Phil Gold’s Post

I just received a surprise royalty payment. I’ve mentioned in the past that my hobby is music. I actually have a few self-published “albums” that are available to stream or purchase through most of the more popular channels (Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Soundcloud, etc.; look for “therealphilgold”), but this has never been anything more than an outlet for expression – I certainly don’t expect to make a living making music! My biggest triumph was when one of my tunes was licensed for use as background music for a promotional video, which enabled me to brag that I had made more money as a musician than Schubert (spoiler: he didn’t make any money during his too-short lifetime). But honestly, my total lifetime earnings wouldn’t be enough to pay for a good guitar. Yesterday, I got an email out of the blue from CD Baby, which was the company I used to publish my first two albums in 2014 and 2015. They were sending me a whopping US$37 for streaming royalties dating back to 2018. Before you laugh yourself into a coma, I have to point out that on average, each streaming listen earns me the fabulous amount of 8/10 of a cent - $0.008. If you look at it that way, over 4,500 people have listened to these songs over the years. So yes, I am now €32 richer (less the cost of a vermouth to celebrate). But more importantly, somewhere out there, thousands of people have clicked “play” on something I made. Maybe they were studying, cooking dinner, doom-scrolling, or just looking for a soundtrack to their Tuesday. And that, more than the money, is weirdly wonderful. So, here’s to tiny triumphs, long-tail royalties, and the sheer audacity of putting your stuff out into the world, even if it only pays in cents and satisfaction.