Streaming Can Wait: Jonny Hetherington on How Art of Dying Is Betting On Their Fans

Jonny Hetherington is keeping Art of Dying's new album off streaming entirely — vinyl, CD, and digital download only. Two decades, eight albums, a Warner deal through Disturbed, and 200 million streams later, the frontman tells Lance Marwood on MAKE // BREAK exactly why: the maths that never recoups, the 1,000-stream rule that pays new artists nothing, the AI clog, and the analog revival pulling fans back to owning music. It's the clearest case this show has captured for going direct-to-fan — plus the $12,000 Suburban story every band signing a major deal should hear first.

In this episode:

• Two decades in: busking, Disturbed, Warner, and 200 million streams
• Keeping the new album off streaming — vinyl, CD, digital download only
• The 1,000-stream rule and the maths that never recoups
• AI artwork fatigue and spotting fake bands in seconds
• Bandcamp, the analog revival, and direct-to-fan done right

Guest links:

→ https://artofdyingmusic.com

→ https://artofdying.bandcamp.com/

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Subscribe — and then go buy an album straight from a band you love. That's the whole model.