The Pandemic’s Effect on the Music Industry, The Geography of Hip Hop, and the Impact of Fatherhood

Key Takeaways

People stream music on their way to work, or when they’re out and about, so the limit on travel has taken a toll on music streaming.
Caps on streaming quality because of bandwidth being exceeded with telework.
In the midst of the quarantine, remember that from boredom comes creativity.
The potential to see the trajectory of your own decisions can change your life.
In hip-hop, “barbershop talk” is universal.
In live music, you either gain respect for an artist you already liked, or it takes away from it. It’s much like being in the arena to prove yourself to your fans.
The school of music...it’s a hard-knock life.
The music industry itself is kind of like a maze and needs reorganizing.
All artists should start out independently.
You have to live your life, mistakes and all, because that makes for good art. But at the same time, sometimes doing nothing is the most productive thing.

Summary

On this episode of Auxoro, Zach talks to New York rapper YONAS about streaming in the age of a pandemic, the life of a streaming artist, and how life in general has been shaken by the COVID-19 crisis. YONAS talks about his views on the world today as well as his background growing up in New York City. He sheds light on what the future might look like for streaming artists and the importance of the shared music experience. Toward the end, YONAS and Zach bond over their love of baseball.

The Cost of a Pandemic on the Music Industry

Streaming has actually taken a hit, as hard as it is to believe.
YONAS didn’t make much money from touring anyway, so the lack hasn’t hurt him too much.
In the wake of “too big to fail” mentalities about banks and giant companies, we realize just how expendable the art community is.

What It’s Like Being a YONAS Fan

His fans like him because he’s authentic, has a sense of humor, and is not afraid to poke fun at himself. YONAS tries to make himself as accessible as possible.
It’s hard for people to get under your skin if you know how to make fun of yourself.

Impact of COVID-19 On Life in General

The quarantine has added hours to our days, but we’re not really equipped to use them.
It’s human nature to be bad at long-term planning.
There’s potential for a changed nature of work, governmental organization, etc.
People are afraid of this crisis seemingly having no end if the virus either reinfects or mutates.

Social Media Influencing Our Behavior

Even in the wake of a global pandemic, people are still being motivated to do dumb shit because of the pull of clout on social media.

The Geography of Hip-hop

The love for debating about the best hip-hop artists exists across geographical boundaries.
The appreciation for live music overseas is bar-none because they might see their favorite artists once a year, if that.

YONAS’ Role as a Father and its Impact

His entire adult life, YONAS was able to call the shots himself without catering to anyone else’s agenda.
His 2-year-old daughter, Riley, pushes him to continue following his passion and striving for excellence.
Small goals motivated him to move forward.

The Music Industry as a Whole

The industry needs to centralize in some way to make it easier for artists to navigate.
Luckily, artists today can find out a lot of the information they need to know on the internet.
It’s very difficult to find royalties and publishing across the globe.
Even something as simple as finding a manager who won’t screw you out of your own money is too difficult. Contract negotiation is another skill to be developed.

YONAS’ Biggest Strengths as a Rapper

His resilience is at the top of his list, because you need to keep creating.
He remembers that he loves doing this, and that it’s a blessing for it to be his career.
His ability to find new ways to look at the world.
Actually think about the media you’re consuming, and appreciate creative choices.

What Most People Get Wrong About YONAS

That people think he’s more serious and aggressive than he really is.

YONAS’ Experience with the Violin and Classical Music

The music is so complex, and you more or less inherit that.

Key quotes

02:20 — “The pandemic has made it so there are fewer places where music exists.”

04:30 — “I invested a lot of time investing my presence in the digital space.”

08:45 — “Take what you do seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously.”

19:45 — “That’s where this next generation is at. ‘Do it for the ‘Gram.’”

31:20 — “You can never replicate the spiritual experience of live music in a stream.”

35:22 — “In a capitalistic society, the banks reign supreme.”

48:30 — “There’s so much that goes into the life of an artist that people don’t even think

about.”

57:00 — “Sometimes it’s good to not be focused...sometimes you have to go and life

your life a little bit.”

1:06:45 — “Just because you’re reading doesn’t mean you’re growing.”

1:08:30 — “Theft is a form of flattery.”

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