I like something, you know, he just, yeah, yeah, with the game. Yeah, yeah. He's like, don't allow my confidence to offend your insecurity. Right. And I'm confident that what I put into this is intended for who is intended for. And I've been blessed enough to see over time the music last time. And I think timelessness was always the intention. So when I know that I'm coming from a timeless intention and I pour my heart and my soul into something,

that I'm confident that it will last for who is supposed to last. And that's where we get, sure thing. That's where we get quick. That's where we get all I want is you. None of which were the sound of the time. You know what I mean? They were always out of the box left. And I think there's, I think it's more important to be clear about our intentions

and about where we're coming from in our, you know, in our soul. Then you, you, the rest of it is like, again, this is what suspension. has been a real teaching thing and a like visceral not to be you know but it's been a visceral learning experience that is like I don't need to be in control of the result I just need to trust myself

trust where I'm coming from and I think most people most successful entrepreneurs will tell you you know it's like I just had an idea and everybody told me I was crazy and I just went for it y'all know yes against the odds against what was the status quo

blah blah blah and people didn't understand it people said I was this people my people you know who were afraid themselves were trying to keep me from doing it don't do that right you know what I mean which we've all we've all dealt with this

people being like because they're afraid of they couldn't do it or whatever they're fear so so I'm not nervous I am I am aligned right because I have my purpose you feel me right and I think that's like you can't tell me me nothing just like they can't tell you know what I'm saying like when you're on your

like building this platform was not something people were like podcasts I'm sure you're like what what's a podcast that's how I was he and then he sent me an article that said Spotify allocated 420 million the first quarter to podcast I said what do me break them fucking cameras out we're the kids 420 million the first quarter that's from January to April 420 oh we're missing some money. Even when I started me and I was worth a game, like you said you have to have the confidence. Because when I was

breaking it down to my friends, like, yo, I'm about to start giving game to the youth on Instagram. Then at the end, I'm going to be like, right. They were sitting there like, be crazy. I would have to kind of see you do it. Right. To kind of, like to understand. I could have let

that persuade me like, you know what, maybe this is a bad idea. But I'm like, y'all don't see. the vision that I see. The vision that's coming through my eyes, y'all could never see that because y'all don't have this vision. So this is what I'm going to do.

Right. Let me give y'all, me and I was worth the game real quick. To all the young people out there, stop chasing women and chase money because when you got money, they chase you, right? They were like, oh, all right, we like this. Right, yeah, yeah. Oh, I didn't know he was going to do it like that.

Yeah. So a lot of times, man, you've got to understand who you are, what your vision is, and that's it. and you can't be deterred by somebody else's vision. Well, I don't think that's going to work. I never seen nobody do that. That's why it's special because nobody ever done this shit.

I'm not trying to do something that everybody you done before. That's why you were special. Because you said, I came out in a time where the music was like this, but I came like that. So it was like, oh, this is something new. This is something fresh. This is something different. This don't sound like the hundred songs. that just came on the radio.

They got the same beat pattern, the same, it's going at 100, whatever, RPMs. Because that's what the radio do. You know what I'm saying? So you was willing to be groundbreaking. You was willing to trust your team first.

You know, we coming with this record. I don't know. I want to come with this record. This is a smash out the gate. Now, this is a good introduction. And look where you're at now. Yeah. So it was a beautiful thing.

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sure thing they're like half a billion, close to half a billion. Half a billion. Close to it. for something, but it's close to half a billion streams. Think about that, man. That's a lot. Because we not on no humble shit.

Think about that. I feel like it's more. I like that. I like that. I like that. I feel like it's more. Yeah, because I don't know check the money ago. I don't be checking the stats.

I get the text, though. I get the text from, you know, loved ones like, yo, did you see that it's at a billion plus streams? And it may be a, I don't know what it is. It may be like, you know, what is it? is it like collectively or whatever but what's crazy is I've met

people my age who have played it for their children who is now their children's like wedding song you know it's like a stream like what a stream at this point and we will get this right you know I wish we had the

I wish music was more organized in terms of unionizing and taking care of each other and protecting how important music is as the film industry has been. Like I commend and applaud the film, you know, the Writers Guild, all of the actors were like really supporting each other to protect the craft and to protect each other and their livelihoods because we do need to get streaming right and we're making some progress

but it's nowhere near. I'm like a stream is like 0.006 of a pay. Of a penny per stream. I'm like, fuck is the stream. Right. I feel me? I get to touch lives. The stream is not, the stream isn't the thing for me. Right.

