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Why do musicians still need permission to reach their own fans?

Streaming was supposed to democratize music. Instead, it locked creators into a new hierarchy, one where algorithms decide who gets heard, payouts trickle in months late, and artists are cut off from the people who support them most.

You don’t own your audience. You don’t own your data. And unless you're in the top 1%, you barely own your income.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

There’s a technology that’s been working away in the background, powering the open internet for over two decades, letting podcasters and bloggers reach audiences without permission, middlemen, or algorithms. It’s called RSS. And while it wasn’t built for music, it might be the infrastructure that finally puts artists back in control.

The Real Cost of Closed Platforms

For all its convenience, modern music distribution is still built on closed infrastructure.

To get your music heard, you rely on a distributor. That distributor pushes your tracks to Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and others. Those platforms then decide, via opaque algorithms, who sees it, when it shows up, and how it’s paid out. Most artists accept this as the cost of exposure. But that exposure comes with serious trade-offs:

• Delayed payments: Royalties are most commonly distributed on a quarterly schedule, filtered through multiple layers of intermediaries.

• Zero visibility into fan data: You can have 500K monthly listeners and still not know who any of them are.

• Algorithmic dependency: A single tweak to a recommendation system can cut your plays in half overnight.

• Lack of portability: Your audience lives inside the platform’s walls. You can’t move them, reach them directly, or build with them elsewhere.

These aren’t minor inconveniences, they’re structural constraints designed to keep power centralized. Platforms benefit from locking down user data and controlling the monetization flow. And artists? They get analytics dashboards, not ownership.

Meanwhile, creators in other industries, especially podcasting, have quietly thrived on open infrastructure. Thanks to RSS, podcasters can publish once and syndicate everywhere. They own their feed. They own their relationship with listeners. And no platform gets to decide whether they succeed.

Music has lagged behind, not because the tools don’t exist, but because the business incentives haven’t supported openness.

Until now.

The Artist-First Alternative: Music Via RSS

The solution isn’t another platform, it’s a protocol.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a publishing format that lets you distribute content directly to the open web. It’s how podcasts work: you publish once to your own feed, and anyone using a compatible app can access your content instantly.

For music, that means something radical: You can publish a track, set your own terms, get paid directly by fans, and stay in control of your catalog.

Platforms like Fountain are already proving this works. Artists can upload music to an RSS feed and embed payment instructions using the Lightning Network, enabling direct, instant, global payments to everyone involved in the track, automatically split between artists, producers, and collaborators based on preset percentages. It’s portable. It’s decentralized. And it’s creator-owned.

Compared to traditional streaming:

• You own the feed: Not Spotify, not Apple, not some other corporate entity.

• You control the revenue: No payout delays or middlemen.

• You access your listeners: Not just their streams, but their support and identities (if they choose to share them).

• You define your business model: One-time donations, monthly subscriptions -it’s up to you.

But music is more complex than podcasts. It comes with layered rights, splits, and legal protections. That’s why we’ve paired RSS with two powerful tools that make it viable at scale:

Value for Value License

A flexible, open license that defines how your music can be used, shared, and monetized in the RSS ecosystem. It sets expectations, enforces value splits, and prohibits unauthorized use.

Embedded ISRC Codes

Each track includes an ISRC code. A globally recognized ID for sound recordings. These codes serve as proof of authorship, help prevent piracy, and enable future takedowns or legal action if needed.

Together, RSS, the Value for Value license, and embedded ISRC codes form a self-sovereign distribution model. One that isn’t a closed marketplace or a temporary workaround, but a true foundation for an artist-owned future.

How Artists Can Use RSS Today

If you’re an artist looking to distribute music using RSS, here’s how to get started:

1. Choose a platform that supports music over RSS, such as Fountain or Wavlake . When you upload a track, the platform generates an RSS feed for your catalog. You can add your ISRC codes and V4V license easily through the artist upload page.

2. Promote your RSS feed directly to fans. Encourage listeners to follow your feed through compatible apps that support streaming payments. This allows them to support you directly using the Lightning Network.

3. Set value splits in advance. Define percentages for collaborators, producers, and contributors. When payments are made, funds are automatically split and sent to each party.

Common Concerns

Do I need to leave Spotify or Apple Music? No. RSS can run in parallel to existing distribution. You’re not replacing DSPs, you’re creating an additional, direct channel you control.

What if someone copies my track? Embedded ISRCs and licensing metadata help prove authorship and support takedown requests or legal action.

Do fans need Bitcoin? No. Apps like Fountain make it easy for fans to top up with traditional payment methods. The Lightning Network runs in the background

This is an additive step, not an overhaul. It gives you more control without requiring you to abandon your current setup.

Reclaiming the Rails

The core issue isn’t just low payouts or limited visibility, it’s structural dependence. Artists are tied to platforms that control distribution, obscure data, delay payments, and narrow the paths to monetization.

RSS provides a true alternative. It allows artists to publish music directly to the web, reach listeners without platform interference, and receive payments instantly and transparently. With tools like the Value for Value license and embedded ISRC codes, it offers a practical framework for independent, accountable, and scalable distribution.

Tim Berners-Lee said:

> ‍"Data is a precious thing and will last longer than the systems themselves."

Ownership of data, and the ability to control how it flows, is what makes open protocols like RSS powerful.

The infrastructure is already here. What happens next depends on adoption. Artists can start by publishing one track and building one feed. Developers can begin by supporting those feeds and integrating the tools that make them viable. Fans and listeners can begin to support and interact with music they love on host platforms.

The future of music distribution can be artist-owned and protocol-driven. But only if we start using the tools that make it possible.

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