Status: Josui_013 Submitted / Reverb Exploration
Submitted Josui_013. I’d grown a bit tired of using reverb lately, but this time I leaned into it again properly. I keep coming back to an EMT 250 model one way or another. Maybe I actually prefer digital reverbs after all. Josui_012 also seems to have been released without any problems — a relief.
Status: Josui_012 Submitted / Listening Activity
Submitted Josui_012. It seems likely to be released without any issues. Until recently, the only plays were probably my own, but I’ve noticed that Josui_010 has recently been played a few times in Bangladesh, India, and Romania. All of these plays were on YouTube Music.
Status: LANDR Response / Apple Music Release
LANDR responded very quickly. The remaining unreleased tracks were immediately released on Apple Music. In my inquiry, I explained that the works were not AI-generated, and mentioned that I could provide videos of the production screen if necessary. I also asked if there was anything I could do on my end to prove that the music was not created using AI. I didn’t expect such a fast response. It made me wonder if AI-generated content is being judged by AI itself. I’m grateful that even an experimental project like this was handled carefully by human hands — especially since the tracks have hardly been played, meaning there’s little direct benefit for the distributor.
Status: Apple Response / Distributor Check
I received a response from Apple regarding the unreleased tracks. I had assumed the issue was on Apple’s side, but it turns out that the tracks may not have been submitted by the distributor in the first place. I decided to check with my usual distributor, LANDR, to clarify the situation.
Status: Josui_010 & Josui_011 Released / Apple Music Issue
Josui_010 was released. I then completed and uploaded Josui_011, which was released on Apple Music within a few hours — quite curious. I hadn’t been checking Apple Music closely, but I noticed that some works are missing. Josui_005, 006, 009, and 010 are still not released. After checking with the distributor, it seems they were judged as AI-generated and are currently unavailable for distribution. I decided to contact Apple about this.
Status: Submission of Josui_010
Submitted Josui_010. I also take the photos myself, and choosing from the many I’ve taken is quite fun. It’s a pleasant feeling when I sense that a particular photo fits a track perfectly.
Status: Josui_009 Release / Josui_010 Preparation
Josui_009 was released immediately. I wonder why the release went so smoothly. Anyway, I’ll keep uploading without worrying too much. Josui_010 has also been temporarily completed; I plan to make further adjustments and upload it later.
Status: Josui_008 Released
Josui_008 was successfully released. For now, I feel relieved. It seems that newcomers face stricter scrutiny in various aspects, possibly influenced by the explosive increase in releases following the advent of generative AI. It’s still morning, but later I plan to finish and submit Josui_009.
Status: Josui_008 Review / Re-submission
Josui_008 was flagged again during review. It seems having the same wording in both the artist name and track title is problematic. I asked why the previous seven releases passed without issue, and in the end, it was approved after all. Strange. I submitted it again. Streaming numbers remain unchanged: only I have listened on Spotify, zero plays on Apple Music, while YouTube Music shows some slight movement. Interesting.
Status: Josui_008 Submitted
Submitted Josui_008. I have plenty of musical motifs from those performances, but when it comes to turning them into proper tracks, I can’t just release everything.
Status: Josui_007 Approved
The submission for Josui_007 has been approved, including distribution on Apple Music — a relief. However, 005 and 006 are still pending without approval. None of them rely on AI, so I wonder what makes the difference.
Status: Other Japanese listeners appeared
The submission for Josui_007 has not been approved yet and remains under review. My Apple Music for Artists application was approved; however, not all of my music is currently being distributed on Apple Music. I’ll continue to proceed at a relaxed pace. On YouTube Music, it appears a listener in Japan has played the music — I wonder how they found it.
Status: Josui_007 Submitted
Submitted Josui_007. Apple Music still only has releases up through 004. I also applied for Spotify for Artists, and that got approved — though it seems I’m still the only listener so far.
Status: Distribution Issue with Apple Music
Josui_006 was successfully released; however, I noticed that Josui_005 and Josui_006 are not available on Apple Music. Upon investigation, it appears they were flagged as works created by generative AI and therefore not distributed. In reality, no generative AI was used in the creation process. I wonder by what criteria the system determines that music is AI-generated. The pieces themselves are not significantly different from what I’ve been producing recently, so it’s strange that such an issue has never occurred in my previous releases. Perhaps the lack of a track record under the name “Josui” influenced the judgment. I have filed an appeal with the distributor for clarification.
Status: Josui_006 Submitted
Submitted Josui_006. Creating music for this project keeps my mind calm and balanced, and I’m grateful for that.
Status: Distribution Data / Streaming Overview
I was able to view the data on the distributor’s site. As of today, it seems only one person has listened on Spotify (that one person being me, of course). On YouTube Music, there has been one play each from Hungary, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, India, Romania, Vietnam, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Italy. I wonder what kind of algorithm leads to that.
Status: Josui_005 Released
Released Josui_005. I’m not sure whether the marimba usage feels rough or natural — still debating. For now, I’ll trust it and let it be.
Update: Domain Registration
Registered the domain josuisound.com. Having a proper domain gave the project a more official presence. Although the site is accessible to the public, it remains quietly unadvertised.
Status: Josui_004 Approved
At last, the submission for Josui_004 has been approved. Now I just wait for the release.
Status: Josui_004 Released / Website Development
Released Josui_004, but the review is taking longer than expected, so I’ll wait. I used the web creation service I usually rely on to roughly build a site, but since it’s a simple page, I felt I could code it myself — so I started from scratch. I downloaded an app called Phoenix Code. I can’t remember the last time I wrote code. It was just a small one-page site, and with ChatGPT’s help, I managed to finish it pretty quickly, which surprised me.
Status: Josui_003 Released
Released Josui_003. I still don’t have a website, but I created an email address and tried making a temporary site using a web service for now.
Status: Josui_002 Released
Released Josui_002. I attempted to apply for a Spotify for Artists admin account to view the streaming data, but they requested links to social media or an official website. Since I have neither at the moment, I decided to put it on hold.
Status: Start of the Josui Project / Josui_001 Released
Released Josui_001, an edited version of a track originally titled “josui01” that I created a few months ago. I had decided to start this project this month, so it was somewhat of a leap, but I went ahead and launched it. This project is about continuing to create and release small, natural pieces of music—like traces of my creative path—and seeing how far they can reach. In this era, I want to test whether it’s possible to sustain meaningful musical activity without relying on social media promotion, industry networking, or live performances—all areas I’ve never been comfortable with. (I also think it's going to be difficult.)