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Welcome (or welcome back!) to Mitxoda Weekly #48!
Every Friday, I gather the sparks that keep our scene alive: the latest tracks, stories from behind the amps, shifts in the industry, and voices that refuse to be drowned out by noise.
If you’re new here, this Weekly is not about hype or algorithms. It’s about real discoveries, real struggles, and real joy. It’s a place where we put indie first, celebrate each other, and keep asking the hard questions: who protects our art when promises fall short?
This week we travel wide, from Belgian stages to Australia’s fierce debates, from Subvert’s radical 0% fee decision to AI laws that look better on paper than in practice. And always, in between, music worth your time.
So settle in, headphones ready, heart open.
Oh, by the way, I m currently making a list of all these bands quitting Spotify…
Love and welcome!
Mitxoda
Quick Indie News from Belgium
Yanu is back on stage this September, with shows on the 13th at Mena Bar (Maubray) and the 20th at Place de la Vaillance (Anderlecht).
Dashbox will do an acoustic live session in Namur this Sunday morning!
When AI Promises Protection, But Artists Still Stand Alone
Europe: The AI Act & The GPAI Code
Europe loves to say it’s the first in the world to regulate AI. And yes, it is.
The AI Act now includes a General-Purpose AI Code of Practice (GPAI), effective since August 2025 (sources: General-Purpose AI Code of Practice – EU
and EU GPAI Code of Practice Policy)
It has three big promises:
Transparency (companies must reveal training data practices)
Copyright respect (a nod to creators’ rights)
Safety (how models handle risks) (Intro to GPAI Code).
Sounds great? Not so fast.
Creative organizations across Europe, from book publishers to composers, say it’s too soft. They argue it protects Big Tech more than artists, and ignores the real damage done when cultural work is scraped without consent, following these sources: European Book Industry vs AI Code, ECSA July 2025, Joint Statement on AI Act Implementation and EU AI Act Doesn’t Protect Artists Enough.
So yes, indie artists get a theoretical protection, but in practice? The fight continues.
Jobs & Creation: The MIT Lens
AI doesn’t kill jobs, it reshapes them.
That’s the main conclusion from MIT and IMF studies (AI Job Loss Stats, IMF on 300M Jobs, and MIT Sloan: Automation & Labor Value)
The IMF estimates 300 million jobs worldwide could be affected, not wiped out, but transformed.
Two-thirds of all jobs will feel some AI impact (Distributique Report on AI & Jobs).
MIT Sloan researchers call it a shift in value, not an apocalypse.
For indie artists, that means:
More tools at your fingertips (cheap mastering, instant visuals, auto-marketing).
But also more competition, as tasks once “human-only” get automated.
Adaptation, through upskilling and reskilling, isn’t optional anymore, it’s survival.
Australia: Calling Big Tech “Pirates”
Down under, the debate is raw.
A Senate committee literally called AI giants “pirates” stealing culture (source: Australian Senator: Tech Are Pirates).
74% of Australians want to ban AI training on creative content without permission or pay (Australians Demand Compensation).
Yet, no binding law exists. The government stays divided, torn between protecting artists and fostering innovation (Liberal Party NSW – AI Debate).
The Australian Council of Trade Unions keeps pushing, but for now indie artists remain in legal limbo (Australian Council of Trade Unions Report).
It’s a classic standoff: people vs. platforms, culture vs. profit.
One truth stands: AI promises a lot, but artists are still left exposed.
The gap between regulatory promises and real protection is wide.
For indie creators, that means staying vigilant, adaptable, and loud.
Because if we don’t fight to protect our music, our words, our art,
no code, no law, no Senate speech will do it for us.
Big news from Subvert.fm: their newly elected board has approved a bold 0% platform fee model, forever. Instead of charging artists or labels, supporters will see optional contribution amounts at checkout (5%, 10%, 15%, custom, or none).
This wasn’t a top-down move: the proposal was openly debated in the members’ forum for months, refined through community input, and finally approved by vote of the elected board. It’s a true cooperative decision.
The model will run as a transparent experiment, with Subvert committed to publishing the results by May 2026. If contribution rates sustain the platform, it stays; if not, the community will choose the next path forward. Indie solidarity in action. Exciting, right?
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Latest Indie Power
The best of the best of the latest I got recently… awesome, as usual.
🎧 Marla Fredonne – Même pas peur
📅 Released: 2020-11-21
🌍 France | Rock | 4:17 | Spotify
A song about hope and embracing the beauty of life. Light and positive rock with a message.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 RedPrint – Herd
📅 Released: 2023-10-11
🌍 Netherlands | Rock | 4:22 | Spotify
A remastered hard rock track full of grit and drive. Featured on their EP, “Herd” has evolved into a bold statement of sound.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Jo Wilburn – Along for the Ride
📅 Released: 2024-03-08
🌍 United States | Rock | 4:07 | Spotify
Southern rock about reclaiming your autonomy. “Let me behind the wheel,” she says, breaking free from someone else's control.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Keltstache Music – SHARK
📅 Released: 2024-04-22
🌍 United States | Alternative | 3:45 | Spotify
A track from the upcoming album Legacy. The song explores predator-prey dynamics and morphs mid-track to touch on human relationships. Intriguing and bold.
