youtube's a weird system. i'm up to 90 subscribers, but i don't know anything about any of them. stranger, it seems like virtually none of them checked out my new song. i'm sending the information to almost 100 people and i'm not convinced that any of them are in my 12 hits - it seems like they're all random hits. so, why subscribe to the channel? i dunno, maybe it'll change in the next few days, but it seem to me like a youtube subscribe is some kind of act of solidarity or something.

i do suspect people are mildly confused and what they should be doing is following me on google+ if they want to follow my ranting, but i can't correct that.

i think my initial observation that youtube users have a longer attention span than bandcamp users is still valid, overall, but the average view length on those 12 views is still less than a minute meaning that the few subscribers that did check it out, if there were any, weren't actually interested, compounding my confusion.

i'm also at 5000 hits, though, which is a bit of a milestone. i just wish i knew more about people following me to understand what they're looking for.

i'm not collecting ad information, i'm just trying to build a small fan base. i don't work through a label or anything. there's no chance i'm going to play your town - even if i could get a basic band together, i couldn't really reproduce most of this stuff (which doesn't mean it can't happen, just that the live product would be drastically different. but it's not likely, and i'm not really interested in pushing for it at the moment.). there's really no wall of separation between you and i. so, if you're following me here, and you want to tell me a little about yourself and why you're following me if it's not to hear some tunes....

i think i've figured out that some of it is an implied market operation: people will subscribe with the expectation that i'll subscribe back. which is to what aim? a lot of inflated stats that prioritize networking skills over genuine interest? i'm not going to play that game. it's not about some kind of opposition to market collusion (i fully understand that 'free market' is an oxymoron), it's just that i don't see the use in having 1000 subscribers or likes or followers or whatever if they're not actually interested. it's a lie that doesn't build a real listening base. and, as a user, i don't want to sort through a cluttered feed of shit i'm not actually interested in.

some of it is obvious, and it's worst when it makes no sense. like, i got a subscribe from some bullshit trendy americana-indie band from new york that i've never heard of. nothing i do is anywhere near the genre, and i'm actually not even a fan of the style. at all. what's the use in pretending? i guess if i got the request from something i legitimately liked and respected, i'd reciprocate, but it seems outrageously contrived to do it to inflate stats. in the end, if everybody does that, we're just running on a treadmill, anyways. i want real likes, real followers, real subscribers, real views. and if the number is lower than it would be if i played the game of market collusion, that just reflects the reality of the situation - i'm not a pop artist.

anyways, i'm not going to prod. but i'd like to know what your interest in me is, if you're willing to share.