February 26, 2024

HomeTown - Review by Tuneloud (German)


Lily Amis – ‘Hometown’ ft. Thir13een


Im Kaleidoskop musikalischer Wandteppiche, in dem jede Note eine Geschichte webt, entsteht eine ergreifende Erzählung von Widerstandsfähigkeit, Sehnsucht und dem Streben nach Zugehörigkeit. Lily Amis, die vielseitige, im Iran geborene Kinder- und Jugendautorin, Bloggerin, Texterin und Voice4refugees, die eine Kraft im Bereich des Songwritings ist, enthüllt ihr neuestes Meisterwerk „Hometown“, eine fesselnde R&B/Pop-Single, die über bloße Melodien hinausgeht werden Sie zu einem Gefäß voller roher Emotionen und tiefgründiger Reflexion. 

Im Kern ist „Hometown“ eine lyrische Ode an die stillen Leidenden, die vertriebenen Seelen, die sich nach Trost in fremden Ländern sehnen. Lily Amis malt mit ihrem in Empathie getauchten Stift ein lebendiges Porträt der Vertriebenen, Ausgeschlossenen und Einsamen. Mit jeder Strophe schält sie Schichten der Verletzlichkeit ab und lädt die Zuhörer in eine Welt ein, in der die Sehnsucht nach der Heimat ein unerbittliches Echo in den Kammern des Herzens ist.

Gemeinsam mit der mitreißenden Sänger Thir13een wird „Hometown“ zu einem harmonischen Duett, das Stimme und Worte zu einer Symphonie der Emotionen vereint. Die wohlklingenden Töne von Thir13een, durchdrungen von Tiefe und Resonanz, vermischen sich nahtlos mit Amis‘ herzlichen Texten und hauchen jeder Silbe, jedem geflüsterten Geständnis Leben ein.

Unter der fachkundigen Anleitung des Musikmaestro Warren Young alias Thir13een entfaltet sich „Hometown“ wie eine blühende Blume, deren Blütenblätter mit sanften Klavierklängen und dem pulsierenden Rhythmus der Moderne geschmückt sind. Die musikalische Produktion dient als ergreifende Kulisse, als Leinwand, auf der die emotionale Reise des Liedes ihre Resonanz findet.

„HomeTown“ ist ein Schlachtruf gegen die Ungerechtigkeiten einer Welt, die ihre müden Reisenden oft nicht willkommen heißt. Lily Amis‘ Erzählung überschreitet Grenzen und spricht jeden an, der jemals den Schmerz der Ausgrenzung, den Schmerz der Einsamkeit in einem fremden Land gespürt hat. In einer von Engstirnigkeit, Diskriminierung und Rassismus geprägten Welt erinnert „Hometown“ daran, dass Widerstandsfähigkeit und Solidarität selbst die dunkelste Nacht überwinden können.

Die Texte von „Hometown“ drücken eine ergreifende Sehnsucht nach einem Gefühl der Zugehörigkeit und Heimkehr aus. Die ersten Zeilen geben den Ton an und betonen den tiefsitzenden Wunsch nach dem Gefühl von Heimat, Schutz und Zugehörigkeit, der schon seit einer Ewigkeit anhält. Die Unfähigkeit, diese Sehnsucht mehr zu verbergen, spiegelt den tiefen emotionalen Kampf wider, mit dem der Protagonist konfrontiert ist.

Die Bilder vom Sitzen auf einer Bank am See verkörpern einen Moment der Selbstbeobachtung und der Flucht aus der harten Realität des Lebens, in dem die Suche nach einer Heimatstadt unabdingbar wird. Die Wiederholung des Satzes „Auf der Suche nach einer Heimat“ unterstreicht das zentrale Thema des Liedes und das unermüdliche Streben des Protagonisten nach einem Ort, den er sein Zuhause nennen kann.



Die Texte schildern anschaulich das Gefühl der Entfremdung und Isolation, das man seit dem Verlassen der Geburtsstadt verspürt, und unterstreichen das Gefühl, von Anfang an unwillkommen zu sein. Der Hinweis auf verschwendete Jahre in einer überfüllten und lieblosen Umgebung ruft ein Gefühl der Ernüchterung und der Sehnsucht nach Authentizität und Verbundenheit hervor.

