Born with a wooden nose
A bit like Ferdinand Demara
And you know ya
Should never trust that man

Back in 2021, the Nashville Scene published “Are Streaming Services Unfair to Musicians?” – a blistering piece from The Advice King, aka columnist and (incredible) satirist Chris Crofton. As you would hope, Crofton eviscerates the streaming platforms, their pitiful treatment of artists, and their gluttonous indulgences in their own wealth. The entire piece is great, but this portion in particular should be noted:

The big music labels didn’t want to take the time to figure out how to sell music in a post-Napster world, so they cut a deal. It’s a deal that, criminally and forever, devalued my favorite art form. They sold it all. They sold it all without asking — to Daniel Ek — and now there’s no going back.

Artless hands handling art. That’s the crux of the matter. The executive class’s bloody, artless hands, unloading all the world’s music off the metaphorical back of a truck, in the metaphorical middle of the night.

For the members of Tower Defense, inspiration struck. “Artless Hands” was born. A song about the Faustian bargain artists strike with corporate streaming – the potential for exposure in exchange for forgoing any respectable payment in royalties due.

Today we’re happy to announce the debut of an incredible lyric video from the latest release “Fit for Purpose” / “Artless Hands.” The video depicts the laborious process of making pennies – mining, smelting, molding, and stamping zinc and copper into a monetary currency ironically worth more than 1,000 plays on Spotify.

The reminder is scathing, but the delivery is a bop. Watch the video on YouTube, support the release on Bandcamp, Ampwall, Subvert, Mirlo, and, of course, streaming services.