Transcripts:
Did you hear what the 2025 panone color of the year is? White. Sorry, cloud dancer technically, but white. The word of the year, named by Miam Webster, is slop. Time magazine's person of the year, though, m the architects of AI. If it feels like culture got emptier this year, you're not crazy.
It's literally colorless, meaningless, and soulless. We have AI content taking over, including AI music landing on the Billboard charts. I'll show you why this is happening and what you can do about it. Then I'll invite you to something we're doing off algorithm. By the end of this video, you'll have three practical steps to reset your media consumption and go much deeper with people who love good music just as much as you do.
It's not going to fix the world, but it might make you feel better. No, actually, it might change the world. Let's start with big media. I'm not going to give you the Ken Burns history of television here, but you know the story. We got rid of cable and then we got Netflix and then Hulu and then Amazon Prime and Disney Plus, HBO Max, Paramount Plus.
Wait, we just reinvented cable. You're paying more. You still can't find what you want. And yes, there are ads again. And as annoying as it is to pay for a bunch of different streaming services, if these studios combine like they're trying to do, it makes it even riskier for them to make great movies with a smaller appeal.
Everything has to make back big money or it won't get made in the first place. This is why we've seen so many sequels and remakes in the past decade. This is only going to get worse, especially with AI. Remember when Uber first showed up and we all went, "Wow, it's just a regular person in a regular car giving me a ride. How cool.
" But if you look closer, Uber isn't actually rides with nice people. It's just a way to get you from point A to point B. But there are other ways. This is why Uber is investing hundreds of millions of dollars into self-driving cars. If they can figure out a way to get you from point A to point B cheaper, they will.
This concept carries across to so many different industries. What does Netflix provide? A movie streaming service? No, not really. Not anymore. It's just something to put on your TV while you scroll your phone. Seriously, Netflix is openly encouraging their writers to make dumbed down shows and movies with characters literally announcing what they're doing because they know you're scrolling on your phone while you're watching.
What is Spotify, a music streaming service? Well, Daniel Ek, the soontobe ex CEO, famously said their only competition is silence. That explains why they have original podcasts, audiobooks, and are now making a big push into video. They don't care about music. That's just a thing you can put on instead of silence. This is why Spotify hasn't removed most of their AI generated music and isn't interested in labeling it as such.
If AI generated music is not bad enough to make you skip it, what's the difference to their bottom line? The music streaming service Dieser says that every week 5,000 AI generated songs are submitted to them. Wait, sorry. I'm just getting word I've had that wrong. That's 5,000 per day. Oh, nope. I'm so sorry. My bad.
I missed a zero. 50,000 AI generated songs every day. This problem is getting worse, too. Warner Music Group just signed deals with AI music companies Sunno and Yo. People like me hate this because we view great music as actual magic. Here's my analogy for this. Close your eyes and think about the best chocolate chip cookie you've ever had.
Who made it? What makes it unique? Is there oatmeal in it? Maybe a little cinnamon? Ooh, walnuts, maybe? Is it crispy, chewy? Everyone has their favorite. And maybe it's a personal thing. like maybe your mother made it for you and every time you have one, it connects you back to when you were a kid.
There's something about this cookie that when you eat it, it just feels like home. Well, good news, friends. Since you love chocolate chip cookies so much, we've got these Chips Ahoy Chewy Cookies for you. And there's more good news. You'll never need your mom's recipe again. These are pre-made and you can get them whenever you want.
We have democratized the chocolate chip cookie. No one likes baking anyway. And honestly, you don't want to get left behind, do you? Sure, we stole your mom's recipe and then ended up cutting a deal with her cuz she didn't have much of a choice. But come on, you want a cookie? We got you cookie. Why are you mad? This brings me to step one of how to make this better.
Change your media consumption. You know what doesn't have ads or algorithms? Physical media. Oh my god, it's so much better. Watch a movie on Blu-ray or DVD. It just feels different in a way I can't explain. Watch this. Comment on this video below with your favorite movie or show you've seen recently and why you love it.
Now, scroll through the comments and get real recommendationsfrom real people. Listen to music on a physical format. This could be a record, a cassette, CD, or honestly, if you just buy a digital album and listen to the whole thing on headphones. It's a closed experience, and when you pay money for it, you're going to listen to it at least a few times.
While you're down there in the comments, drop your favorite album of 2025. If you're a music fan, I'm going to tell you about something in a second that you'll love. But first, let's take a look at the internet. The follower is basically dead. Most people in 2025 don't open social media apps to see friends. They open it to get to the for you page because the algorithm is optimized to show you stuff you like, not who you follow.
