iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Elay Arson

l i l l y るれろ @lillylulelo.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Scäb has dropped out of Ed Sheeran's tour

a screenshot from the animated show Home Movies of the band Scäb

Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Tár is American Psycho for the classical music world. I’m scared of how many things I find familiar in myself in Lydia Tár. Also it reminded me of why I abandonded music school. So much elitist politics that comes with music in academia which I cannot understand or tolerate. Terrifying film!

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

We used to be non-sentient goop billions of years ago. Before the Earth got all haughty spewing life all over itself. All birthed so WE take CARE of IT?! SCAM! We used to have Pangea and interactive dinosaurs. Now it’s just gambling and DMV lines. I guess money really changes some planets.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Rewatched ‘Days of Thunder’ (1990). Paper thin characters, virtually no internal life is present. The story requires a child’s (or boomer’s) understanding of the world to make sense. But… Hans Zimmer’s score sections sells the mostly montage experience. He used to make more than BWAMMM~ in film.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

June 21. Doing a rare, live show, in support of Crunk Witch at Bar 404 in Denver. Joined by @starfarermusic.com and Damn Selene

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

It’s a “pull-up” bar. The non-playing fingers hold on, grabbing upward, to play slap bass with more consistency. The bar itself is an easy mod to put on a bass. Two screws into the body. I prefer to put one above the E as a thumb rest for finger picking.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Granting myself a single day of arrogance. I remember the inside of the Kingdome.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Grateful for this write-up of my work put out in 2025. Thank you ReGen Magazine.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

What I believe is cool is providing something as an act of service from a place of genuine devotion. The ugly narcissistic buy-in that goes with “playing the game” now with all these media platforms seems to go with the territory, unfortunately. I don’t know how to get around it.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

I don’t think announcing to the world that “I am an artist” is very cool on its own. Certainly not as a “brand”. Finding ways to take this thing that is so deeply personal and specific to oneself and making it connect with strangers authentically is what I think makes this all cool.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

For sure. The online and business side of music can get dehumanizing and demoralizing quickly. I’m trying to have a better attitude about it though. Because what’s cool about making art is giving someone else an experience. Hopefully a good or at least interesting one, preferably in person.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Once people share their inside thoughts and art, the possibilities of others cringing at who you are or might be creeps up by a million percent. As an entertainer, being vulnerable enough to try sharing love and expression is cool. Being cool by the default of mystique is for cowards.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Maybe it’s better if we adapt to the new ways. A lot of being “cool” in my experience is the appearance of not doing or saying anything beyond looking fashionable or attractive. Literally being a poser.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Enjoying yard work is my most pronounced old man trait and I’m done feeling ashamed of it.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Mowing and caring for a lawn is one of the best active treatments for PTSD I have encountered. I think it makes me understand WWII vets and the 1950s suburban appeal a little more. That said, having a lawn is an insane luxury and an ecological bastardization.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Achieved one of the last decent things that can be done on old Twitter. Would be cool if Rawest Album Covers moved over here.

A screenshot of a post from X by the account ‘Rawest Album Covers’ featuring the album cover of ‘Dusk Incarnate’ by Elay Arson.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Me? Oh, I joined a gang. Don’t worry about it.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Every other job that doesn’t compensate over six figures a year seems to be: Back breaking manual labor with no minimum education requirements. Or Masters degree, 7 years experience, 65K, meaningless, soul crushing, want to KYS while driving to work everyday, sleep in a cramped apartment, work.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

My understanding of the current American job market is every job with great (120k+/yr) compensation is the following: • An adult daycare, 7 interviews to get in & do nothing in tech • A job doing something heinous and evil, degree, 5+ years experience, 100 certs • Doctor • Experienced Lawyer

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Beings of pure light puke sound waves. That’s how music is made. These are my grotesquely sober thoughts.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Everything you can do while you’re alive is pretty cringe. Existing with consciousness is super embarrassing. Rocks see us with disgust. Anti-matter conceives of us as disease. That I want to eat a sandwich or hold a big boob makes beings made of pure light want to puke.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Or… I can take the same amount of ability, ambition and effort that it takes to make a single dollar in a creative field, largely on my own, and become a doctor or something.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I think there is a vacuum to be filled where labels used to take risks and I think if @ampwall.com were able to crack how to do that, we’d have something unstoppable. Instead of “one big union”, “one big label”.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Music artists require support. Money keeps us fed and housed which is essential, but a website that helps us sell music alone isn’t doing anything for professional development or support. It’s not even effective patronage. There are networks of support that people need to succeed at this work.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

A lot of what art is, is fundamentally incompatible with business. The more “fine” the art, the less utility it has, and less obvious financial value. Music seen as a product, it’s a time decoration. It’s not obvious how to value that.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Music needs physical community. It’s like a wine glass tower, the local overflows into the regional, into the national, and so on. Everything online flattens the concept of community to an international space, which is great for reach and bad for progression. Ampwall can’t fix that yet.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

