Olaf Growald
Lou CharLe$
Fort Worth hip-hop artist Lou CharLe$ has a new album out now, but you won't be able to find it on Spotify or Apple Music — at least not yet, anyway.
That's because CharLe$ has released Life Goes On exclusively on the Fort Worth Public Library's music streaming platform, Amplify 817. The seven-track album went live Monday and will be available only on Amplify 817 until Nov. 11, when the record hits other subscription-based streaming services. As another perk for locals — for the next three years, the album can be streamed commercial-free, and those with a Fort Worth Public Library card can download tracks at no cost.
Life Goes On marks Amplify 817's first exclusive album release since the platform's launch in 2020. The streaming service is a partnership between the library and Hear Fort Worth, the music arm of Visit Fort Worth, and built specifically for local musicians who must go through an application process before getting featured.
But beyond the local focus, what sets Amplify 817 apart from other streaming services is it pays artists upfront — that's in contrast to Spotify, for example, which pays based on number of streams, hence becoming less profitable for artists whose music isn't hitting the same numbers as their mainstream counterparts.
"Since it was a project close to my heart, I wanted to give Fort Worth a chance to hear it before the world did," CharLe$ says. "Amplify does a lot to support the musicians in Fort Worth across every genre, and it's important that we continue to build that community. Amplify is taking an innovative approach and paying artists upfront to license their music on the platform — something Spotify doesn't do. By streaming Life Goes On on Amplify, you are supporting local artists the same way you would when you sit down at a mom-and-pop restaurant for dinner."
Listen to Life Goes On here.
