The basic printer honesty policy

dear listener,

you may not be aware of this, but the music industry as a whole is largely built on dishonesty:

  • streams, followers, and numbers of all kinds are inflated or flat-out paid for.

  • opening slots for tours with big artists are often sold and bought, not earned.

  • merchandise production is done by robots in a warehouse using cheap materials.

  • songs are written by a team of ghost writers hoping to cash in on the current trends.

  • magazine covers, radio placement, and prime real-estate for exposure is bought by PR companies, injecting a played-up story that otherwise boils down to having rich parents.

    i have a ton of artist friends, some on major labels and more who have had talks with them. the thing is, major labels aren’t doing anything impressive - they just got there first. to spotify, to manufacturers, to venues, to press media, etc.

    when a label needs to create a star, it’s a matter of revving up the engine, sending the emails, and watching all the dominoes fall whether the masses are asking for it or not.

in other words, it’s a lot of fakery. it’s a lot of bullshit. and at best, it’s uninspired or reliant on having the most money.

fuck alllllllllll of that sideways.

from day one, basic printer has been a self-built artist venture based on realness, honesty, and vulnerability - and i want you to know that that spirit is important to me and has carried through until this day.

i’ll admit it - i’ve fallen for the allure of the fake success before. i’ve bought streams (yes, you can do that - 50,000 on good weird, so subtract that whenever you see the play count). i’ve paid an instagram account to feature one of my posts once (it did nothing). i even once paid someone on fiverr to write an article about me, just to see if it would make me seem more legit (it didn’t - it was cringy nontent i wanted nothing to do with). thankfully, these were all cheap ventures that i quickly distanced myself from a long time ago. in the spirit of maintaining this policy of honesty, i would be remiss to not mention that even i’ve fallen victim to this stupid shit in my past.

the point is, i’m not interested in any of that. i don’t want to be any of that. and the worst part is that i don’t think you should be on the receiving end of any of this.

you’re smart.

you’re real.

you have a life, interests, desires, and suffering.

as such, you have limited time. and the major labels solution to that is to buy up every vaguely viral tiktok star and pipe them through grocery store speakers so that you can’t avoid it...and you know why that is? it’s because they don’t know how to connect with you. so, all they can do is beat you over the head with the latest drivel until it’s stuck in there whether you like it or not.

some people will fall for this, but i know my fans...and i know that’s not you.

you’re here because you’re real. you know that life is rough around the edges. you crave creativity and authenticity in the art you surround yourself with. you can’t find authenticity when you’re looking for it from a massive, ruthless machine that’s been based on bribery and fakeness for decades.

so, i wrote all this to show you how i plan to keep this crucial sense of authenticity in my music project. these are the promises i make to you:

henceforth, i will NEVER:

  • pander to you in my music

  • fake my spotify streams, instagram followers, or other number

  • use “print on demand” manufacturing for my merchandise

  • sign a record deal

and i will always:

  • say what i mean in my songs and make music i love and believe in

  • show the real me online

  • source my merchandise and designs from artists, fans, and local businesses

  • stay independent

this is an ‘honesty’ policy after all, so i must say this before i sign off - it is possible that one of these things could change. i can’t predict the future. it’s possible that there becomes a reason to not stay independent, or manufacture my merchandise differently, etc. but if that day ever comes, the change will be assessed with your well-being in mind, and it will be something that i update you on to maintain the most important aspect of my music world - honesty.

you vibe with my music because you have a higher taste for art. you want a real person making something authentic and weird. if i ever stop being honest, all of that falls apart with it. so, that’s why i thought i’d write this.

i’m not perfect, but i’ll always be honest with you. i promise!

thank you for reading, and i hope you have a great time in my world whether it be dancing at a concert, spinning a record, or lounging in one of my shirts. you can rest assured it’s all coming from a true and authentic place.

love you - and i mean that!

-jesse gillenwalters (aka basic printer)