A platform that eventually provides some consistency with support for music journalism, pop-up physical store locations, live events, on-demand merchandise sales, THAT would be revolutionary. The capital to start it would be a monstrous and I don’t know if it would be sustainable. Could be better.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

It’s not the worst thing “being a store” as an artist. But maybe every individual artist shouldn’t “be a store”. Not every artist also want to be an online shirt store by themselves. It’s cool when people by our rad shirts, it’s an honor. But I don’t want to be a shirt store by myself.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I think a platform that could help connect artists with other creative pros, like graphic designers, film makers, PR, photographers, plus help with marketing, booking, storing and selling merchandise, would be a true cultural force. A paid “pro plan” gets you advice and practical help from humans.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I do appreciate the @ampwall.com mission statement. I don’t what the fan migration process will look like. I’ll try it though. I’d like to see paths to infrastructure for music scenes reemerge. An actual system, not everything has to be DIY or accessible for trust fund kids only.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Ooops ooops. Sorry folks… I didn’t mean to say something honest, cool, entertaining, or even interesting here on Bluesky. What I meant to say was: “Thank you for all your support, I love @bandcamp.com They made my dreams come TRUE!” Buy my latest! (they are 👀) elayarson.bandcamp.com/album/evade

elayarson.bandcamp.com

Evade, by Elay Arson

3 track album

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I’m going to learn calculus, out of spite, to get a STEM degree. I’ll get some passionless, high paying job I DON’T EVEN WANT IN THE FIRST PLACE, so I can give away the art I must make or feel severed from my soul; While making sure folks like Songtradr man never see a cent from my labor.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I’m resigning to the idea that every service, government entity, and product is going to get worse for the rest of my life. It didn’t have to, but it’s going to happen. So the guys at the top can complain about their help at the mansions, Aspen ski vacations, and “woke” in perpetuity.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I don’t thinks it’s cool to act like an entitled jerk that is owed something for nothing. I invested a decade into a “sales platform”. It got sold to (multi-?) billion dollar entities more than once and I’m watching it wilt and die. You’re welcome for the money @bandcamp.com

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I’d be irate if a venue asked for 15% of merchandise I sold (some do). I mean I’m just the responsible party for 100% of manufacturing costs, shipping and returns. But @bandcamp.com We’re pals right? It’s not a big deal when you take from me because you’re looking out for the little guy. Right?

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Oh and @bandcamp.com Bandcamp Friday fucking sucks. “Let’s oversaturate the market once a month, every month.” Maybe Bandcamp isn’t earning the 10-15 percent shave off the top, like all of the time.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Being inside of a Costco is the same as feeling God’s absence. It is a deeply unpleasant, unnatural place, an abomination. Yet still, they understand the basic principles of maintaining a physical presence and explaining the value of the things (trash and poison) they sell. Catch up @bandcamp.com

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Costco puts in more editorial effort to sell people hot tubs, 80 pound bags of dog food, and lifetime size jars of peanut butter than @bandcamp.com does anything to help sell music. Costco sends out a paper magazine with actual articles. Bandcamp… makes money for the Songtradr guy.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Anyway, @bandcamp.com thanks for the memories and go fuck yourself.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

What I’m saying @bandcamp.com with this whole thread is: You can brag about all the money you siphon from everyone on the front page. Yet you can’t provide much in the way of highlighting the products on your shelf? Costco puts in more editorial effort. They have a monthly paper magazine. COSTCO!

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I’d do this regardless. I have a problem. Artistry is filling the inventory slot for religious devotion in my build and I’m a goddamn monastery dwelling monk. But with computers, synths, and guitars. It feels wrong to capitalize on my prayers, but this place, this reality makes it a requirement.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

I don’t want to complain too much, because I get what I think is a lot of support, but it’s beer money.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

People can’t buy a record if they can’t afford rent and utilities. People aren’t going to have time to go to a show when they work 2 full time jobs just to be broke. People aren’t going to know what is happening in culture locally when 5 rotating international celebrities dominate our daily media.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

People like Henry Rollins talk like it’s so fucking easy now to make it in music. Everyone in the DC punk scene when Black Flag started would eat shit and disappear 6 months in the post-COVID world. There is nothing to win here anymore. The real scenes are all going away. Capital took it all.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

All this work and effort and time, for what? To make equal or less money as a Circle K cashier (that monitors robots doing their old purpose) in a year? It’s a lot to put into not doing a “real” job. We shouldn’t be doing this alone. It is all preening in a mirror, making art alone.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Then the music artist has to become a T-Shirt and tchotchke store. Then make a literal cult. Not a “cult following”, one step further that blends parasocial with reality. Then the artist has to desiccate all sense of privacy and dignity. Endlessly posting on social media non-fucking stop.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Anyway, if we want to make ANY money as artists today we have to do every related job, mostly alone. Even the work we are bad at.

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Elay Arson @elayarson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

But now that type of journalism is turning extinct everywhere. Not just on Bandcamp. No money on it anymore? How did people get paid to do it before? It existed, people were compensated.

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