My Ambient Music Struggle Against Music Platforms

This post could start as a tale of a battle between Good and Evil:

In the vast digital realm of music streaming, a tale of epic proportions unfolds—a battle between the forces of ambient artistry and the titans of algorithmic playlists. This is my story of triumph against the odds, a saga of perseverance in the face of platform indifference.

Our hero (that’s me) embarked on a quest to share the soothing sounds of ambient music with the world. Armed with nothing but a synthesizer and a dream, I ventured into the treacherous territories of Spotify, Apple Music, and beyond.

The villains of our tale? The all-powerful algorithms that threatened to bury my creations in the depths of obscurity. These digital gatekeepers, with their preference for catchy pop tunes and viral hits, seemed determined to silence the gentle whispers of my ambient compositions.

But it is way simpler than that.

And I can assure you, I tried my best.

Yet, Apple seems to have a peculiar knack for misunderstanding music genres.

After uploading my latest album, AMBI, to all music platforms (except Apple Music and iTunes, as they mistakenly categorize my tracks as Meditation and Relaxation, which are inexplicably forbidden), I decided to tackle this “minor” issue head-on.

Release a remix album of the songs they deemed too relaxing or meditative.

And that’s what I did. I took the same tracks and layered beats underneath each one.

The result? Quite intriguing. Minimal effort, impressive outcome. I even prefer the remix of “A House in a Forest” to the original — the bossa nova vibe in the remix is rather catchy.

Last week, I received an email stating I needed to opt out my release of iTunes (and consequently Apple Music) because these remixes were still classified as “Relaxation or Meditation” tracks.

I complied with their request; it’s not my distributor’s fault.

And I don’t think the problem lies with Apple itself, but rather with producers trying to upload anything and everything — from white noise to one-note songs that take mere minutes to create and release.

Apple is within its rights to block this type of audio, of course. Human curation is likely impossible due to the massive daily content uploads. However, perhaps a dispute button to present one’s case could be a good idea. I doubt the white noise or one-note producers would take the time to file a claim and await a response.

After I opted out of Apple and iTunes, they magically appeared on my Pre-save link.

That’s fantastic news, right?

But, in the actual release link, there’s no mention to Apple or iTunes.

Of course, I wish I could have uploaded the original AMBI album to Apple and iTunes, but having the remixes available is already a win for spreading and delivering my music to as many people as possible.

I went and checked if the release is there. No, it isn’t.

I’ll continue uploading new Ambient songs and striving to make them available on ALL music platforms, Apple and iTunes included.

Or, as the end of the tale, one day:

In the end, it wasn’t just a personal victory. It was a triumph for ambient music as a whole, a reminder that there’s always room for thoughtful, immersive soundscapes in our fast-paced world.

So here I stand, battle-worn but victorious, my ambient flag flying high in the digital winds. To all my fellow creators out there facing similar struggles: keep creating, keep believing. Your epic win might be just around the corner!

And if you want to listen to it, here’s the link to all available platforms.

Best wishes,

Billy.