Is My Music Sponsored by McDonald's?

My original music is online on sites such as Spotify, Rhapsody, iTunes, Amazon and others. I make some money from these sites. But where does this money come from? It comes from paid subscribers who stream my music as well as people who purchase my songs directly. However, many streaming sites also offer a free option, which includes ads from a variety of companies. Many of the ads on these sites are spreading positive messages. However, some of the ads are for products I don't endorse, such as hamburgers, steak, etc. Despite these ads, I choose to keep my music on these sites. Here are a few reasons why.

1) To stream music legally, someone must pay the artist. Either you pay, or you let the advertisers pay for you. While paying the artist isn't optional, ads are.

2) My Music is Helping People (hopefully). My goal and intention with my music is to spread positive messages of love, peace and hope. If somebody hears my songs on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon or even free sites such as Sound Cloud or Reverb Nation, I hope they are encouraged in some way.

3) Other artists that I admire are spreading positive messages on paid sites. Vegetarian and vegan artists such as Jason Mraz, Paul McCartney, Jared Leto, Moby, Common, Prince, Morissey and others are all on Spotify and similar sites.

Jason Mraz

Moby                       Paul McCartney

Of course, vegetarians aren't the only ones spreading love. Others such as Bob Marley, Rich Mullins, Jack Johnson and countless others have donated amazing amounts of energy, time and money to charities.



4) I've discovered some great things through ads. Not all ads are bad. In fact, some ads bring life-changing ideas.

5) Ads are constantly becoming more personalized. If I'm watching a YouTube video of someone promoting Christianity, it would be stupid for an ad to run that's trying to sell a new Atheist magazine subscription. Companies realize this, and they're learning to target their audiences through

6) People are smart. I often listen to Spotify and hear ads from McDonald's and other companies that I don't support. I'm smart enough to not run to McDonald's and buy a Big Mac every time I hear an ad for one.

7) Free Speech. I may not agree with all of the ads I see on YouTube, but I've created ads for my music on YouTube before. I like the fact that I have the opportunity to promote my music and my ideals to new audiences. We're bombarded with different messages every day. We ultimately have to make up our own minds instead of simply following what marketing gurus are shoving down our throats.