Der Refrain von Lily Amis ist eine ergreifende Klage, die die immer wiederkehrende Frage widerspiegelt: „Wo ist meine Heimat?“ Die Wiederholung dieser Frage unterstreicht die ständige Suche und die Sehnsucht nach einem Ort, der die Essenz von Heimat verkörpert.

Die Gegenüberstellung der idealisierten Vision einer magischen Heimatstadt, die an einen Hallmark-Film erinnert, mit der harten Realität des Lebens in einem fremden Land verleiht den Texten Tiefe. Der Kontrast zwischen der Wärme und Gemeinschaft, die in der märchenhaften Umgebung dargestellt wird, und der Kälte und Isolation der Realität verstärkt die Sehnsucht des Protagonisten nach Zugehörigkeit und Akzeptanz.

Die Brücke verstärkt das Thema der Sehnsucht und des Träumens mit der Metapher, die eigenen Flügel zu öffnen und sich vorzustellen, wie man höher fliegt wie ein Vogel. Es verkörpert den Wunsch nach Freiheit, Wachstum und Erfüllung inmitten des Kampfes, einen Ort der Zugehörigkeit zu finden.

Die Schlusszeilen bringen den inneren Konflikt zwischen dem Traum von Zugehörigkeit und dem Bedürfnis, sich der Realität zu stellen, auf den Punkt. Trotz der anhaltenden Suche träumt der Protagonist weiterhin von seiner Heimatstadt und symbolisiert damit die anhaltende Hoffnung, einen Ort der wahren Zugehörigkeit und Akzeptanz zu finden.

Insgesamt ist „Hometown“ eine ergreifende und introspektive Auseinandersetzung mit Vertreibung, Sehnsucht und der universellen Suche nach einem Ort, den man Heimat nennen kann. Die stimmungsvollen Texte von Lily Amis, kombiniert mit Thir13eens gefühlvoller Darbietung, schaffen eine fesselnde Erzählung, die bei jedem Anklang findet, der den Schmerz des Heimwehs und die Sehnsucht nach einem Gefühl der Zugehörigkeit erlebt hat.

Während die eindringliche Melodie von „Hometown“ im Äther versinkt, hinterlässt sie ein anhaltendes Gefühl der Katharsis, ein Beweis für die transformative Kraft der Musik. In den Händen von Lily Amis und Thir13een wird ein einfaches Lied zu einer Hymne für die Vertriebenen, einem Zeugnis des unbezwingbaren Geistes der menschlichen Seele. Lassen Sie sich von seinen Melodien wie einer sanften Flut überfluten, die Sie an die Ufer der Empathie und des Verständnisses und schließlich nach Hause tragen.

February 24, 2024

HomeTown - Review by Tuneloud!

Lily Amis – ‘Hometown’ ft. Thir13een

In the kaleidoscope of musical tapestries, where every note weaves a story, emerges a poignant narrative of resilience, longing, and the pursuit of belonging. Lily Amis, the multifaceted Iranian-born Children and YA writer, Blogger, Lyricist, and Voice4refugees, who is a force in the realm of songwriting, unveils her latest masterpiece, “Hometown,” a captivating R&B/Pop single that transcends mere melodies to become a vessel of raw emotion and profound reflection. At its core, “Hometown” is a lyrical ode to the silent sufferers, the displaced souls yearning for solace in foreign lands. Lily Amis, with her pen dipped in empathy, paints a vivid portrait of the displaced, the excluded, and the lonely. With each verse, she peels back layers of vulnerability, inviting listeners into a world where the ache for home is a relentless echo in the chambers of the heart.

Teaming up with the soul-stirring vocalist Thir13een, “Hometown” becomes a harmonious duet, blending voice and words in a symphony of emotion. Thir13een’s mellifluous tones, imbued with depth and resonance, intertwine seamlessly with Amis’ heartfelt lyrics, breathing life into every syllable, every whispered confession.

Under the expert guidance of musical maestro Warren Young aka Thir13een, “Hometown” unfurls like a blossoming flower, its petals adorned with the gentle strains of piano and the pulsating rhythm of modernity. The musical production serves as a poignant backdrop, a canvas upon which the emotional journey of the song finds its resonance.

“Hometown” is a rallying cry against the injustices of a world that often fails to embrace its weary travelers. Lily Amis’ narrative transcends borders, speaking to anyone who has ever felt the sting of exclusion, the pang of loneliness in a foreign land. In a world marred by narrow-mindedness, discrimination, and racism, “Hometown” is a reminder that resilience and solidarity can conquer even the darkest of nights.


