Quadraginta can only be found on alternative streaming services. You need to keep that in mind when searching for this track.
We all know the major streaming services, and they get a lot of attention. These services account for a large share of artists’ royalties—or at least, that’s the idea. Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that the reward system is not always fair. Only a small percentage goes to the artists, and the calculation formula per platform is not always fair, either.
Subscriptions
The platforms Bandcamp, Mirlo Space, and Nina Protocol don’t actually provide compensation per stream. Does that make it fair? Not in that respect. But there is another important difference: through these services, it is possible to purchase tracks. In the case of Bandcamp, it’s even possible to subscribe to a channel for a fee. For Neptune’s Barista, you can do this starting at €4.99 per month (or more, if you choose). The advantage is that you no longer need to make separate payments for tracks, and you gain access to all tracks in the catalogue—including those that can’t be found anywhere else.
Mirlo Space and Nina Protocol don’t offer these subscription options. Through these services, you can listen to tracks (for free) and/or purchase them. The benefit is that you actually buy the tracks. For the creators, the advantage is that the compensation is much friendlier: the platform takes a certain percentage, and the rest goes to the creators.
Another benefit of Mirlo Space and Nina Protocol for visitors/listeners is that everything is completely free unless you choose to make a payment. In addition, no ads are shown or broadcast. This also applies to Bandcamp.
Spotify?
It’s a fair question why Neptune’s Barista can only be found as an artist on Spotify without any tracks added. This has to do with the compensation system and the investments Spotify has made. Neptune’s Barista’s tracks used to be available on this streaming service. But investing in genocide was a boundary that was crossed. After that, various additional reasons arose to withdraw the music from this platform, including the option to alter music using AI tools.
Soundcloud?
The same question asked about Spotify can also be asked about SoundCloud. Why is there an account for Neptune’s Barista but nothing in the catalogue?
This has everything to do with the limitations imposed by the basic version of the platform. A paid version requires investment. Neptune’s Barista is an independent project, an initiative by Harm Jagerman. That means I (Harm Jagerman) need to make an extra investment. I’d gladly do so once the number of streams increases or sales rise. Then SoundCloud will be on the list. For now, I preferred investing in another distributor. If you’d like to make it possible already, donate via Ko-Fi, and then I can make my music available on SoundCloud as quickly as possible—including Quadraginta.
About Quadraginta
Quadraginta runs a little over forty minutes. Unlike most other tracks, it doesn’t really carry a deeper message. That’s why the description of this track took a completely different direction. Perhaps that’s educational in its own way, don’t you think?
