Pitchfork Album Of The Year is Not On Spotify: Trend or Anomaly?
You can’t listen to “Diamond Jubilee,” Pitchfork’s Album Of The Year on Spotify or any other streaming service.
In addition to Pitchfork, other outlets swooned,. Uproxx called the album the “feel-good indie rock story of the year.”
This 32-track two hour opus comes from Cindy Lee, the alter-ego of North Carolina based songwriter, guitarist and drag performer Patrick Flegel.
On March 29, Lee self-released the album without putting it on Spotify or other streaming services and forgoing almost all traditional marketing, PR and distribution.
They first shared Diamond Jubilee” on YouTube and via a very homemade looking GeoCities site, where they solicited a voluntary $30 payment… in Canadian dollars. Why? Maybe because Flegel is originally from Calgary. Or maybe not…
In addition to YouTube, the album eventually found its way to several direct to fan sales sites like Rough Trade and Bandcamp with teasers available to stream.
Not On Spotify: A Trend Or Anomaly?
Artists going direct to fans is not really new, but not including streaming services in your marketing and distribution is.
But, while still in its infancy, its a trend I think you’ll see more of in 2025 and beyond.
Music streaming services and most social services are effectively walls between the artist and their fans. User may discover and listen, but how can a deeper relationship develop without two way communications?
Cindy Lee decided not to opt in and was rewarded for it.
After all, 1000 True Fans means very little in Spotify revenue. But 1000 fans buying a $30 album is a solid start.
But just in case you think this release strategy was a clever feint designed to grab attention, look a bit closer. After all this attention led to sold out shows. Flegel, announced onstage: “I feel like a caged fucking animal” and canceled the tour entirely.
Cindy Lee makes records because she wants to.
In a world where fans pay only a fraction of a penny to listen to their favorite songs that may be the only real strategy that works.
Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.
