Why I stopped chasing the "hit" to chase profitability: My evolution in the music industry

Breaking a million streams organically feels like an absolute win—that moment when you feel you "made it". Yet my experience with Shennay taught me a blunt lesson they do not teach in production schools: the bank does not take "likes" or plays as deposits.

Early on in Medellín, I felt the rush of hearing our tracks in clubs and watching recognition grow. Behind the numbers, the reality was different. Lack of knowledge and a ruthless industry took its toll. We did not collect what was ours, and contracts lived in a gray zone. That is when it clicked: in music, as in startups, fame is a vanity metric—but profitability in music is what lets you keep creating.

The myth of the "hit" versus financial reality

Many artists spend years chasing the song that will blow them up, believing success comes from talent alone. Running a business is not a sprint; it is a marathon.

If I learned anything building technology at Qué Código for banks and startups, it is that success has a cost. Treat your music career like a hobby and you will get hobby-level results.

To run it like a business, you need to solve a problem: what value do you deliver to your audience?

Transparency in data: if you do not know where every cent comes from, you are leaving money on the table.

Systems over hacks: forget "instant success". What actually wins is consistency in the right activities.

Why most artists never see their royalties

Royalty collection mistakes rarely happen from carelessness alone—they happen when the project scales and spreadsheets stop being enough.

During my time in distribution, I saw payouts distorted by treating streaming like downloads or sync. Without a clear reconciliation between your internal records and what actually hits the bank, both your reputation and your pocket suffer.

Today, music is not only art—it is managing complex digital assets.

Investing to win: my vision with Sleem

When I founded Sleem, I did it with one conviction: independent artists deserve major-label-grade technology. I have seen founders and artists pinch pennies on their own business thinking they save money—when they are actually slowing growth.

The economics are simple: you get what you pay for. Quality takes resources, and for an artist to be profitable, they need tools that save time and help them earn.

Conclusion: fame or business?

My shift from musician to CEO of a music-tech company was not abandoning music—it was evolving to protect it. I still make beats as Cris DAM, with the calm of knowing my projects run on solid business logic.

If you are an artist or run a label, stop counting streams and start counting profitability. Are you treating your music like a hobby—or like the company it really is?