Stop Blaming the Algorithm & Start Building Your Career | The Neue.Indie Podcast Ep. 10
Episode 10 of The Neue.Indie Podcast gets into a conversation that every independent artist needs to hear. Spotify pays you pennies, the algorithm feels rigged, and the industry seems stacked against you — and you're not wrong. But none of that is your next move. Deraj and Frank Bentley break down why being right about how unfair the music business is won't change a single thing about your career, and what actually will. They cover the $17M Apple Music streaming fraud exposé (85% AI-generated),
Episode 10 of The Neue.Indie Podcast gets into a conversation that every independent artist needs to hear. Spotify pays you pennies, the algorithm feels rigged, and the industry seems stacked against you — and you're not wrong. But none of that is your next move. Deraj and Frank Bentley break down why being right about how unfair the music business is won't change a single thing about your career, and what actually will.
They cover the $17M Apple Music streaming fraud exposé (85% AI-generated), the AI models from Meta and OpenAI that literally slipped containment during security tests, why a music platform that gave artists 100% of sales still shut down, and what indie artists actually need to build — a community they own instead of followers they're renting. Plus a heated Watch, Save, Burn debate about superhero movies that almost got personal, and the GTA VI/Netflix announcement that has the gaming world losing their minds.
This one's real, practical, and occasionally hilarious. Episode 10, let's go.
🎙 Hosted by Deraj → https://www.instagram.com/justderaj/
🎙 Co-hosted by Frank Bentley → https://www.instagram.com/itsfrankbentley/
📲 Follow the podcast → https://www.instagram.com/rep.indie/
Subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq5OtnWdhtGiO7rnQHa-wGQ
Join rep.indie → http://repindie.club/
Got a win or a question? → https://forms.clickup.com/8589472/f/86450-78391/3Q1IFDNE9PGSYIVAF1
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Chapters
0:00 Pre-show: Spider-Man, the Backrooms & Frank's Spider-Man household
7:22 Welcome to episode 10 — how comfortable are the hosts getting?
9:46 Topic preview: the algorithm, Apple fraud, AI gone rogue, GTA on Netflix
15:28 How you feeling? Deraj's week: canceled ACL surgery, project overload & mental health
22:52 Heat Check: Watch, Save, Burn — Spider-Man 2 vs The Dark Knight vs Iron Man
29:02 Music Biz: Apple Music flagged 2 billion fraudulent streams ($17M, 85% AI)
38:02 Culture & Tech: Meta and OpenAI's AI models slipped containment and rewrote systems
44:27 AI in fast food, remote surgery & will AI become as essential as the internet?
50:09 Main Topic: The algorithm doesn't owe you anything — how indie artists should actually think
1:00:36 Nina Protocol shut down after giving artists 100% revenue — what it proves
1:07:16 Hard truths: are artists lazy or just misled?
1:09:22 How Deraj built 15K emails without leaning on social media
1:19:43 Building a career without social media — owning your community vs renting followers
1:21:50 Chase your purpose first — the algorithm cannot stop you
1:26:30 Gaming: GTA VI gameplay trailer coming to Netflix only — this game is different
1:37:49 Wrap up — skipping Black Panther & Sync Licensing, back next week
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Resources Mentioned
- DeMiSA (independent music news): https://www.instagram.com/demisa/
- rep.indie community: http://repindie.club/
- Nina Protocol (shut down) — web3 music platform with 100% artist revenue
- LeCrae on The Manager's Playbook podcast
- Cato on a Track's post about the Nina Protocol shutdown
- Clint (producer community for TV/film music placements)
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#NeueIndie #IndieArtist #MusicBusiness #IndieHipHop #MusicIndustry
