Slight of Band: How Spotify Ruined the U•niverse

Within its first 4 years, the small online music label U•LOT Records managed to sign and represent artists from around the globe -- Peachboy in Chicago, Laurin Dub in Nova Scotia, Einar Vacek in Poland, STARWOLF in Japan, SlayStax in the U.K., and several more. Ironically, the label’s heaviest contributor is Burlap Productions in the more modest backdrop of Tallahassee, Florida. Burlap and the dozen other artists on U•LOT are all accounted for in photos, bios, or part of an interview somewhere online. Label co-founders Edward Fentelli and Earl Danvers have labored to cultivate and promote this small, diverse community of musicians, whose mission statement is to ‘celebrate the electric and the eclectic’. 

However, Fentelli and Danvers are not real. All band members of Peachboy are fake. Starwolf doesn’t exist, nor does Laurin Dub, The Ray Koenig Group, Filament Quartet, The Phantom Trucks, Street Tooth or just about anyone else on U•LOT. In fact, the label is just one person in North Florida. 

    Proposed rendering of Kay Nara holding up a copy 

            of Starwolf’s soundtrack to Smoke Demon Ryūji

Flashback to 2020: As COVID-19 arrived to engulf the US in lockdowns and distress, Glenn Swan wanted to provide aid with little or no resources to speak of. Armed only with some musicality, a decent computer and an unchecked imagination, he invented a fundraising vehicle -- a compilation of new music from “artists all over the world”. As music consumerism typically does better with ‘genre’ and sub-categories to steer listeners towards preference, Swan took it upon himself to diversify through (respectful) cultural appropriation. Case in point – atmospheric sound cues featuring traditional Japanese percussion and synthesizers seemed more plausible if credited to ‘STARWOLF’; a duo out of Okinawa (one a film studio intern, the other a serial street busker). Going even further, the pair’s full-length album of material (with highly stylized packaging) was a soundtrack to a fictitious, out-of-print manga which didn’t exist -- although a plot synopsis is offered up in the liner notes. 

Another fiction was born out of the gloomy experimental ‘post-rock’ scene in the early 90’s (see label Thrill Jockey’s early output for reference). Glenn conjured up a 5-piece band of women from various backgrounds and disciplines to form ‘Peachboy’; an instrumental collective of bass, drums, keys, guitar, and other percussion. However, there are no amps, hardwood floors or cold Midwest winters fueling their two full-length albums -- just a guy with a 5-year-old computer, typing out chords and drum patterns on his qwerty keyboard. His justification was simply to create “… a love-letter to the city and the scene”. The five avatars in the band all have convincing backstories, including schools attended, house pets and more. 

Limited edition run of trading cards for the members of Peachboy (Chicago), artificially constructed.

Through these elaborate pranks, Swan built an imaginary stage and the players to occupy it. The label’s official debut “ARTIFACTS: Sampler 01” was a compilation featuring electronica, classical contemporary, downtempo grooves, avant-garde, experimental, emo pop-rock and dozens of aliases – even more if you count the overseas reps, sub-contracted art department and other administrative support. The album was available through the global streaming marketplace Bandcamp, and anyone voluntarily paying more than $1.00 would have their overages donated to Doctors Without Borders. 

The stunt had small-town success; $400 dollars donated, and the core sales of nine copies were used to reimburse the imaginary collective of musicians, promoters, graphic designers and copywriters. When asked, Swan says he “probably spent (the $9.00 profits) on postage or something”. For the next few years, with his custom-built roster of personae, he continued to credit albums, singles and EPs to different aliases, depending on the style of music he felt like making at the time. In each instance, U•LOT Records would develop a marketing campaign with scheduled social media postings, hashtags, Facebook banner art, record-store events and links to stream previews. It was self-promotion with a multiple personality disorder. 

A selection of releases under the U•LOT Label, including the original fundraiser 'ARTIFACTS' compilation (top left)

Flashback even earlier to Stockholm, Sweden 2017. Streaming behemoth Spotify had been engaged in some character building of their own through a program called ‘Perfect Fit Content’. It was discovered that by 2023 there had been a hundred or so playlists padded with the work of roughly 20 songwriters, aided by algorithm data, who in turn created 500 fictional artists and bands to generate thousands of tracks, which would end up streaming millions of times. In other words, they were using their own hamsters to spin the wheels. This artificially generated traffic was designed to increase internal profits and stave off percentages owed to pricier recording artists and major record labels who, it should be noted, were also early investors. Spotify categories like “Ambient Relaxation,” “Deep Focus,” “100% Lounge,” “Bossa Nova Dinner,” “Cocktail Jazz,” “Deep Sleep,” and many others were populated with artificial content, including bios on the supposed artists who created the content. Staff in the company’s playlist curating department were increasingly encouraged to push and promote these ‘ghost artists’ in lieu of actual known commodities. As an experiment, the next time you’re on Spotify, explore the signature playlists by ‘Epidemic Sound’ and see how many artists you recognize in ‘Rock Essentials’. While your back is turned, you may find some of these lesser-knowns subversively sprinkled amongst your tried-and-true celebrities. 

It should be noted that Spotify has made charitable donations over the years. Their own COVID-19 Music Relief Project from 2020 made contributions to MusiCares, the Center for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization. Whether through established artists or the morally ambiguous ‘Perfect Fit’ model, they undoubtedly raised more money than U•LOT Records and – presumably – passed it to those in need. The uncertainty comes from not knowing whose deeds were truly charitable or whose money it was to begin with. 

Glenn Swan's self regard 

Thus, for U•LOT Records - therein lies the buzzkill. The game of it; the fun costume party of it all feels muddy now. Musicians have long enjoyed the freedom of alter egos to stretch their musical repertoire or to work with different labels, but it seems the mask can too easily be used for nefarious purposes. Spotify’s ghosts have taken the ball and sprinted with it. With the current U.S. political climate setting an example, who’s to say what oversight or repercussions look like, if any? 

In more recent years the boutique Florida label has hosted music from 

The Modal Nodes, Nathan Pugh, Rexford Tugwell and Roseminna Watson; all of which are 100% certified real and accomplished artists on their own merit. U•LOT Records’ may have less global representation in its catalog moving forward, but at least Tallahassee will continue to have a platform. Burlap Production’s latest album, ‘The Abandon’ arrived last month, and is available on most streaming platforms.

Including Spotify. 

    - (Ghostwritten as) Keir Langley for The Panhandle Rag 

                                  April 1st, 2025 

Glenn Swan operates as Burlap Productions through his self-run label U•LOT Records. Past aliases include Peachboy, STARWOLF, Filament Quartet, The Ray Koenig Group, Street Tooth, Hercule, Einar Vacek, Laurin Dub, KHON, The Iron Bee, Jaye Ellis, Gwen Brooks, and SlayStax. 

Additional content on most of these can be explored through the U•LOT label archive at http://www.burlapproductions.net