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Velvet Sundown & the hidden cost of "Perfect Fit" content: are you getting paid?

AI bands are charting. But where does your money really go? Uncover the hidden strategy.

Author

Seth Power
July 12, 2025

For those of you who've been with us from day one, you know my story: I'm an artist, just like you. And frankly, I got tired of feeling like I was just feeding algorithms instead of actually connecting with my fans. That frustration is why Tribly was born.

If you're new here, welcome to the community! This newsletter is built on that same principle. Our goal is simple: to bring you the real insights and essential trends you need to build a truly sustainable, creatively fulfilling career on your terms.

We're always watching the intersection of music, tech, and innovation, and sharing exactly what we're seeing and how it impacts artists like you.

This week, we're diving deep into a topic that's shaking up the industry and directly affects every independent artist: the rise of AI in music. Let's get into it.

📣 Velvet Sundown: AI Music, Hidden Streams, and Your Place in the Mix

You've probably heard about Velvet Sundown, that AI band hitting big on Spotify. It's wild: this band has 1.2 million monthly listeners, but no one's ever interviewed them, and they barely exist online. It makes you wonder, right?

How does that happen?

This exact puzzle leads us to a really eye-opening book called "The Mood Machine."

The Hidden Strategy: What's Really Playing?

According to insights from this book, Spotify has allegedly been involved in a quiet program. They've been boosting artists whose identities are kept hidden.

The goal?

To fill popular playlists with music that costs the platform less to play, aiming to increase their profits.

This internal initiative involved using a network of production partners and even internal teams to put budget-friendly, often generic, tracks onto major curated playlists. We're talking about over 150 well-known playlists, like those for deep focus or jazz, reportedly filled almost entirely with this kind of content. From a purely financial view, it was a massive success, boosting their bottom line.

What This Means For Your Art & Your Dollar

For us independent artists, this hits hard. It suggests a system where streams of unique, heartfelt art might be pushed aside for cheaper background sounds.

This makes it tougher to earn a real living and weakens the real bond between listeners and human creators. It feels like the scales are tipped.

And here's the kicker, something that truly makes you pause: Recent reports indicated that Spotify's top executive allegedly put hundreds of millions into a controversial AI military startup.

Your Path Forward: Building True Control

This moment truly puts us at a crossroads. It’s about navigating new tech and platform rules versus the fundamental questions of who owns your creativity, who controls your path, and how you build real bonds with your fans.

My take? You do control your independent spirit.

And you can build a direct audience that nobody can take away.

Tribly: Keeping You in Control ✨

Spotify's new tools are powerful, and they aim to dominate the streaming landscape. But for independent artists, it comes down to this: How much control do you truly have?

Your career risks becoming too dependent on these platforms. Building direct fan connections is your best defense against changes Spotify or any other platform might make.

This is where tools focused on artist independence become vital.

Empowering you to build direct fan relationships, maintain creative control, and secure your long-term future.

Stay informed, and keep building your own fan connections.

Tribly Product Update: Contact Swaps Just Got a Massive Upgrade!

Big news: We've rebuilt Contact Swaps from the ground up to help you grow faster and more efficiently.

Here's what's new and what's coming:

  • Smarter Contact Swaps: Fans now unlock your content with just an email or phone number. The first page is cleaner, more customizable, and pretty soon pro users will be able to direct fans anywhere (Discord, tickets, etc.).

  • Unified Design: All swap types (Pre-Save, Future-Save) will soon get this same sleek, modern look.

  • Smarter Alerts: Get instant notifications for your first sign-up, comment, or sale, plus detailed campaign wrap-ups.

  • Coming Soon: Daily summaries and an effortless way to apply all your forever pre-saves to every new release — no dedicated swap required.

This week, we're featuring some awesome artists who are using Tribly swaps to connect directly with their fans and grow their careers:

That's all for this week, folks.

Keep doing your thing and stay diligent out there. These are crazy times, but we'll keep sharing what we learn and our take on how it impacts artists like us.

-Seth from Tribly