“They’ve got us by the collar:” How social media and streaming’s rise brings local acts new audiences but lower pay - The Ithaca Voice

“They’ve got us by the collar:” How social media and streaming’s rise brings local acts new audiences but lower pay - The Ithaca Voice

ITHACA, N.Y. — It wasn’t Rowan Drake’s music that got him signed to Atlantic Records in 2022, he says. His songs at the time — a year since he’d graduated Ithaca High School and moved to Los Angeles — “had no need to say anything.” He had little name recognition and no social media virality. What he did have, he remembers, was charm, hustle, and belief. And the date he dreamed he’d sell out Madison Square Garden inked on his side: June 12, 2025.…