SPECTA talks about his passion for music

Today, we have @spectasayso with us.

Hello SPECTA, and thank you for accepting our invitation. Before we delve into the main topic, we want to highlight the multifaceted man: a music enthusiast, YouTuber, influencer, provocateur – #akaLePréfet – and a powerhouse in the music industry – #akaOGMako.

– Who is SPECTA ?

– Specta is first and foremost an urban music enthusiast for about fifteen years. He started making music for about 10 years and then moved to the media side for 5 years via YouTube and now has several formats on television, the internet, and sometimes radio..

– Since you were young, you have been immersed in music, participating in shows and performances in public places as well as underground. How did the music world enter your life ?

– Music entered my life like everyone else. There was a lot of reggae in my household during my youth, and then local dancehall gradually emerged around me. Via the internet, I was able to delve deeper and search for the songs that I liked.

– It is said that your Master’s thesis was also on music. Can you tell us more ?

– _During my Master’s degree, I had to write a thesis of about sixty pages if I remember correctly. The problem is that I am unable to write so much about a subject that does not interest me. So, I linked dancehall to the science of Information and Communication (the title of my Master’s degree). In the end, the subject was “Dancehall in mass media in the West Indies,” and I got a grade of 15, if I remember correctly ! _

– Until today, you manage to combine your professional and musical life. Community Manager, YouTuber, Influencer, TV show host, creator of musical challenges on the web… music is never far away. You always manage to find new ideas and formats for the happiness of your community and for the great misfortune of your haters 😎. Where do you get your inspiration ?

– My inspiration for my various formats often comes from the formats that I consume myself on the web, whether in America or in France. Indeed, the “media” side of urban music was extremely neglected, and the public did not have a place to exchange or even inform themselves on the subject. Through my YouTube channel, my Instagram account, or even my TV show, I try to fill this void.

– I really like your personality because you don’t wait for others’ opinions to live your passion, to do what you like, and you always have an answer to give, even to the haters who follow you closely. What advice could you give to people who only live through others ?

– I recently saw a quote on the subject of “living through others.” Basically, it said: if you live your life according to other people’s opinions, it doesn’t really belong to you. I find that completely true. 99% of the time, when I do something that ultimately works, there are a lot of criticisms at the beginning because it’s human nature. But if we base ourselves on criticism, we never do anything. So, we must first do what we want, even while listening to advice. The important thing is to act for pleasure first.

Crédit photo : Paul Arnault / 16mesures.com

Let’s now talk about intellectual property in the world of music. Often, you explain to your audience the importance of streaming. Can you remind us of the definition of “streaming” or “to stream”?

– Streaming, in essence, is consuming content on the internet without necessarily downloading it onto one’s device. For example, YouTube or Netflix are video streaming platforms. Spotify and Apple Music are music streaming platforms.

– How does streaming protect an artist’s intellectual property ?

– Streaming is the new way of paying for music consumption. Every time someone listens to a song for free when it is available on the platforms, it is literally theft of intellectual property. With streaming, one pays a subscription, and the rights are paid to the artists after. Just like when we used to buy physical or digital albums.

– Does streaming equate to buying an album/song ?

– An artist earns less from a stream than from the sale of an album or song. Because obviously, we don’t keep the song with us, and there’s no cost of physical production either. However, it is better to earn €0.001 for each stream of one’s song than to earn €0 when the public listens to us for free. This was the case since at least 2005, during the peak of the music industry crisis announcing the golden age of piracy.

I still remember the time of MDs – my lack of them in 5th grade – CD players or verbatim printable and reusable CDs front and back. Unfortunately, an era that ate away a good share of the artists’ cake .

– Do you think, Specta, that this era is over ?

– Yes, the CD is now a collectible item. The majority of people no longer listen to music via a CD. A bit like cassettes back in the day. Everything is bound to evolve. Who still watches movies on DVD ?

– Regarding the respect of artists’ intellectual property, have you noticed a positive change in the consumption habits of generations ?

– Little by little, habits are changing, but it will take time as it is necessary to educate an entire population in the Caribbean. But in France or North America, streaming has already become logical. There is an entire generation that doesn’t even know how to pirate songs there anymore because they don’t record songs on their devices.

– Do music lovers behave the same way as less experienced people who still can’t live without music ?

– The most motivated music lovers still buy CDs or vinyl because they love the sound quality. But in general, even the biggest music consumers have to adapt to their time, because with the saturation in the release of songs, it is difficult to buy everything in physical or digital form.

– What solutions do you think are effective for preserving artistic intellectual property ?

– In my opinion, streaming is currently the best solution. Easy and fun for the consumer and fair for the artist. In any case, much fairer than the decade when singers earned nothing because their songs were illegally traded as MP3s all over the world. Unfortunately, many careers ended like this !

– In conclusion of this exchange, do you have anything to add, whether on the topic or on one of your future projects ?

– In conclusion, I would say to support artists with your wallet because sympathy is neither a check nor a bill, and don’t hesitate to follow me on my different accounts to keep up with my different formats! My name is Specta Say So on almost all platforms. Thank you !

A big shout-out to SPECTA for his availability, speaking up, and his photos.

You'll have understood, in life, it's all about unity 🤜🏽🤛🏽. What's better than a local supporting a local artist?

I'll finish with another question: in your opinion, why do many local artists find more success elsewhere or end up orienting themselves away from their home? The reason is not only related to the desire to expand their music internationally… Think about it. 😉👈🏽