Brett Newski taking action against the big scam with new album “AmeriCONa”

Now he comes out up to me and says she wants to dance, but there ain't much truth to

her eyes again, sitting in my sat-man chair, hiding under my brown ear, but I think

I need a better disguise.

Because every time she comes around, all I hear is a sound of glory highly of Jesus Christ.

And I'm in love with a Jesus drink, she tells me how to think and how to live.

I am happy to welcome to the show, Brett Newske.

Brett is Wisconsin-based, but world touring.

The song we just heard, Jesus Freak, is from your new album, which isn't even out until May.

Welcome Brett, and I can't wait to hear more about this new song.

Hey Terry, thank you for hosting.

What is the story behind Jesus Freak?

It's just a song about being in love with really evangelical person and being very young at the same time too.

It's kind of based on true events, also dramatized a bit.

When you're young and you're in love, it's hard enough.

Throwing in like the cult mentality into the mix.

It's kind of a funny song about falling in love with someone who wants to convert you and maybe drain your bank account at the end of all of it.

Talking with Brett Newske, here's something that just really grabbed me Brett.

You just took a stand choosing to not stream any of your new music.

And here's what I've been reading.

You say it's a move that defies industry norms.

This new album will not be released on any streaming service.

Tell me why you decided to do this and why now is the time.

Well, yeah, I mean, Spotify is an amazing tool.

We'll just use that as an example.

Obviously, there's tons of streaming services, but that's kind of the overlord.

I mean, amazing tool.

It's the best thing ever invented for a lot of listeners would agree.

It can be neat for bands if you can kind of crack that top, you know, half a percent and like kind of be in the mix, be at the top of the algorithm.

Then you can gain you some fan and pretty quickly, but for the great, great majority of artists, it kills you.

And this is coming from someone who's tried to have faith in the model for a long time.

We've put a lot of money into Spotify as far as advertising, pliering promoters, because that's what people tell you.

That's kind of the narrative.

It's like, you got to, you got to crack the algorithm, you got to crack Spotify.

And you know, you start to do the math.

And it's like, well, damn, we just released this record 100,000, 200,000 people listen to it.

That's a lot of people.

That's a couple giant stadiums.

So we're getting a check for $271, like we can't even put on a show for that.

So it's very abusive.

It has been for a long time.

I don't have an answer yet, but one little pushback that's a brand new experiment that's four days in for our band has worked really nice.

Just selling it directly to people, physical vinyl, CD, digital.

Once you put a record on streaming, it's virtually useless in my opinion.

Is that amount you mentioned to 70 or something?

Is that the most you've probably ever made on any streaming services?

You get royalty checks all the time.

And you know, you'll get a, and I'll get sink licensing money that will be like, your song was on the show, HBO show laid.

And it was played 4,000 times.

And then you'll see it's like $7 or $4.

And that's a separate thing.

Yeah, I mean, you'll get, we'll get streaming checks for 40 bucks.

We'll get streaming checks for two cents.

We'll get streaming checks for $91.

It's all over the place.

It just doesn't, it doesn't work for us.

And it works for almost nobody.

How do you feel knowing that people still are willing to say, okay, forget it.

We like your music.

We're going to buy these physical things that we can have in our hand.

We're going to buy your merch.

We're going to come to your show.

That's still what it's all about, isn't it?

I think so.

I mean, yeah, we're, we're pretty lucky in that we do have a platform while it's not, you know,

we're not selling huge theaters around the country.

I've been able to make a living for the past 10 or 12 years.

So there is that circle, that inner circle that will pay for things.

And that's the only reason I'm still in the game.

I think it's just a matter of really educating the public.

We're in this, this new world where one person has a good idea for an app.

And it obliterates an industry and all of a sudden they have a billion dollars.

And everyone else has to give their stuff away for free in exchange for exposure or whatever it is.

So I think people are generally really sweet kind caring.

If they believe in something, I think they want to support it.

They just don't know how.

I think we'll start to see some movements like this one.

But hopefully from like Justin Vernon or somebody with a little more reach.

We got to educate the public to buy art if you believe in it, you know.

I read that Brian Richie with the violent fams says something on the order of I like the way he is forcing the world to contend with him.

That's strong.

What kind of responses have you been getting from people?

Just a lot of a lot of email a lot from music fans, but also artists, you know, are the ones that really jump out at me.

They're kind of inspired to do the same thing.

Now it's so new like nobody really releases records and doesn't put them on streaming.

I think that this will be a thing that happens a lot soon.

And it'll be really kind of busy and people will be stoked about it.

But then everyone will be doing it and then won't be interesting anymore.

We'll have to come up with some new way to listen to music or to put music out.

But it's really exciting because, you know, you put this stuff out.

You kind of hold back and it's, you know, whatever.

I'm nobody in the grand scheme of things.

But this is a nice litmus test to have musicians start to stick out for themselves.

Because musicians are for lack of a better word.

I don't know, just sensitive and don't stick up for themselves.

You know, we get pushed around.

We've heard the narrative for so long that music is free.

Or this exposure is going to be great.

You know, at a certain point, you're like, I'm not playing for a bar tab.

I'm not playing for a tip jar.

I'm not playing for exposure.

It's why the industry has feasted on the hopes and dreams of people for so long.

Because we're big dreamers.

And we're not always the most business savvy.

The good news is the new era of musicians is getting a lot better at that.

Like these kids that are coming up 10 years younger than me.

They're a crafty.

They're really savvy online.

They know the business.

You know, I started 10 or 15 years ago.

If you did the DIY, that was not cool.

Trying to make it work in hustling.

Because I didn't have like a rad label or anything.

