The State of Professional Music Creators in 2025
I woke up in tears this morning.
I am mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. I try my very best to remain balanced, working as a musician. However, when I say I get up at 4:30AM to work, I really do.
It shouldn’t have to be this way. I also realize that I am a very driven person with purpose and meaning.
As mentioned previously, I do the job of many entities in pursuit of playing my original music. No one else works this hard for me, so I do.
In my humble opinion, these tech companies and social media companies, abuse us artists. They abuse us people, as well as our mental health.
They treat musicians and artists as beasts of burden, walking in circles on an imaginary grain mill.
Streaming services steal nearly all profits from musicians, and tech companies make it next to impossible for folks I have spent 15 years connecting with, to even see my posts.
I know that I need a break from posting on social media everyday, not just in this feed, but in all the Facebook and Reddit groups that I post to, that you have no idea that I post into, because people do not see my posts on Facebook Like Page or my Facebook Digital Creator account that I write you from, so I am forced to spend even more time on here trying to connect with people in private groups. I do what I must to find an audience of likeminded folks. I think that this is calculated on part of social media entities.
Admittedly, in the eyes of so many, I am a nobody musician.
I don’t think that.
I think I am very talented, because I have worked for that, for 46 years. I am a damn good songwriter and lyricist.
I am being treated as a tangible object with no feelings by big tech, when in fact, I am extremely sensitive and empathetic and capable of helping so many people with the music I make.
This is my path in life: being an artist. I have known this for a long time. It is no one else’s place to tell me otherwise. It would be from ignorance if you did.
I assure you, these tech companies and social media conglomerates, are not doing anyone a great service. They divide people by spreading divisive topics of conversation, such as politics, for example. While it is a person’s prerogative to share ideas on Facebook, it rarely changes a person’s mind in my humble approximation, so efforts to do such could very well be fruitless.
Sharing ideas on social media with one another is great! I like that. All I am getting at, is that the Facebook algorithm being used, are based on human behavior and propogate according to human short comings and extreme virtues, such as the propensity of argument or the act of caring and empathy.
Other topics do make it through, but normally because of the abundance of connection the individual has achieved through time spent on this platform consistently or the nototiety the individual has amased from being really good at something in the outside world. Kudos to both, deeply and truly. It is time spent either way, and our choice to pursue that which makes us happy is good at its core.
I digress though. I woke up in tears this morning because I am defeated.
I am making really good art, and releasing it every week, and it isn’t reaching its audience.
I ask for help to stay a float, and it’s met with scrutiny by some, and open arms by others. People have absolutely the wrong idea about artists. We work harder than most people on this planet.
If you don’t believe that, try doing it yourself and see how far you get. I have been at this for a long time, so I know from experience.
As a songwriter, I am an observationalist (and a really good one at that).
Legacy musicians: help out your brothers and sisters right now, because we need help. Things aren’t the same as they were when you were coming up. I assure you of that.
Yes, I am trying to do something about it. I was on the phone with a Musician’s Union for two hours yesterday, I have Zoom meetings lined up next week. I am a nobody trying to fix the fucking problem in the real world.
There is a bill going before Congress this year that would force streaming services to pay out half of the monthly fee you give Spotify or Apple Music or so forth, to the musicians. There is zero regulation on these companies in that regard, and they really do steal all of the money from musicians and build oppulent headquarters for themselves with those profits. If you don’t believe me, check out the Spotify headquarters in New York. If you to try to protest outside of their building, you will be removed by the port authority, in no time short.
I have musician friends who have visited the headquarters of one such major streaming platform there and openly said to the tour guide, “oh, so this is where all my money is being spent.”
You can help too if you would like, but first, you need to see the problem. I sure as hell do.
Share this blog maybe. Or don’t. I will do what I can on my end as a “nobody musician.”
WHO IS MIKE VITALE?
I am a storyteller, songwriter, singer, music producer, traveling musician, Jungian dream analyst, all-around curious fellow (Spiritual, Mathematical Historical, Scientific), Taoist, and much much more, based out of Los Angeles, California. I’m constantly releasing new music, in all sorts of different genres. You can listen to me below, on Spotify: