2 Billion Streams, 0 Dollars

The Story: Streaming vs. Dollars

Justin Tranter has co-written some of the most recognizable songs of the last decade:
Bieber’s Sorry, Imagine Dragons’ Believer, and more recently, Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe!

You may not know Tranter’s name, but you’ve definitely heard their work.

In a conversation with fellow songwriter Toby Gad, Tranter said:

That sucks.

But what struck me wasn’t the injustice. We already know the system is broken.
What struck me was the question beneath it:

If someone has the capacity to create something streamed billions of times,
couldn’t they direct that same skill toward closing the loop?
Toward getting the return on the reach. And the resonance?

To, you know, make money on the thing.

And why is that pursuit still tied to the idea of “selling out”?
Or even left out of the creative process entirely?

Because… if we don’t pursue it, we burn out.

The Work at Work

So let’s get curious about the close.
That final 10 percent.

This is where clarity becomes commitment.
Where possibility becomes direction.
Where the work does not just reach someone. It creates a response.
That is what the close does.
It turns expression into exchange.

So let’s make it part of the process.
Let’s treat it like the skill it is.

Practice it more often.
If you start closing more, you will not just get more results. You will learn what is working.
And if it does not land? That is not failure. That is data. That is your next edge.

→ Make the ask
→ Extend the offer
→ Invite the thing forward

Be fabulous.
Be real.
And close the deal.

The Invitation

Where are you leaving the ending open?

Can you ask more clearly?
Can you close with intention?
Can you commit to creating not just the work, but the ecosystem that sustains it?

To Presence,
Mary

P.S. Just hit reply and tell me what landed. I read and respond to every note.

→ If you’re ready to speak with presence and move things forward, I’d love to help.
[Let’s talk.]