When I'm on stage and I'm looking at the parent and their child and their, you know, it's like partners. You got a whole family in there. Yeah. I'm talking about grandpa and I'm talking about, you know. Granddaughter. Exactly. Although the range is crazy. Yes.

And I don't take credit for that. I just say, I get to be a part. of that yeah the money is great too you know what I'm saying like we've had great we've and I have that that's all because I think when you do things like we said you trust yourself and then you trust your team and you go for what you believe in which is the game you know ultimately that's what it boils down to right you you have an idea you execute the idea with the people that you trust and y'all go hard until until it cracks right that's why I said that in this song is like in Skywalker

it's like you know put the work in till it works out right absolutely that's why me and him is so productive and what's crazy about is the work always work out even when you're not working because you know it's crazy when you put it in the beginning even if you look at somebody like you

it's like last album you dropped was when man 2017 end of 2017 think about that all right so you drop an album 2017 You know I'm sorry And in 2018 Going into 19

In 2018 It's about five years ago I'm right I don't even remember About five years ago It was that long He said the money Was good

He just spent this Yeah At the end of the day That's why I don't do My own tax You got to think about it So you say You don't drop since 10

That's why I say When you work it It works even when you ain't working But right now It's still all the way up to the day, you got 27.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Do you know how crazy it is?

That's wild. You got artists that's popping right now. They ain't got 15 million monthly listeners. Wow, that's popping right now. You got 20. Like, just put something out right now. They pop it right now. You know what I'm saying?

So you got... With no five-year layoff. Didn't take the break. Did it take the break. You know. You got that money. I think I'm going to spend some time with family we know spent some of this body no it's love it's but but again like if we're looking at it

from a business standpoint you want to you want to do you want to create businesses that work for you like you said why you sleep yeah you know what is going to what's what is going to live while you're not working right and honestly like we are experiencing emotion that's what that's what that's what fine art is about that's what Any art, first and foremost, people don't realize is a service. Art is a service industry, ultimately. The best art connects people and connects through emotion. And if the art is so pure that either one, people can relate or it's so impactful that people feel something that they're not used to feeling,

then it has the opportunity to connect at any time. Because emotion is timeless. You feel me? why you can still go back to a memory that was painful or joyous or, you know, any emotion that was real stride. You can go right back to that moment. You can remember it like it was, it was right in that moment. And it's crazy. You see it?

And sometimes you can tap in. Sometimes, you know, it's going to bring, you know, I feel like, you know, I just had a son that passed. Man. You know, I feel like. Mike Conduct, bro. I was like, dude, should I, should I, should I, should I, my condolences on, on air, I appreciate that, you know, appreciate it, but yeah, it's like, I'm so sorry, man. No matter, no matter how long that it be, when you tap into that, you're going to get emotional. You know what I mean?

It's like, you, there's no way around it. When we tap into my cousin, his brother, Steve, we're going to get emotional. So you're right. It's just things that you get emotion. it's for life like you you can always tap into something i got friends that died that was murdered 20 something years ago that i think about them and it just you can't get away from that feeling you know what i mean so i understand truly what you're saying man about emotions man that and energy is everything yeah you know what i mean energy is everything that's why i surround myself

with people with great energy you know what i mean and like of times that help you get through those rough times it's key you know what I mean it's key but I appreciate yeah and it's like you I think I always tell people me growing up in it you know in the 80s music was the soundtrack to the struggle that was taking place in the ghetto so when you think about artists that's creating art you know the art and just the music it helps so many people lives because a person can hear a song and connect back with a moment, connect back with a loved one that's not here,

connect back with the emotion, connect back with a hardship from hearing a song today that they might have heard in the 90s or they might have heard when you're thinking. It's the songs that connect, oh damn, I remember I was in college, I first got the Howard.

That's why music is so powerful. You said something important. You said something about what is extreme and the arts and how the value on music, ain't what it was. Right. When I grew up,

I think it was more powerful because, you know, I was a dude that had crates of tapes. I had all the tapes. Yeah, he had everything. I was a tape lord, right? Yes, he was.

And he used to steal them. Listen, I had all the tapes. Just to let you all know. Tower record. You're not emotional right now, but you Sam Dill them. I was going to say, do you want a second, give me?

No, no, no, man. Yeah, Sam, listen, you had Sam Goody, you had all the stuff. So I had a bunch of tapes. You got some of your tapes still, huh? Yeah, they're somewhere in a nanny basement. So what happened is, this is what happened. What happened is it was an experience.