The lyrics of “Hometown” express a poignant longing for a sense of belonging and homecoming. The opening lines set the tone, emphasizing the deep-seated desire for the feeling of home, protection, and belonging, which has persisted for an eternity. The inability to conceal this longing anymore reflects the profound emotional struggle faced by the protagonist. 

The imagery of sitting on a bench by a lake encapsulates a moment of introspection and escape from the harsh realities of life, where the search for a hometown becomes imperative. The repetition of the phrase “looking for a hometown” underscores the central theme of the song and the protagonist’s relentless pursuit of finding a place to call home.

The lyrics vividly depict the sense of alienation and isolation experienced since leaving the birth town, highlighting the feeling of being unwelcome from the very beginning. The reference to wasted years in a crowded and loveless environment evokes a sense of disillusionment and longing for authenticity and connection.

Lily Amis’ chorus serves as a poignant lament, echoing the recurring question, “Where is my hometown?” The repetition of this question emphasizes the ongoing search and the yearning for a place that embodies the essence of home.

The juxtaposition of the idealized vision of a magical hometown, reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, with the harsh reality of living in a foreign country adds depth to the lyrics. The contrast between the warmth and community depicted in the fairy tale-like setting and the coldness and isolation of reality amplifies the protagonist’s longing for belonging and acceptance.

The bridge reinforces the theme of yearning and dreaming, with the metaphor of opening one’s wings and visualizing oneself flying higher like a bird. It encapsulates the desire for freedom, growth, and fulfillment amidst the struggle to find a place of belonging.

The closing lines encapsulate the internal conflict between the dream of belonging and the need to confront reality. Despite the ongoing search, the protagonist continues to dream of their hometown, signifying an enduring hope for finding a place of true belonging and acceptance.

Overall, “Hometown” is a poignant and introspective exploration of displacement, longing, and the universal quest for a place to call home. Lily Amis’ evocative lyrics, combined with Thir13een’s soulful delivery, create a compelling narrative that resonates with anyone who has experienced the ache of homesickness and the yearning for a sense of belonging.

As the haunting melody of “Hometown” fades into the ether, it leaves behind a lingering sense of catharsis, a testament to the transformative power of music. 

In the hands of Lily Amis and Thir13een, a simple song becomes an anthem for the displaced, a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human soul. Let its melodies wash over you like a gentle tide, carrying you to shores of empathy, and understanding, and ultimately…home.


February 16, 2024

Legacy4Humanity ALBUM - 13 Tracks out now!



After the recent mess with my corrupt distributor AMUSE.IO I want to make sure that whatever happens in the future with my NEW distributor, my songs are ALWAYS available for music lovers. 

Therefore, I have released the album LEGACY4HUMANITY, LILY AMIS FEAT. THIR13EEN much earlier than planned. The album is a collection of 13 wonderful tracks that were released since 2022 to this date.  

LEGACY4HUMANITY is a collection of songs (soul, R&B, rap and pop) with deep messages about and for humanity. Inspired by the lack of humanity in our society, own painful and difficult life experiences, challenges, obstacles and struggles. This album is a memoir divided in 13 inspiring, eye-opening and empowering chapters.

Lily Amis and Thir13eens journey began with 80 Million People, a heartfelt dedication to refugees across the globe. This track not only reflects the struggles and resilience of displaced individuals but also serves as a powerful reminder of the human stories behind the statistics. It set the tone for their partnership, one grounded in deep empathy and a desire to make a difference through music.” Review by British A&R and Journalist




February 15, 2024

HomeTown - Songlyrics (German)


In dem Augenblick, in dem man gezwungen ist, seine Geburtsstadt zu verlassen, wird man obdachlos. Und die nicht endende, verzweifelte Suche nach einer Heimat überschattet dein ganzes Leben. Vor allem, wenn man in einem fremden, engstirnigen Land landet, in dem Traditionen, Gastfreundschaft, Großzügigkeit, Mitgefühl und Freundlichkeit nichts als bedeutungslose Worte sind und man ständig gegen Mobbing, Diskriminierung und Rassismus kämpfen muss, um zu überleben!

HomeTown ist allen gewidmet, die in Stille leiden und sich in einem fremden Land, weit weg von Heimat, Familie und Zuhause, unwillkommen, ausgeschlossen, verloren und einsam fühlen.


