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bennjordan
bennjordan

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The Flashbulb / Benn Jordan - Discography (1997-2023)

Missing my music from...ugh, everywhere? Here you go:
LINK UPDATED 03/28/2025 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uAcEG8y29b62Yq5BMzn-iAHK90D06eKz/view?usp=sharing
(Also Torrent/Magnet work in progress)
47 Albums in a 4.1 GB zip file. Most files are between 256kbps VBR MP3 and lossless WAV.

Last Friday (Feb 10th, 2024), I randomly pulled out my phone in the studio to reference one of my soundtracks for a composing collaboration. "Huh. My phone is bugging out", I complained.

Then I noticed dozens of notifications: various listeners letting me know their feelings regarding my removal of all of my music. "What....the...fu????"
And just like that, poof. I was erased from Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Deezer, YouTube Music, and virtually everywhere music is sold or streamed. I logged into Tunecore (my primary digital distributor since 2007), and without warning or any communication, they removed a total of 23 albums.

You've heard these stories before. It's usually something that happens to newer artists with distros like Distrokid or CDBaby, and naturally there is very little support to deal with making things right again. But this is different:

I've had over $500,000 in sales on Tunecore over a nearly 17 year relationship. Music is my source of personal income, as my YouTube channel and other projects operate as a non-profit organization (that does not pay me a salary). That's gone all of a sudden.

And aside from my relationships and records, think of my listeners. "The Flashbulb" has about 1.9 million individual listeners on Spotify in the last year alone. There are over 300,000 playlists made in 2023 that now have unplayable tracks in them. The scope of this is actually insane.

So why? What happened? WHY can't you listen to my music anymore?

Spotify has accused me of "streaming fraud" and reported it to Tunecore.
Tunecore, whom I've paid thousands and thousands of dollars to represent my best interests, conducted an "internal investigation" and found "evidence" (none that they could show or explain to me, or anyone, naturally).
So instead of contacting me, withholding funds until things are sorted out, or suspending a suspected Spotify release, they chose a different option:

PERMANENTLY REMOVING MY ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY FROM EVERY SINGLE PLATFORM I PAID THEM TO PUBLISH ON SINCE 2007.

All of this took place:
- 1 day after giving a tip to short $SPOT
- 12 days after giving NAMM speech about Spotify's effect on music
- 3 months after exposing Spotify's involvement in money laundering
- 1 year after a video about Spotify's unsustainability

I have no idea if this was malicious or not, but the argument can certainly be made. It's not like it's good news if it isn't malicious, as that would make this the most incompetent series of events in the modern music industry.

I know, this sounds hyperbolic! Don't take my word for it. https://twitter.com/bennjordan/status/1756870458358546722

The CEO reached out too, albeit not being particularly helpful or bothering to apologize, at least she didn't accuse me of fraud. https://twitter.com/AndreeaGleeson/status/1756765985581814197

So, as of midnight on Feb 12th, 2024, that's where we're at, and that's why I've uploaded my entire discography here. Listen up!

Comments

Crazy how much it is an admittance of guilt when a large company retaliates by stripping their services away from you inexplicably , “oops looks like this music is all fraudulent—just a regular thing that happens here, nothing to inquire about”. “Reasons why? Reasons for what ? Who’s Benn Jordan?”. “Why yes we are all adults, why do you ask?”

Quantum Kat

Thanks for the share! Also for anyone wondering, it's still up on Qobuz (let's see how long it stays there)

Big Skapinsky

Some great memories for me in there Benn. I had Arboreal on repeat for most of 2010-11.

Keith Hare

I am also getting a "No Preview Available. File is in owner's trash."

Michael S

in this community, i am likely at the bottom end of the tech-savvy spectrum (hey, at least i am on the spectrum?!)...can anyone help me with figuring out how to download the file described above? The message i get is that the "preview is in the owner's trash"

Nicholas Naylor-Leyland

Wow, thanks!

ben dewrance

Benn. I thoroghougly understand your need to walk away. It is quite justified. Some of us rather quiet followers miss you.

Jeff Green

And yet our favorite amazing musician is entirely blameless. Hmmm.

