A clever band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Vulfpeck, figured out how to scam Spotify for $20,000 by essentially doing nothing. The royalties started pouring in after the band wrote Sleepify, a completely silent album and uploaded it to Spotify.

The scheme was designed to fund a tour of free shows and called on fans to stream the silent album throughout the night. Spotify’s royalty rate is only $.007, but with the band’s fanbase streaming the album all night, the plays—and the royalties—began to add up. Eventually, Spotify owed Vulfpeck $20,000.

The streaming service soon figured out what was going on, though. "It's a clever stunt but we prefer Vulfpeck's earlier albums," Spotify spokesman Graham James told Billboard. "Sleepify seems derivative of John Cage’s work.” Last week, Spotify made Vulfpeck remove the silent album, citing a violation of the terms of service. But interest in the album hasn’t faded just yet: “So where can I buy the vinyl?” a fan recently asked on the band’s Facebook.

Source​

Haw haw!

 

Nice one! I feel... inspired? lol

 

Pretty impressive. How many fans/streams were going to add up to $20,000!?

 

this seems to be a variation on John Cages 4:33 .... (from wikapedia >>>>>>> Four thirty-three" is a three-movement composition by American experimental composer John Cage (1912–1992). It was composed in 1952, for any instrument or combination of instruments, and the score instructs the performer(s) not to play their instrument(s) during the entire duration of the piece throughout the three movements. The piece purports to consist of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed,although it is commonly perceived as "four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence".

AND ... he got paid too !!! ya just gotta love it.

 

Very cool! Anyone with the "Wit and wisdom of Ronald Reagan" single, the one that was totally silent as well?
Here's a youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KijbZjYR39c

 

That's over 2.8 million plays. In one night, that's crazy. Good for them and all, but I don't see why they didn't just ask their fans to stream their actual music all night instead.

 

These guys are my new idols

Ahah this ^^^ is great too

 

Because then it wouldn't be newsworthy.

 

Exactly. This is the kinda stuff that companies pay ad agencies millions to come up with.
Now these guys get a lot of attention for free from ppl like me who never heard of them.
And the cool thing is that they did it by going against the system and beating it. Beautiful

 

haha love it