I don’t have 100k streams, but I do have 7 very nice patrons who have “subscribed” to kid lightbulbs totaling $19.66 of recurring income each month.

After processing fees, that’s barely $16/month, or $191/year. But that also makes kid lightbulbs almost a cost-neutral operation (1/4)

And that’s before one-off sales, much of which I donate or divest, but some of which I do keep.

This makes kid lightbulbs a (slightly) profitable operation. Considering this project didn’t exist 18 months ago, and I’ve put almost no money or ViRaL vIdEo CoNtEnT into promoting it, I’m happy. (2/4)

Streams are not my goal. They are an indicator that someone’s listening but I don’t even know who they are and whether they have any intent to listen again or go deeper, and my music is designed for going deeper, and I know there are folks out there seeking that. (3/4)

My ultimate goal is a profitable (or at least cost-neutral) music operation, which I can grow at my own manageable place and foster deeper experiences for & connections with fans.

This takes patience & defiance of the typical things the “music industry” (and musicians themselves) tell you to do.