Status: Josui_021 Submitted
Submitted Josui_021, continuing the same approach of resampling an electric nylon-string guitar from a BGM performance. When I listened to the rough version, the sound felt muffled as expected, so I adjusted it to be a bit clearer. It seems that Josui_020 was listened to by unfamiliar listeners on Spotify for the first time — a few people in the United States. I’m happy about that. I wonder how it reached them.
Status: Josui_020 Submitted
Submitted Josui_020, once again created by resampling an electric nylon-string guitar from a BGM performance. I later added electric guitar. Since I stopped listening back to the music afterward, I’ve been able to feel this series at a slight distance from the center of my awareness. Surprisingly, it feels quite good.
Status: Josui_019 Submitted
Submitted Josui_019, once again created through resampling an electric nylon-string guitar. I found a photograph in my own archive that felt right enough and chose it for the cover artwork. When the decision comes smoothly, it feels good. For a while, I’m thinking of not listening back to the music I’ve made after finishing it. Like water. Let it flow away.
Status: Josui_018 Submitted
Submitted Josui_018, created through resampling an electric nylon-string guitar. As with the previous piece, I planned to leave some time before returning to it, but I became too busy and the work stalled. Being so busy that I can’t make time for this doesn’t feel healthy. The pace of this production might serve as a barometer for whether I’m keeping a good creative rhythm.
Status: Josui_017 Submitted
Submitted Josui_017, created through resampling an electric nylon-string guitar. I’ve started to notice that when I try to finish everything in a single pass, the sound often ends up feeling a bit muffled. It might be smoother to bring the piece close to completion first, then pause and adjust the sound quality on a later day.
Status: Josui_016 Submitted
Submitted Josui_016. This time, a sense of groove emerged naturally from the phrase, so for the first time I decided to add rhythm. I think it might be good to try incorporating rhythm once in a while.
Status: YouTube Music Listener Update
I discovered that I have a follower (subscriber) on YouTube Music. I have no idea who they are or where they’re from. I want to meet them right now and shake their hand. Thank you.
Status: Josui_015 Submitted / Balance Exploration
Submitted Josui_015. An abstract, heavy sound emerged from guitar samples. I tried to explore a balance — heavy, but not dark. Recently, releases have been going through without issues. Hardly anyone is listening, but that doesn’t feel like a big problem. Occasionally, it’s being heard globally on YouTube Music: a few plays on December 19 in the United States, Lithuania, and Indonesia.
Status: Josui_014 Submitted / Sound Texture Experiment
Submitted Josui_014. I’m not usually fond of the sound of electric nylon-string guitars, but after trimming some high frequencies and degrading it a bit with a tape simulator, it started to feel not too bad. Sounds that are “too good” often aren’t really my thing.
Status: Josui_013 Submitted / Josui_012 Released
Submitted Josui_013, created by resampling piano and adding synthesizer layers. I’d grown a bit tired of using reverb lately, but this time I deliberately used it again. I keep coming back to an EMT 250 model — perhaps I simply prefer digital reverb.
Josui_012 also appears to have been released successfully. That was a relief.
Status: Josui_012 Submitted
Submitted Josui_012, created by layering piano and other elements over an electro-acoustic guitar. It seems likely to be released without issues.
Until recently, it appeared that none of the tracks had been played beyond my own listens. However, I noticed that Josui_010 has been played several times in Bangladesh, India, and Romania — all 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 Released / Josui_011 Submitted
Josui_010 was released. I then submitted Josui_011, created by playing piano, adding sampled kalimba, and layering synthesizers. After uploading it immediately, it was released on Apple Music within just a few hours — quite mysterious.
I hadn’t been closely monitoring the situation on Apple Music, but I noticed that several works were missing: Josui_005, 006, 009, and 010 were still not released. After checking with the distributor, it appears they were judged as AI-generated and therefore could not be distributed. I decided to contact Apple for clarification.
Status: Josui_010 Submitted
Submitted Josui_010, created by combining resampled electric guitar with synthesizer layers. Selecting the artwork from a large collection of photos I had taken was surprisingly enjoyable.
When a particular image suddenly feels like it truly belongs to a piece of music, it brings a quiet sense of happiness.
Status: Josui_009 Submitted & Released
Submitted Josui_009, created by resampling a piano recording. It was released almost immediately after submission. I’m not sure why this one went so smoothly, but I’ll keep uploading without overthinking it.
I’ve also finished an initial version of Josui_010 and will revisit it for adjustments before submitting it at a later date.
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, also built from sampled electric guitar, with electric piano layered on top during the process. The overall impression feels slightly brighter this time, so I chose a brighter photograph for the artwork.
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 / Distribution Status
Submitted Josui_007, also created mainly through resampling electric guitar. The situation on Apple Music remains unchanged, with releases available only up to Josui_004.
I also applied for Spotify for Artists, and it was approved. It still seems that I am 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, created by recording electric guitar and resampling it. Making music in this way gently flattens and calms my mind, 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 Submitted / Website Coding
Submitted Josui_004, created by layering electric guitar and piano. The review process has been slow, so for now I decided to wait.
Using the web creation service I usually rely on, I roughly put together a site, but then realized this could probably be built by coding it myself. I downloaded an app called Phoenix Code. It had been years since I last wrote any code.
Since it was just a simple one-page site, I was surprised at how quickly I managed to finish it with help from ChatGPT.
Status: Josui_003 Released / Started creating a temporary website
Released Josui_003. It was created by resampling recordings of an electric guitar, reshaping the original performances into something slightly removed from their source.
There is still no official website, but I set up an email address and experimented with creating a temporary site using a web service, just to have some kind of online presence.
Status: Josui_002 Released / Spotify for Artists Application
Released Josui_002. This time, I layered multiple synthesizer performances, allowing the sounds to overlap and slowly take shape.
I tried applying for a Spotify for Artists administrator account to check the performance data of the distributed music. However, Spotify asked for links to SNS accounts or an official website. Since neither exists yet, I decided to put the application on hold for now.
Status: Josui_001 Released / Project Start
Released Josui_001. It was made by editing a piece called josui01, which I had created a few months earlier. The track was built by playing the piano myself and resampling it, shaping the sound through repeated listening and adjustment.
I had decided to start this project within the month, so although it felt like a bit of a premature launch, the project officially began here. The aim is to leave behind traces of work made in a natural, unforced way. By continuing to create and distribute small pieces of music, I want to see how many people the music can reach through that alone.
It is also an experiment: in this era, whether it is possible to sustain meaningful activity without relying on SNS promotion, traditional music industry publicity, or live performances on stage — all areas I have never been particularly comfortable with. I suspect it may be impossible, at least halfway — but I want to test that assumption.