Recently, I watched a video on Billy Hume’s YouTube channel, (see above) where he goes on what he himself calls a bit of a rant. The title wasn’t listed, but the message was loud and clear:
Stop obsessing over Spotify. Stop trying to “make it” in the music industry. Build your own damn music business instead.
That message hit home. And if you’re an artist trying to navigate today’s music world, it might hit home for you too.
Everyone’s Freaking Out About Spotify… But Should We?
In the video, Billy pushes back against the tidal wave of videos screaming that “Spotify is rigged,” “Streaming is killing the music business,” and “It’s all hopeless!”
Yes, he admits there’s truth in some of it I mean, he’s had his own issues with TuneCore and Spotify. But his bigger point is that this fear-driven outrage isn’t helping anyone, especially younger or independent artists who are just trying to figure out what the hell to do next.
All it does is perpetuate an outdated mindset that doesn’t apply to today’s music reality.
The Chart Mentality Is Broken
We grew up believing that charts were everything. Back in the day, if you weren’t on the Billboard Top 100, you weren’t “successful.” That thinking has stuck around far too long.
But the truth is: popular culture is no longer centralised. There is no one-size-fits-all path to music success anymore.
The Spotify Top 10 is not the holy grail. It’s not even the map.
There Is No “Music Business” Anymore
Billy puts it bluntly: there’s no longer one monolithic music industry. There are a million little ones. The major labels are now just acquisition machines, and Spotify is just a piece of the puzzle.
Trying to compete at the top of that system is like entering a lottery where the odds are worse than ever, and the reward isn’t what it used to be.
Independent Artists Are Building Businesses, Not Chasing Fame
Today’s musicians are small business owners. They tour. They sell merch. They show up on Patreon, Bandcamp, Discord. They own their masters. They connect directly with their audience. And most importantly, they have control.
One artist Billy mentioned makes over $80,000 a year just from merchandise. No label. No Top 10. Just a solid, loyal fanbase.
Case Studies That Prove the Point
Billy Strings is a perfect example. Twenty years ago, telling someone you wanted a career in bluegrass would’ve gotten you laughed out of the room. No drums, no glitz, just acoustic instruments? Good luck.
But Billy built it anyway and people came. He now sells out arenas, tours constantly, and has 2.2 million Spotify monthly listeners. Not Top 10 numbers, but real fans, real income, and real freedom.
Or take The Infamous Stringdusters, 168,000 monthly Spotify listeners, but they headline festivals, play iconic venues like Red Rocks, and tour nonstop.
Billy even won a Grammy producing one of their albums, and just finished mixing their 20th anniversary record. That’s two decades of sustainability, something most major label acts could only dream of.
Forget the Industry. Get Into Your Business.
This is Billy’s big point, and it’s one that deserves to be repeated:
- Billy Strings is in the Billy Strings business.
- The Stringdusters are in the Stringdusters business.
- Billy Hume is in the Billy Hume business.
The question I ask of you is… “What business are you in?”
If you’re still trying to get into the music business, maybe it’s time to start building your own.
The Audience Is Out There
There are 5.5 billion people online right now. More than the entire population of the planet when Billy started his music career. You can build a fanbase from your bedroom. You can create your own lane. You don’t need to beg for a slot on someone else’s playlist or knock on a label’s door.
What Do You Really Want?
Billy ends his video by sharing a comment someone left him: “I’ve been doing music for years and never made any money, so I gave up.”
His reply: Why did you start doing music in the first place?
That’s the question you should come back to again and again. For Billy, it took 20 years before music paid the bills and only after he stopped chasing the industry and started doing his own thing.
Funny how that works.
Final Thought
If you’re tired of chasing trends, approval, or algorithms, maybe it’s time to stop.
- Stop playing their game.
- Stop waiting for permission.
- Stop measuring success by someone else’s ruler.
Make your own rules. Build your own business. Play your own music.
There’s more than one way to be a successful musician today. And it doesn’t start with Spotify.
It starts with YOU.