Creators have to start making things as if you've never seen them before because the data shows that that's the case. AI is jammed into every part of the internet. Instagram is basically short form channel surfing. Everything wants to feel like Tik Tok because Tik Tok is very good at one thing, keeping you from leaving. I mean, you got to scroll something while you watch Netflix, right? So, if every video is a clean start and followers don't matter, that's of course going to lead to more clickbait, more sensational stuff, exaggerated stuff, it all just
gets louder and louder. You have to stand out from the noise with every post. How can you build a creative career with that? How do you make a body of work that's more than just clickbay shorts? Instagram does not pay creators. Tik Tok barely does. So, you basically have to turn into an ad studio doing direct sponsors, especially on shorts.
Let's go back to that chocolate chip cookie analogy. I love making videos and making music and sharing it with you. But I am not interested in doing Chips Ahoy. This year I have noticed a big shift in all of this and how much harder it is to cut through the noise because chips aoy is absolutely everywhere. Everything has to be exaggerated so heightened and even if you're really successful you just basically become an ad studio not a bakery which is what I'm trying to do.
So step two is to get off of your phone. Last year I did an experiment where I used an iPod. I dumbified my iPhone and it changed my life. So, take all of the social media apps off your phone. Try turning your phone screen black and white. It'll make it a whole lot less interesting. The week after Christmas and into the new year is the perfect time to do this.
Call people, text people, or connect with humans the old-fashioned way. Get together in person. I promise it will fill you up in a way that the internet can't. Then invest in smaller creators that you love. Buy music on Band Camp. Buy merch from your favorite small company. Buy physical stuff from your favorite creators.
Every dollar you spend is a vote for this thing to continue to exist. If you don't, it will go away. My point is this. It's all a mess. The big corporations with money are making worse stuff because they don't have to make anything better to keep making money. And on the algorithmic internet, creators are stuck making things that will do well on an algorithm instead of what they want to make or what their followers want to see.
And the middle here is being wiped out. We're living in a world of colorless slop, increasingly created and optimized by computers just to harvest our attention. But we can push back. Put down your phone, go buy a record, support a smaller creator, and if you're a serious music lover, I mean, you love music, I've got something for you.
A way to get out of the algorithm. Get away from AI everything and get back to what you love about music. Winter Camp Digs 2026. Four weeks where we dive into four classic albums, all from different decades. We are going to dive deep into some of the best music ever made. Each week is packed with stuff like a deep dive radio show hosted by me.
I'll walk you through the album, the influences, and the context around it. Plus, there are guest interviews where you'll hear from people who worked on the album with the artist and are experts in their field. You'll get a deep dive video from me covering the story of the album, its impact, what makes it so timeless, breaking down music concepts so you can understand the music on another level.
And the best part, the community. You'll be listening and discussing music with people from all over the world and joining in on a live stream listening party. I started Camp Diggs last summer because I wanted to tune out all the noise and retreat from all the algorithms and just sit with these albums alongside you and really enjoy them in a way that's difficult to do on the rest of the internet.
And last summer's Camp Digs was one of the highlights of my year as it was for so many of you who did it with us. And this January is going to be even better. Let me tell you about the albums we're diving into. 2000's Week, Mama's Gun by Erica Badu. '8s Week, Paid in Full byEric B and Rakim. 70s Week, Zombie by Failouti.
And '90s Week, Ilmatic by Knots. I mean, come on, what better way to start off the new year than to reset and enjoy some incredible music alongside other music fans from all over the world. Winter Camp Digs begins January 5th and runs for 4 weeks and it's exclusively on Patreon because it won't work on the algorithmic internet. We're about to make and enjoy some homemade chocolate chip cookies, share recipes, ingredients, interview other bakers and mothers and whatever.
You get the analogy. Oh, but how much does it cost? Well, it's a whole $5 for the month. No ads, no algorithms, just a bunch of people enjoying real music on a deeper level. Winter Campdigs 2026 is available to all paid tiers on the Digging the Great Patreon. You can sign up again for $5 at patreon.com/diggingthegrates.
Step one, get some physical media. Give it your full attention. Step two, get off your phone. Step three, join us for Camp Digs. It's five bucks. Look, I can't change what movies get made or convince Netflix to make better shows or get Spotify to change or make Instagram pay creators or to shut off the AI.
But I can focus on what I love, which is music and people. And if we make a small corner on this crazy internet where different people can come together over their shared love of good music, good art, good chocolate chip cookies, that just might change the world. I'll see you at camp.