Like, I remember to this day, continuous motion, when I went and got reasonable doubt, Jay-Z, tip. Like, I remember when I had E-Foy, I remember when I got certain artists tapes to this day. I remember because it was like, you go get, it was different than it is now. It was more of an experience. It was experience because you had to go get the tape.

You had to wake up and be like, man, hold on time the record store. Now it's just, you get it before it's 12 o'clock. It's like a 12 o'clock is ready. Let me listen. You had to go get the CD. Okay. And then you had to make it back home. After work, it might be Friday.

You get paid. Whatever you were doing. It was an experience in the artist you went and then they hear it and play it all the way through. And then you might be one of two, three people in the neighborhood with that tape. Right. So now you're dubbing the tape. you know, it was, you was taking away from the artist then by bootlegging or whatever,

but it wasn't taking. So you was doing copyrighting Frenches back then? Yeah, but it wasn't like this. It wasn't like the streaming. I wasn't his work in. Streamers. You know, I wasn't, at least, at least, Miguel, Miguel, Lucille. At least they was getting

their money. At least they was getting their money back then. Yeah. They was getting way more. Way more. Way more. So you mean to tell me now that if I, if you had an album and you had 15 songs the album was like

$17, $16, $15. So if you got $15, I'm paying like a dollar a song every time. Yeah. So how you go from a dollar, $1.50 or whatever, and it depends on what label you was on too.

How you, like when Tupac came out with a double CD, changed our whole, we was just like, oh my God. And even when Prince came out with it, I think Prince Jones was like $50 or $100. It was, I forget when he came on with that one take. They was getting real money for these shit. So you mean to tell me, it goes from.

$9 for a membership so you can stream anything at any time. $9 a month does not equate to all the, you know what I mean? Yeah, that's crazy. $10 a month. I can listen to everybody. Everybody. Anytime I want and that money doesn't, you're not paying for the song. You're paying for the ability to, yeah, exactly, the access.

It's crazy. That's why. Now, listen, when you think about it from that standpoint, all the music, all at once, any time. And that's the, that's the, that's the, that's the value proposition to the customer. But it also devalues the, the, the, sort of the perception. And people forget that perception is, you know, this is like, perception is really, it. Absolutely.

So they're like, oh, I mean, it's just not, it's just 10. Like, why would they value, why would, why would it be as important, you know? As of. it's a so I pay nine dollars right and I got access to a hundred million songs for nine dollars a month yeah so

it don't matter how like I got just me having access to your music I don't have to pay to have access to music but you don't so it's real wild because I got access to music even I don't listen but that nine dollars gave me access to your music right And then I put all this hard work in.

You pay $9. You get access to my music. And then you got to stream me 4,500 times before I make a dollar. More importantly, you got to put me on repeat from January 1st to January the next year and just put it on repeat

and just let it sit there. Right. Also, like, just straight up, like, so you think I care what you think about my music? Right. When you're paying $9. You're not even paying for my, like, you don't even pay for, like, you know, you're, the person who is criticizing me for what I do to express myself on any level.

Yeah. That's streaming it is a passive listener. Yeah. I don't make music for you. Right. I'm making music for the people who really are, who are really, like, connected to me and blah, blah, blah. Those people are the ones who will buy my music. Yes.

And I think that's more of a business lesson. You know what I mean? As a, as creatives, as artists out there, if you're making music, find what it is that is yours, find your audience, and just serve them. Everyone else can say whatever they want. They're not buying your music. They are passive listeners that will, you know, you've got a hot song or everybody playing it, or it's the song for the this thing or whatever. They're passing by. They're just pastures by.

So whatever they say, whatever they think, they're not the ones going to be paying your, you know, supporting you. Supporting you. They're not going to, they're not going to really support you. You got supporters and then you got passive supporters. You got drive-bott-blop, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, window shoppers. You feel me? You're like, yeah, yeah, they're walking to the store.

They're like, oh, yeah, we were just at that store. It was nice. It was cool. But we didn't leave with anything. And you got to understand this. It's a different between somebody that's going to listen to your music here and there and check it out to the person that's going to come. They're going to know every lyric to song.

Buy your merch. They're going to buy that merch. they want to buy that hard ticket. Oh, I live in Milwaukee, but he's going to be in Indianapolis. He's not coming to Milwaukee. I'm going there. I'm driving all the way there to go to the show, and I'm buying some merch because I know that, you know, I need this piece to be a part of my collection because I went to five shows the last time. So it's about the whole experience.

Question to you, how can an artist make money these days, up-and-comer artists from your perspective?