HOMETOWN, Lily Amis feat. Thir13een

Das Gefühl von Heimat, Schutz und Zugehörigkeit

ist, was ich mir wünsche schon seit einer Ewigkeit

Kann meine Sehnsucht nicht mehr verbergen

Will weiter fliegen über alle Berge

 

Heute ist einer dieser Tage, an denen ich fliehen muss

Während ich auf dieser Bank direkt an einem See sitze

 

Ich suche eine Heimatstadt

Seitdem ich meine Geburtsstadt verlassen habe

Von der ersten Minute an fühle ich mich nicht willkommen

Seit über dreißig Jahren bin ich unsichtbar und ungehört

Habe wertvolle Jahre in einer überfüllten Stadt verschwendet

leer und lieblos wie eine Geisterstadt

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

Ich lebe meinen süßen Traum und Wunsch

Öffne meine Flügel und stelle mir vor, wie ich höher fliege

Wie ein kleiner Vogel von Stadt zu Stadt

 

Sehen mich in einem magischen Hallmark-Film leben

Das ganze Jahr über in einer magischen Stadt, einem magischen Ort

wo Nachbarn nicht aneinander vorbei wohnen

Aber gemeinsam füreinander sorgen

Wie in einem herzerwärmenden Märchen, in dem Traditionen noch eine Rolle spielen

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

Frage ich mich das ganze Jahr über

Gefangen in der bitteren Realität in einem fremden Land

Vermisse ich den Geruch von Freiheit, Liebe und Familie

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

Ich lebe meinen süßen Traum und Wunsch

Öffne meine Flügel und stelle mir vor, wie ich höher fliege

Wie ein kleiner Vogel von Stadt zu Stadt

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

Ich lebe meinen süßen Traum und Wunsch

Öffne meine Flügel und stelle mir vor, wie ich höher fliege

Wie ein kleiner Vogel von Stadt zu Stadt

 

Mein Traum von der Zugehörigkeit bringt mich um

Der Wunsch nach Zusammengehörigkeit brennt in mir

Will nicht aufwachen und in der Realität leben

Meine Suche geht weiter und weiter und

Ich träume weiter von MEINER Heimatstadt


February 13, 2024

HomeTown - Songlyrics & Video!

The moment when you are forced to leave your birth town, you become homeless. And the non-ending desperate search for a hometown overshadows your entire life. Especially when you end up in a foreign, narrow-minded country in which traditions, hospitality, generosity, compassion and kindness are nothing but meaningless words and you have to constantly fight against bullying, discrimination and racism to survive!

HomeTown is dedicated to everyone who is suffering in silence while feeling unwelcomed, excluded, lost and lonely in a foreign country far away from home and family.


HOMETOWN, LILY AMIS FEAT. THIR13EEN

Das Gefühl von Heimat, Schutz und Zugehörigkeit

ist was ich mir wünsche schon seit einer Ewigkeit

Kann meine Sehnsucht nicht mehr verbergen

Will weiter fliegen über alle Berge

 

Today is one of those days, when I need to escape

As I sit on this bench right next to a lake

 

I’m looking for a hometown

Ever since I left my birth town

Feeling unwelcomed right from minute one

Some thirty years ago, unseen and unheard

Wasted precious years in a crowded town

As empty and loveless as a ghost town

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

I live my sweet dream and desire

Open my wings and visualize myself flying higher

Like a little bird from town to town

 

See myself living in a magical Hallmark movie

All year round in a magical town, a magical place

where neighbors don’t live past each other

But together looking after one another

Like in a heartwarming fairytale where traditions still matter

 

Hometown, Hometown, Where is my hometown?   

I keep asking all year round

Trapped in a bitter reality in a foreign country

missing the smell of freedom, love and family

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

I live my sweet dream and desire

Open my wings and visualize myself flying higher

Like a little bird from town to town

 

Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?

I live my sweet dream and desire

Open my wings and visualize myself flying higher

Like a little bird from town to town

 

My dream of belonging is killing me

The desire of togetherness is burning me

Don’t wane wake up and live in reality

My search goes on and on and

I keep dreaming of MY hometown

 


February 10, 2024

Amuse io - Hands away from the Swedish music distributor!!!



March 2024 Follow-up posts! 

Yesterday I woke up with a positive mind. Had just finished the last preparations for my upcoming release HOMETOWN for Tuesday the 13th of February.

