Why Artists Keep Getting Screwed — And Saying Yes Anyway

30/07/2025 20 min
Why Artists Keep Getting Screwed — And Saying Yes Anyway

Listen "Why Artists Keep Getting Screwed — And Saying Yes Anyway"

Episode Synopsis


Musicians are beautiful dreamers — which is probably why we keep saying yes to things that devalue our work!
In this episode of Scratch Track, we dig into the psychology, pressure, and broken incentives that push artists to chase validation over value. If you've ever played for "exposure," chased the wrong metrics, priced your merch to please instead of profit, or felt weird asking to get paid — this one’s for you.
You’ll learn:


Why the music industry thrives on artist self-sacrifice


10 dead-simple questions to know if you're giving your art away


How to reset your mindset and build actual leverage


 Validation vs. Value — which one are you chasing?


 
🔗 Resources


🧭 Still confused about your worth on Spotify? Check out our Flowchart: Should I Leave Spotify? → musicdemo.org/leave-spotify


 
💬 Let’s Hear From You
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Watch on YouTube here.