I'd like to point out that there's absolutely no way an Instagram account that is not even a month old gets hundreds of thousands of likes almost every upload. That should be an immediate red flag to everyone, Instagram included.
Another thing worth pointing out is that iTunes charts in 2026 are pretty meaningless. Do you buy music on iTunes? Does anyone else you know buy music on iTunes? Even those that still buy music have at least 3-4 more relevant stores to chase after. It's like finding a niche book category on Amazon, anyone could astroturf their way to the top 100 and I doubt it'd cost you more than for a legitimate artist to even rent a studio to record an album properly.
I bought music from iTunes 2 days ago for the first time in like 15 years. I’ve gone back to the iPod life. But I’d almost never buy anything that would be considered chart level music. I was scrolling through the top 100 thinking “who is buying all this crap?”
That's like asking HN if they buy Christmas CDs at Tesco. This is a very self-selecting group of people. I know people who buy off of iTunes, who don't use Spotify, who've never heard of Bandcamp, who still listen to the radio… there are people beyond your little bubble. It's a big old world.
You're re-arguing their point. They are saying it's such a diverse market that iTunes doesn't effectively act as a proxy for the whole market anymore, not that no one shops there anymore (shades of "No one goes there anymore... It's too crowded!").
I've had pretty good luck finding bands on 7Digital when they don't have a Bandcamp. I'm sure they aren't perfect, but they seem better than Apple at least.
It’s mainly the mental load that you even have to think about it.
I find also that much like junk food, AI music is optimized to be catchy. The initial feeling I get is “yeah this is nice”, but then you realize the lyrics are weird, some words don’t exist, the voice is off…
Guns N' Roses blazed this trail in 1986 with their faux live EP titled Live ?!@ Like a Suicide [0] which was reissued as the B-side to G N' R Lies in 1988.
