Singer Michael Franti exudes optimism. In fact, he wants all of his songs to be “uplifting.” One of his albums is even called “The Sound of Sunshine.”
And he has that “glass half full” outlook about the streaming industry too. He says it’s a platform for discovery.
“Someone who has never known you before used to have to wait for your song to come on the radio and maybe it never would. Maybe they’d never hear you,” Franti told Cheddar’s Jon Steinberg. “[Now] you can find fans in parts of the world that never had access to you before.”
While the streaming industry may have replaced the need to buy songs, ruining one revenue stream, Franti thinks it has opened the door to another, leading to more loyal fans who show up for concerts.
“I was talking to a friend of mine who goes, ‘I’d rather have 100 fans than a million followers.’ And I really believe that,” said Franti.
In the 1990s, Franti was the lead singer for the hip hop band Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. Then in 2010, his “Say Hey” climbed to the Billboard Top 20.
Earlier this week, Franti was awarded the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award at the PTTOW! conference in Ojai, Calif., which this year attracted the likes of Vans global brands president [Doug Palladini](https://cheddar.com/videos/on-board-with-vans), NBA All-Star [Baron Davis](https://cheddar.com/videos/tech-no-foul), and celeb DJ [Steve Aoki](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-steve-aoki-says-the-streaming-industry-is-great-for-music).
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/michael-franti-spreads-love-and-optimism-with-his-music).
Jeopardy! had to change up the top of its list of consecutive games winners after contestant Matt Amodio won his 33rd straight game. Amodio, who passed former champ James Holzhauer, is now only second to 2004's 74-win-streak champ Ken Jennings and has so far collected $1.26 million.
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Cheddar is highlighting Flor de Maria Rivera and her eponymous shoe line Flor de Maria. She joined Cheddar’s "Closing Bell” to talk about her rise in the shoe industry and the cultural influences of her background that inspired various shoe designs. "If you stay consistent, if you work hard, you follow your dreams, if you work extremely hard, then you can pretty much accomplish anything you want," the entrepreneur and immigrant from Peru said.
Netflix is riding high on the success of the new series from South Korea, “Squid Game,” after it hit number one in more than 90 countries. The brutal drama about down-on-their-luck people competing in a series of violent kids' games, could become the streaming platform’s biggest hit in its history.
Jeff Bezos' space travel company Blue Origin is under fire after a group of 20 current and former employees signed a letter to the FAA claiming safety violations that were detailed along with accusations of sexual harassment.
Charlie Javice, Founder of Frank, joins ChedHER to discuss everything you should have prepared when you go to fill out your FAFSA, and how its acquisition by JPMorgan Chase is going to help reach more students.
Makena Kelly, Politics reporter at The Verge, joined Cheddar News to break down Thursday's congressional testimony from Facebook's global head of security, as the company comes under fire for its plans to attract kids.
Despite the competition, Netflix is still a leader in the streaming space with more than 200 million subscribers, and now the public is getting a peek for the first time into just how popular the platform remains after viewer numbers for its top titles were unveiled.