Jeff Green

Well, well, it seems as if the FBI has charged the person to blame for riling up Spotify and the distributors: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/fbi-busts-musicians-elaborate-ai-powered-10m-streaming-royalty-heist/

Andrew Beals

Today is June 18, 2024 - what has happened in this since February, five months ago? Has there been any positive resolution? Has anything in this situation changed? Spotify's stock price rose considerably since then, it's about 125% of what it was on Feb 23. Shorting it in February might have been successful, but only if trading it in more narrow time frames than daily prices. Also, its trend of rising stock price showed no sign of abating following Jordan's "exposing" Spotify as having laundered money.

Light 'em Am

Stoked to support Benn and stream this whenever from my lil' Home Server running a PlexAmp Docker.

Nick McKeon

Late to the party, but wow this bites. I want to thank you, Benn, for inspiring me to rethink my own relationship with streaming services. I’ve come to realize that I only put my own music there as a convenience to the handful of fans that I have. Paying for them to host my music has been a net loss for me. Thanks to your inspiration. I’ve decided to simply release my music on Bandcamp and leave the streaming services alone. Hang in there brother.

Philip Stephen Allen

Hi everyone. I’m on the support tier that is meant to get the bandcamp discount. I might have received it but no idea where! 😂 Did anyone else get their code?

Barry

I've increased my membership level to support you Benn, as I did not want to download your discography without showing my support first.

Jeff Green

I dig this download but I've been trying to start a physical CD library too so I'll probably seek out my fave albums for that. I would have used Spotify to remember which ones I had more "starred" tracks in 😅 but I guess I'll just have to listen through this for the next couple weeks. It'll be a good time

Jason Samuels

Bro. First of all, thank you for the music library. Second, I love to support artists on BandCamp. I suggest putting your stuff on there and providing an discography discount. I truly despise Spotify, and this is yet another reason to continue feeling that way. Oh, wait, you ARE on BandCamp. :) A link and a discography deal would have sufficed. ;) I look forward to checking out the tunes. I'm currently here because of your YT content.

Wave Mechanic

If this doesn't show outright corruption and another example of a thin-skinned techbro/sis throwing their toys out of the pram i don't know what does! I'm glad you've gotten the spotlight this deserves and that your content has been restored (on spotify at least). Peace x

Dean Walker

I'm sorry dude -- I listen to your music so dang much that it tricked the Spotify algorithm into thinking they were botted plays. My bad dude. :p

Rich Galante

This is infuriating.

Andrew Fuller

Damn dude, that's rotten to the core! I'm sorry :(

Joel Swensen

Benn this is unfortunate and my hope is that this will lead to something more amazing than you can conceive of now. Your pursuit of truth and justice will have its own rewards. You are strong, and have something all the streaming platforms lack, a community of real humans who care about your message, your art, and you.

John Gorden

I'm so sorry, Benn! I feel terrible for you. The world needs more sincere, wonderfully creative, brilliant people--particularly artists--like yourself. I'm such a fan of your work both in the studio and on your YouTube channel. I've been a $10/mo supporter for a while and I just went to increase my amount but can't see where to I can do that. The next "tier" is $100/mo, which I wish I could afford! Is there a way you can add more tiers in $5 or $10 increments? Thanks!

Bryan

This truly sucks. I don't know how it took me so long, but I didn't discover your work until last year. I do not say this lightly - it fucking reprogrammed my soul. Piety of Ashes was the first time I have just put on headphones and listened to an entire album since I was a high school kid in the 90's. I mean *listened to an album* - not multitasking, coding, messing around the house, just sat there and got lost in a work of art. It brought this incredible sense of peace and awe to an incredibly chaotic period in my life. It inspired me to dust off Fruity Loops, dust off my guitar, then go and buy a new guitar and start playing it every day. Anyway, I've been wondering how long you could poke that dragon. I'm sure it's a drop in the bucket, but I just purchased two more albums on Bandcamp.

