Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Saturday edition • 3 min read

Is Spotify Secretly Throttling Indie Streams?

What's Up

It's another Friday, and Spotify's up to no good… again. Mark Kratter, an independent musician and attorney, just sued Spotify. Apparently, and most importantly, allegedly, the platform has a secret algorithm that stifles indie artists' play counts and boosts major label artists.

So What

According to the lawsuit, Spotify rolled out new filtering rules in March 2026, and they thought that nobody would notice. They started refusing to count background listening and "low-interaction sessions" (whatever that means) as legit plays. And according to Kratter's own data, his streams and discovery took a big, big hit, which he says is happening to indies across the board.

Now What

Lawsuit or not, Spotify isn't built for indies. Let's stop pretending it is. Relying on algorithms for your fanbase is a surefire way to lose everything you built. One little tweak to the algorithm and that's it. So build your fanbase your way. Broken record here, but an email list is your best friend.

[Full story at DMN]

The Indie AI Lawsuit Just Brought in the Big Guns

What's Up

Another lawsuit story, because why not? Remember the indie class action suit against Suno and Udio? Of course you do. Well, the independent creators just brought in some serious muscle. Hagens Berman has officially joined the legal team.

So What

Ok, first, who's Hagens Berman? They're the firm that squeezed out millions from Apple and Google. With a law firm like that chasing their tail, Suno and Udio have to be shaking in their boots right now.

Now What

If this ends in a settlement, there'll be a payout pool for indies. Maybe two years from now, maybe five. But you won't get a single cent if you can't prove you own your tracks. Register your copyright and make sure your metadata is on point.

[Full story at DMN]

How One Band Turned Van Packing into Pay-Per-View

What's Up

OnlyVans. No typos there. It's a new subscription fan site launched by indie rock band Starbenders, and it's exactly what it sounds like. For a monthly fee, fans get access to a private Discord server filled with pics of the band packing their gear into their tour van.

So What

It's fun and funny, which is surprisingly hard to pull off. But what's even harder is taking a joke and turning it into a business. They took the, let's be honest, most boring part of touring and turned it into an exclusive, inside-joke community. A subscription gets you a read-only feed of perfectly packed gear. Spring for the higher tier and you can DM the band while they travel across Europe.

Now What

First off, great artists steal, so steal. This is honestly a great idea. All you need is a group of hardcore fans who are willing to just hang out. Get weird. Get oddly specific. And maybe start your own OnlyVans.

If you want to check it out, go to OnlyVans.band (warning: don't just type OnlyVans on Google).

[Full story at Hypebot]