MUSIC DOESN'T NEED MORE ZERO SUM GAMES. But Spotify is doubling down on it. Controlling the pie, then selling access. Here's an explainer on Showcase & streaming's race to the bottom: Music streaming is a zero sum game. FOR MONEY→ You get a play, my payout is reduced. FOR ATTENTION→ You get more algorithmic priority, mine shrinks. Platforms pick winners. And divide up the scraps. Spotify is now monetizing this controlled attention -- and the desperation for it -- with ad tools targeted at artists & labels. Their newest just dropped: SHOWCASE. Pay $100 and get a banner on top of the Home feed. THE FULL ARTISTS & LABEL AD TOOLKIT: 1. MARQUEE: Full screen new release ads. 2. SHOWCASE: Top of Home feed anytime ads. 3. DISCOVERY MODE: Payola to drive algorithmic plays. They control the attention. You pay for it. So, what can you sell through these ads? Things that grow the pie? • Vinyl • Merch • Tickets • Memberships No. Just more streams. You know, re-distributing slices from the limited pie we've got. It's not making profit FOR the music industry. It's making profit FROM the music industry. It actually shrinks the pie. This isn't sustainable. It limits growth. And it invites disruption. Enough zero sum games. WE NEED POSITIVE SUM GAMES. Where everyone wins. Enough fighting over scraps. Let's make a bigger pie.