▶️ Listen here
🎧 Bob Houghton Music – Hidden Doorway
📅 Released: 2024-08-13
🌍 United States | Rock | 5:08 | Spotify
Written and recorded for a local collaboration with the Idaho Songwriters Association, a sincere and grounded rock piece.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Keltstache Music – Fighting Dinosaurs
📅 Released: 2025-06-02
🌍 United States | Alternative | 2:48 | Spotify
A song inspired by a real-life argument with an Elvis impersonator at a county fair. Full of metaphor and tongue-in-cheek energy.
▶️ Listen here
🎧 Streetside Philosophy – Oil
📅 Released: 2025-05-12
🌍 United States | Alternative | 3:24 | Apple Music
A song about longing, patience, and preparation, reflective alternative music with lyrical depth.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Personal Best – A River
📅 Released: 2025-08-01
🌍 United Kingdom | Jazz | 3:38 | Bandcamp | Instrumental
The first taste of a more jazz-influenced direction for Personal Best. The song builds like a river, calm and steady, growing in width and power. Rich with guitars, percussion and winds, but clear in its forward direction.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 The Sanctity Of Crows – Second Sun (radio edit)
📅 Released: 2025-08-14
🌍 Scotland | Other | 4:20 | Spotify | Instrumental
An instrumental depiction of a nuclear attack followed by a biological wipeout. Inspired by Hiroshima and Nagasaki, using Japanese musical elements. Heavy, cinematic, and haunting.
▶️ Listen here
🎧 Nadine de Macedo feat. Daniel Hiatt – Into the Abyss
📅 Released: 2025-08-15
🌍 Germany / USA | Metal | – | Spotify
A metalcore rage about fake friends. Harsh and emotional, with a clean version also available on Spotify.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 The Obsidian Resurrection – Unholy Retribution
📅 Released: 2025-08-15
🌍 United States | Metal | 9:29 | Spotify
Symphonic death metal meets epic storytelling. A cinematic tale of cosmic rebellion, with fallen angels challenging the authority of God.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Ataraxia Music & Carlex Don – PURPOSE
📅 Released: 2025-08-15
🌍 United States | Pop | 3:37 | Other
A heartfelt collaboration born from admiration and friendship. A gift-song from Ataraxia Music to Carlex Don — an emotional cross-cultural exchange turned track.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Buried Beneath Me – Let It Burn
📅 Released: 2025-08-15
🌍 United States | Alternative | 2:46 | SoundCloud
The 4th single from the upcoming album The House Of Ash. Sharp, intense, and unapologetic alternative rock.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
🎧 Histheory – Stars on The Water
📅 Released: 2025-08-22
🌍 France | Instrumental | 3:12 | Spotify
The latest single of the prolific French composer Histheory is out now.
▶️ Listen here
🔗 Social
Historical Fact: Dream On, But Not at My Rally
On August 24, 2018, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler formally demanded that Donald Trump stop using the band’s music, particularly "Livin' on the Edge", at political rallies. Tyler’s legal team issued a cease-and-desist letter, citing the Lanham Act, which prevents the false impression of endorsement.
It wasn’t the first time: Tyler had made a similar request back in 2015 over "Dream On”. For many artists, the move sparked a broader conversation about political use of music, and who really gets to decide the soundtrack of power.
Here it is! A little slice of history shared just for you!
Keep the Historical Fact?
Nadine's Indie Treasures: The Monster in Me
Picked with curiosity by Nadine de Macedo
Here is something for the heavy folks. The Monster In Me is a German metalcore band, but one of the few with clean female vocals and male heavy gutturals. I stumbled across this band on SoundCloud and am happy to find their songs "Sleepwalker", "Shapeshifter" and "Unleash The Beast" on all platforms.
💬 Introducing Nadine’s Indie Treasures a new chapter where Nadine de Macedo handpicks and spotlights exceptional artists. Subscribe to her Bandcamp to support her work, enjoy exclusive singles, and be part of her evolving story!
Until Next Week: keep creating, keep discovering, keep believing.
That’s a wrap for this week’s journey.
If you’ve been here since the beginning, thank you for carrying the flame with me. If you’re new, I’m glad you’ve found this corner of the indie world, stay curious, stay loud, and never stop sharing the tracks that move you.
Because the truth is simple: no law, no algorithm, no platform fee can define what indie really is.
We do. Together.
Stay Fun, Stay True.
Love on You,
🖤 Mitxoda
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