By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
Cover art by Zonagirante Studio
🎧 The contradiction of using what is questioned
Yes, our playlists are on Spotify. Updated, curated, lovingly, and patiently. And yes, we know Spotify isn't the promised paradise. Nor is it the horned demon some people make it out to be. It's simply… Spotify: a corporation that wants you to believe it loves you while charging you double for coffee and leaving you crumbs of the cake.
For many independent artists, Spotify has become an essential but also controversial platform.
No, we're not on a moral crusade. But we are not blind either. Every week we come across artists who prefer not to upload their music to the green platform for very valid reasons: Miserable payment per stream ($0.0034 per listen? Seriously?), Algorithms that reward predictable yawning and punish rarity, and new rules that basically say “If you don’t have more than 1,000 streams, you don’t get paid anything.”.
The figures that Spotify offers to independent artists do not reflect the effort invested.
🎧 Consuming without idealizing: the dilemma of today's musician
Let's take it one step at a time: if you're an emerging artist, Spotify provides the stage... but hides the lights. If you have a viral hit, yes, maybe you'll make a few dollars. But if you make sincere, risky songs, or songs with a garage spirit and a Latin heart, The machinery will probably run you over while playing diluted reggaeton in 4K.
Magic solutions? None. But strategies, Yes: use Spotify for what it is —a showcase, not a temple—; encourage your audience to follow you on Bandcamp, YouTube, Audiomack Or, even better, in a newsletter that doesn't rely on a bot to reach its readers.
And above all: build community, not just listeners. The relationship between Spotify and independent artists deserves to be rethought: perhaps it's time to look for alternatives, demand transparency, or at least not swallow the corporate narrative whole.
🎧 A useful tool, not an ethical refuge
So no, this isn't an invitation to boycott. Nor is it a resigned ode. It's a loving warning: if you're going to live on Spotify, at least don't become what they want you to be. Because, spoiler alert: Spotify isn't your boss. Or your dad. Or your godfather.
It's just a tool. Use it, don't let it use you.
⏱️ How much can a song say in less than 90 seconds?
This playlist has no filler. Every track comes in, makes an impact, and leaves without asking permission. There's punk, electronica, minimalist folk, fast samples, absurd nods, devastating ideas, and emergency exits.
A collection for those who believe that art doesn't need to spread to leave a mark. Listen fast, think long.
If you're still craving more songs that defy conventional structures, don't miss our review of Marilina Bertoldi – “Who do you work for? Vol. 1”. Direct, provocative, and straightforward Argentine rock.