Hi friends,

I’m writing this as I pack for a quick 36-hour visit to NYC for NFT NYC — where I’ll be speaking on a panel this Thursday at 10am (Javits Center) alongside Emily Lazar, Tony Parisi, and Tommy Danvers.

We’ll be diving deep into the intersection of music, tech, and decentralization — topics that have been front and center in my mind lately.

And as always, the timing couldn't be more relevant.

Where your streams go

In case you missed it, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has just been named Chairman of a military AI drone company he helped fund with $600 million. Let that sink in. The same man who built a business by streaming our music, profiting off the labor of artists across the globe, is now funneling those earnings into artificial intelligence for warfare.

Every artist who ever released music on Spotify — myself included — contributed to this. We made the platform valuable. We gave it culture. And now we get to watch as that value is converted into weapons.

I stopped releasing on Spotify three years ago. But I wonder if this will finally be the moment when more artists decide to walk away. Because if the exploitation wasn’t enough — maybe this betrayal will be.

I stopped releasing on Spotify three years ago. But I wonder if this will finally be the moment when more artists decide to walk away. Because if the exploitation wasn’t enough — maybe this betrayal will be.

The Rise of Invisible AI Artists

And still, it gets weirder. New allegations suggest that Spotify has been quietly adding AI-generated music to its editorial playlists, without disclosing it to listeners. Not experimental AI music. Not clearly labeled “made by machine” tracks. Just synthetic audio, blended into your Discover Weekly, passing as human art.

If true, this isn’t just a slap in the face to artists. It’s a subtle war on trust — the trust that a human voice is singing to you, writing to you, reaching out to you. A digital trick replacing the artist-fan connection. And the worst part? Most people won’t even know it’s happening.

The Death of "Independence"

Meanwhile, Universal Music Group just acquired Downtown Music — one of the last major "independent" distribution networks — for $700 million. This deal folds thousands of artists and hundreds of indie labels under the UMG umbrella. If we break down that $775 million over the estimated 1 million+ tracks or artists in Downtown's orbit, it’s clear: they weren’t buying the music. They were buying market share.

The industry isn’t just a monopoly anymore — it’s an oligarchy. A few massive players controlling every lane of distribution, publishing, promotion, and access. And this is why they’re facing potential scrutiny from the European Union.

So let me say it clearly: you are not independent if your art flows through their pipes. That’s why we need blockchain. To verify authenticity. To decentralize power. To create a new space where artists own their presence and their impact.

A Glimpse from 1905

This weekend, I stumbled across something beautiful in an antique store: a wax cylinder from 1905, the earliest form of recorded music, next to an original Columbia Records poster advertising phonographs.

It read:
“Would you rather hear an unknown artist live, or the biggest and best singer in the world from the comfort of your home? The biggest artists record exclusively for Columbia.”

It hit me — the record business didn’t start with a love of music. It started as a hardware business. Labels signed stars to sell phonographs. Art was the bait. Technology was the product.

And honestly? That hasn't changed. Today, artists are still being used to push platforms, gadgets, algorithms. But here’s where I feel hopeful: tech is becoming cheap and ubiquitous. And when that happens, the power starts to shift. Art becomes the differentiator again. People still buy tech — but they buy it to access art.

We’re witnessing a reversal. And we’re part of it.

A Brighter Vision

What we’re building together — this community, this movement — is proof that tech and art can uplift each other, but art must always lead. This is not a product demo. This is culture. And culture moves people.

Every digital collectible, every concert, every mint is part of a larger revolution to put art back at the center.

If you want to go deeper into these thoughts, I host live conversations on Twitter Spaces every Tuesday and Friday at 2 PM EST, and Discord concerts for collectors every Friday at 4 PM EST, where I share behind the scenes, new music, and reflections like these.

It’s a long game — but we are already winning.

With love,
Violetta