But now it's, you get respect for the hustle, which is good.

It's a new era.

You know, you talk about music and you're doing it full time.

Do you still love it?

Do you still have the dream?

I love it.

Yeah, I'm still obsessed with it.

I still wake up pretty pumped to get up in the morning.

Most days, I get down and I have big troughs and stuff.

Yeah, it's, uh, my burnout is short lived.

Good to hear.

Music is just a lifeline for so many people.

I'm talking to Brett Newsky.

If you want to know more about Brett, he's got some shows coming up.

Check out his new album and save it.

So you get it when it does come out in May.

Brett Newsky dot com.

Brett, I'm going to spell your name.

B-R-E-T-T-N-E-W-S-K-I dot com.

You also mention a living wage.

You know, when we talk about those numbers, how does one pay the bills?

I mean, we're all talking about this right now in life anyway.

I've had a really diversify a lot of the stuff I do.

You know, for a while, it was like 95% of all income was from live shows.

I was just burning out too hard.

It was just too brutal to kind of keep up.

And it's like, oh, we just played a tour in Germany.

We did 20 shows across Europe.

Okay, they're going to need you back in nine months to kind of keep momentum going.

But that just got to be too much.

So, you know, I put out a couple books.

I put out that hard to be a person book, which was like a humor meets mental health book.

I put out this book not too long ago called Piss in the Wind,

which is like my weirdest shows and tour journals from when I lived in Asia and toured around,

you know, Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City, Philippines Hong Kong.

Those books have been really nice like supplemental income.

And then just figuring out ways to kind of put out records that's unconventional,

that gets people excited.

You know, I've been building a mailing list since my first show 15 years ago.

I mean, without that, I would be toast.

And that's just a way to kind of get people pumped up in the people who really believe in the project

and the band to, you know, buy tour shirts and records and vinyl through the website and that sort of thing.

What do you think is the final statement about the decision you've made to do this?

How are you feeling in this moment as we talk about it?

Yeah, well, it's cool because I mean, we have enough records online.

People want to listen to stuff for free. That's great.

And I will put out a message at some point really soon.

You know, if people aren't in a spot where they can buy a record, like I have more than half,

and I'll send it to them personally.

Yeah, musicians got to start sticking up for themselves and we got to stop being such cowards about some of this stuff.

You know, I'm a pretty sensitive person.

I don't really like controversy, but it's taken me 12 or 13 years to kind of like break out of the trance in a way to be like,

all right, well, this isn't really working.

Like we're seeing hundreds of thousands of people listen to our records, you know, across the world.

And while you look at the back end on these platforms, it's really cool to watch.

It's exciting. They're like 54 people love the new single in Indonesia, 294 in Cape Town.

And we're like, wow, that's incredible.

But at the end of the day, it's like, it costs 100 bucks just to fill up the gas tank, inflation in America, post-pando has been wild.

Everything costs double.

So it's not like musician wages have really gone up with that either and a lot of other industries as well.

It's one of the more expensive jobs I can think of is getting for grown people in a van and touring around.

And it's a great job. We're lucky and I'm honored to have the privilege to do it.

But it's hard, it's hard to have work and it'd be nice to be paid fairly for it.

Thank you for your music. It's always a great listen.

And thank you for your willingness to talk about this decision that you've made.

And I hope it makes a difference for you and I hope other people step up and go,

you know what, if he can do this, then I'm going to follow his lead.

Yeah, thanks, Terry. I mean, we'll see.

We can check back in in six months to see if it's still working, you know.

I will write you on the calendar in six months.

We are going to end this discussion with another one of your new songs.

This one's not even released at all yet. Am I right?

That's right. World premiere.

Bitter end of the beginning.

I mean, you just get a picture in your head when you say those words.

Tell me about this song.

So this song I wrote with the buddy Ian Fisher is like a strong ally.

I mean, he lives in Vienna, Austria, actually.

So we've kind of been sharing lyrics and sharing songs and back and forth.

And it's just got kind of an old school like grungy chugas, low five, back vibe to it.

I've been making all this, all this music recently on cassette tape,

analog tape machines at my house. So it's got a bit more of a throwback feel.

It just sounds a bit more old school.

But yeah, let her rip. Let me know what you think.

All right. Hey everybody, this is Brett Nuski.

Again, Wisconsin-based world touring.

He's got a bunch of shows coming up in support of his new album.

Go to his website, Brett Nuski.com.

Here is bitter end of the beginning.

Brett, thanks so much.

Better see the tambourine, bigger teeth, and all of the blood on the box.

Gasoline, blistering, eity, and I'm hit the sweet love.

I'm just kidding, starting on the bitter end of the beginning.

I'm just kidding, starting on the bitter end of the beginning.

Bass and rain, and don't look any tape delay.

I've got most of my thoughts.

Three days to come, and soon growing up,

bad it may get n' out of it.

I'm just kidding,I'm a bitter ending,

the beginning, the beginning,

I'm just kidding,I'm aitter ending,

the beginning, the beginning,

I'm just kidding, I'm a bitter ending,

the beginning, the beginning,

nothing really matters,

and it's only getting better,

if you think it is.

this is called a search everyday,

throw the past, landings on the same,

etch the ramps,

welcome passes,

cup of past ever,

it can never happen.

something pollution as important,

I'm just kidding,I'm a bitter ending,

the beginning,

the beginning,

I'm just kidding,

I'm just kidding, I'm a bitter ending,

the beginning,

the beginning,

I'm just kidding,

I'm a bitter ending,

the beginning,

the beginning,

the beginning,

the beginning,

nothing really matters,

that is only keeping us,

that is only keeping us,