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).
Brittan Heller, founder of the Center for Digital Civil Rights and a fellow at the Atlantic Council, joins Cheddar News to discuss the rise of sexual assault in the metaverse.
President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, have kicked off the first White House Easter Egg Roll since before the coronavirus pandemic, welcoming 30,000 kids and adults for the all-day event.
A container ship the length of more than three football fields has finally been pried from the muddy bottom of the Chesapeake Bay more than a month after it ran aground.
Christine Moore, a celebrity hat designer and featured milliner for the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby, joined Cheddar News to talk about how her headwear became a staple of race day fashion and what Derby watchers can come to expect at this year's horse racing event. “It's always go big or go home," she said. "And it's also very Southern belle style for the first leg of the triple crown, which is the Kentucky Derby." The race will be held on Saturday, May 7.
Content creator, rising musician, and star of the TikTok and Netflix reality show "Hype House," Alex Warren joined Cheddar to talk about overcoming the many challenges in his life in his rise to fame and discussed "Locked In," his new podcast. “All I had was a camera and a computer to my name, and it only made sense to film my experience of going house to house of my friends and saying this is what I can do in this situation," he said, explaining how he got his start.
With more than 6 billion views on YouTube and 12 million followers on social media, Xavier Mortimer is an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed magician and social media star. The former Cirque du Soleil performer joined Cheddar News to discuss his rise to fame on social media amid the pandemic. “Well basically my show closed overnight, and I had nothing else to do," he said. "I started to film videos at home and they took off on TikTok and Instagram." Mortimer also talked about "The Dream Maker," his Las Vegas magic show and even performs a little trick for Cheddar.
