The music biz is an omni-shifting landscape, and whether it’s Spotify hacking, crowd funding wizardry, or good ol’ fashioned record label tomfoolery, there’s merit to be found everywhere.

But pull back the microscope far enough, and we’re all in the same magnificent, rickety boat. No one knows what the hell’s going on, and anyone who claims proprietorship over the “way you’re supposed to do things” is a douche.

And that’s ok. Provided you’re not an asshole, chances are the inelegant flailing you’re so terrified of is the byproduct of authentically creating and expressing the thing in the service of which you’d happily sacrifice your sex life to get right.