Gabriel Harper

Any contemporary business is backed by a few large egos and a small herd of attorneys. By purchasing their services and products, we empower them. Subscription services are just renting us what we used to buy outright cheaper. Artists and customers are always the targets of the middlemen, carpetbaggers, parasites... Choose a noun. That's why we get this behavior and $550 tickets to $65 concerts. Simple greed. We must vote with our wallets. That's all these "people" understand. C(r)apitalism has morphed into an evil thing and it seems that in the current environment of more/bigger/better, that doing good it's not an option for most companies. It's getting really hard to trust anyone selling anything. Wether it's tech, media, food, essentials... anything... somebody's got their evil middlemen (do nothing) claw on it and will fuck us over if they get the chance. Be careful out there people, us peasents need to keep our pitchforks (wallets) at the ready. Thank you Benn for the warning via sharing your unfortunate experience. With your creativity, I know you will find a much better way to share your work soon.

Steve Meiers

That’s absolutely crazy Benn. I’ve been meaning to ditch my Spotify subscription for some time - it seems to have just gone from bad to worse as a music listener as much as a creator. You’ve just tipoed me over, perhaps you could introduce a further Patreon tier for those who want to give you a bit of extra support, but maybe can’t afford the top tier?

Keith Hare

I'm here primarily to support your music and whatever other projects you get up to. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Derek VerLee

Thanks for this, it's very generous in a time when everything was taken from you. I really hope you can find a way to supplement your income. I know some new patrons doesn't cut it, but I'll keep helping with whatever I can to revolutionize this broken system and put in whatever work we create here to make that happen!

Nathan White

Just joined your Patreon, what is happening is DISGUSTING and I fully support and respect your stance against the music industry, i wish bigger artists had the guts to fight this rotten industry.

Pierre-Félix So

Thank you so much for all the music you've put together over the years. I'm about to catch up on a lot of listening this week, haha. I fully support whatever you choose to do with the Tunecore situation. But make sure it inspires you more than weighs you down if you can

theo ellington

...and, if that's successful you may have an argument for additional libel and associated damages to punish them with! Even if you don't want the money, this can't be allowed to happen. Whatever you do, we're all with you all the way. However exasperating and wrong this whole thing is, you've got that.

Tom23rd

Stay strong. And don't forget to get some sleep. We're here to ride this out alongside you.

JP

Sorry you're another victim of the streaming racket, but I truly appreciate the gift and I expect my ears will be happy for many, many hours. Still... your example makes it more clear than ever that it is time to remove these corporate leeches from the industry and start an independent artist co-op music streaming service. A good starting place might be reaching out to the Nebula creator collective. As an EFF fan and active advocate for digital rights I'd be willing to do everything within capabilities and resources to help make that happen.

AArexx AAron Ruscetta

Of course they don't have evidence to give, there probably isn't any. You ruffled some feathers, hurt someone's pee-pee, and gave us transparency into what these companies actually look like behind their veil, and they didn't much care for that. This stinks to fuckin' hell of retaliation. I'll gladly buy your albums either from Bandcamp or directly from you. I'm tired of this streaming service bullshit, and all the baggage that comes with it. I dont want Mr. Ek or Ms. Gleeson to have their pockets lined by me or any other listeners at your expense. You deserve so much better than this. As of now, I've canceled my Apple Music subscription. I'll go back to the way it was when I managed my media for my Zune (lol) and just buy albums the most direct way I can.

Guy Wachtel

What a mess.

Cheapy

Wild. Good luck riding this out. Financial horror aside, it's strangely reassuring to see something finally break after all your commentary. By all means, continue to demand transparency and fair treatment. I'm very curious to see where this goes, please keep us posted even if it's in a private an unpolished update.

Tim Straubinger

This is beyond outrageous. I'm fuming. This CANNOT be how these platforms are allowed to operate. IANYL and litigation is a rough road but I'd consider having a serious discussion with your lawyer(s) about, among other things, tortious interference with contract(/intentional IWCR) (on Spotify's end) and various flavors of breach (on Tunecore's end). You might find an IP/contract/entertainment law firm willing to go in pro bono. Discovery--on Spotify's report to Tunecore, Tunecore's "investigation," and any back-and-forth between the two--would be delicious.

GC

This shit is mind melting. Sue them into oblivion

ezbot

Pretty sure I have your disco in two or three qualities, or physical media form. But one more can't hurt. Wish you luck with this Benn.

TehTechnoGuy


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