Okay, so this has been bugging me after seeing the Butter fiasco with the filtered streams being far more than any song while the western musicians got far fewer cuts. Look at the difference between Olivia Rodrigo and BTS’s filtered and unfiltered streams.
I loop the fuck out of songs. It's too habit for me to not loop songs I like on repeat. I don't think I can break the habit so for my sake, I pull streams by doing what is needed. Because if it was up to me, you would see me repeat songs for days on end.
For example, the songs I've been looping were Japanese songs and I just kept doing it. I just can't stop looping.
Isn't it human behavior to loop songs? It's what I've been doing forever. I'm pretty sure I can call up one of my cousins and ask if she loops songs and she'll say yes.
It makes it so much worse since I do want to help BTS get those streams so I’ve been streaming. On low volume, not on mute. Streaming is just listening to music so it’s fine it’s on low volume. I haven’t seen ARMYs argue about the song volume so it should be okay. Seriously, I have seen more arguments about streaming as just listening to them on playlists. I have seen this one ARMY said that it's just fine to just press play on your iPad and stuff it in your drawers. I leave my playlists to go in the background when I go do chores or take a bath or all day long really.
Just to be clear, just stream and use playlists. As long as there are fillers (2-3 are the max but make sure to not be too on the nose with it since I got loads of fillers for me since I’m a listener who prefers lots of different songs before heading back to that song.), then it’s fine. I don't think my playlists are optimized for streaming but playlists on themselves are already a vague thing that I'm only going along with what is needed. I just play lots and lots of tracks between what is required. Because for my sake, I must play lots of different songs before hearing the same song again lest I loop the song. Because I'm looping the heck out of those songs right now.
What we're doing is just fine. Heck, we're doing better than last time too. There is no need to change strategies when we see the streams are doing just fine, better than fine.
When the problem is the streaming sites and whoever controlling it is deciding how much is filtered and how much is unfiltered, then it’s not on our shoulders when streaming BTS is doing just fine since the songs are still on Global Spotify. It’s not on our shoulders the blame should be laid on but the corrupt music streaming sites that are profiting off artists and fans. Even the western artists that are so-called popular, keyword so-called, are still victims in this payola mess. I really pity Olivia Rodrigo since the crew behind her are just willing to put her photo up in all countries on Spotify.
And I'm talking about the western artists backed by the industry here. I'm not talking about the indie artists who suffered far worse unless they built up a dedicated fanbase.
Japan sticks to their guns so you see their Spotify and Apple Music as what they prefer to listen to, not even caring what the western industry is putting out. Barely since I see some English singers on the Hot 100 from time to time. Please, even Kpop groups have a better time cracking there than English singers. And I check the Japan Hot 100 infrequently since it's a dedicated playlist on my Spotify. Similarly, Korea sticks to their guns though, for their charts, it depends on unique listeners on streams. At least, we know they listen kind of since I know BTS listens to their peers in the western industry. Come on, Namjoon listened to WAP during the high point of the rivalry between WAP and Dynamite. Hobi listened to that Astronaut song last I checked.
You know as well as I do is that western artists, unless you are really genuinely popular like BTS and subjected to good playlists - not payola - with what ARMYs do, are paid nil. It's pretty obvious Olivia Rodrigo is really going to earn nada when she has been staying up top for weeks when everyone else was getting lowered.
Like, it's pretty obvious they were shaving off the majority of it off of the US streams. As a US ARMY, that gotta hurt when US ARMYs have to just continue streaming and just hope that the needless cuts that were made by Spotify would just lessen as long as they continue to stream.
Especially when we did see a rise in percentages all over the world but not the US, the place where BTS promoted Dynamite the most. Yeah, fuck off. The rest of the world showed the western music industry in the US is barking up the wrong tree trying to pretend BTS is on the downfall or stagnating.
Seriously, US ARMYs are facing the brunt of the US music industry's wrath when US ARMYs have to go up against corruption. The general blockage of POC artists and all those systematic shit is par for the course. Seriously, it's pretty obvious at this rate.
My routine is soundtrack aka no lyrics music during the morning until I’m ready for a pick-me-up in some energetic music or lyrics basically. Again, only when I’m ready for that. I really can’t listen to any lyrics in the morning because those will wake me up.
Typically, my choice is orchestra but not too bombastic like say the 1812 Overture. It's perhaps because my parents used classical music to lull me and my brother to sleep that I'm so used to and maybe even preferred to it.
Then I head to upbeat music. Then it's all for whatever song I'm in the mood for. It might lead to looping as I will loop.
I'm keeping Spotify up for streaming purposes.
