Music businessNo. 01
Does the 1,000 true fans theory actually work?
The real math for musicians, adjusted to 2026.
Plain answers to real questions about the music business, photography, and making things. Researched with Claude, checked and edited by me. Every number is sourced or marked as an estimate.
No. 01 ยท Music business
Kevin Kelly's famous math, rerun in 2026 dollars. How many superfans an artist really has, what followers are worth, and what to track instead.
The real math for musicians, adjusted to 2026.
The two copyrights in every song, who usually holds each, and who pays them.
The registration checklist for independent artists, in order.
The royalty pool, streamshare, and the 1,000-stream rule.
The independent-versus-label divide, and the deals in between.
Sampling theory, the blind tests, and what analog gear actually adds.
Why light is so much harder to digitize than sound.
Depth, not color: three crossings of light in a film print.
Sun height, the color of daylight, and the question that became Heliograph.
New conversations every week on Instagram
@stuartsingleton