Imagine my surprise when I received an email from my distributor, amuse.io saying my account has been deactivated! I can no longer access my account, create new releases, and withdraw royalties! And if I have releases live through Amuse, they will be removed from all streaming platforms. 

According to amuse actions that can lead to an account being deactivated include (but are not limited to): Uploading material that I don’t own the rights to OR Engaging in forced streaming activity OR uploading content that is intended for such purposes.

I still can’t believe that this is actually happening. After two years and 11 song releases through this platform. I do have full commercial rights to my songs, so this can’t be the reason. Do I promote my song on social media? Of course, I do, like every other artist I’m using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok and I run campaigns through sites like GROOVER and reach out to media outlets, radio stations, and playlist curators. Didn’t know that this is a crime and gives a distributor the right to treat me like a criminal! And my last promo for my song Ping Pong & Puzzle is going well because it is an AMAZING track.

Big names like Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift have millions of streamings daily and no one says anything BUT when an Indie artist is finally seeing a little success, they remove the tracks from the stores?! Does this even make sense?

While I was researching the net yesterday, I found two posts from other artists having the same problem as I have! I guess this is amuse policy! I will include the posts here at the end of my post. It looks as if this is a corrupt fraud system that needs to be investigated closely! 

I feel so helpless. Not only do I have to postpone my next release, but now I have to remove all the music stores from my website, blog, and socials for no reason!  I have no idea how long it will take until my tracks are completely removed from the stores but don’t worry, when one door closes, a window opens! All my tracks will be soon available again. 

Hours of work in 2 years were for nothing while amuse has charged me for a full year only a week before this mess! Very fishy!!!! It stinks! 

When I began my journey as an indie lyricist back in January 2022, I was overwhelmed with all the new information. There are plenty of distribution platforms. I found a list of all the free and paid ones and chose amuse, mainly because of the global superstar Will.I.Am who is one of the owners. I thought to myself, hey he seems to be a decent and trustworthy guy. Also amuse is a Swedish company like Spotify and what could possibly go wrong? 

Well, two years later, I have learned my lesson. But this awful treatment is a NO-GO. You can’t treat artists like criminals. I have never ever experienced such nasty, rude, and disrespectful behaviour. As if this is not nasty enough, I can’t even contact anyone from amuse. There is no customer care phone number or email. 

UPDATE March 5, 2024: I don't exaggerate when I say this has been an unpleasant, annoying, and upsetting experience. I have found a NEW distributor and ALL my tracks will be released on March 13 th 2024 through the new partner. 

However cleaning up the mess done by AMUSE is very time-consuming. I'm contacting each music store directly to make sure that the TRACK LINKING based on the METADATA will function correctly. 

Unfortunately, it is not that easy to contact the stores as an artist directly. This is taking a lot of time of research and mailing back and forth. Still not sure if and when this mess is completely over! 

UPDATE March 21, 2024: Finally, my 13 tracks are now correctly published and available on streaming platforms again! This experience was eye-opening in every possible way. 







Don't use Amuse.io - all music removed, end of discussion. Assuming my money is gone too

I've been using Amuse pro (paid version) for about 2 years, was using the free version for 6 months or so. I had 6 artists uploading music.

I started uploading ambient music and field recordings with my latest artist page and noticed that every release was getting denied for release. I was given seemingly random reasons, that when I asked them about it, eventually they said it didn't actually matter, and they would proceed to release.

For example, I had an album with different sections from the same field recording of bird sounds getting flagged for duplicate tracks, even though none of them are even the same length. Aside from them being different field recordings from the same session, they’re also EQ’d, compressed, mixed and mastered different and again, all different length. They said "thanks for clarifying, we'll send to stores." I ended up having to ask about all 10 of my denied releases, and every single time they just said "thanks for clarifying, we'll send to stores."

So yesterday, I get the email that my account is frozen due to "fraudulent streaming activity," but can still withdraw money. At this point, only about 10 of my releases were actually live on stores, and I was getting no more than 100 streams per day across all platforms on this new artist. So I think they literally just got annoyed with having me email them about every release. But why deny the releases in the first place if all I have to do is ask what the issue is to get it approved?

I wake up this morning to all my music removed from stores.

"Hi there,

Our system is giving indications that fraudulent streaming activity is taking place on some of your uploaded content. 

This paired with suspicious and generic content being uploaded continuously has led to our decision to takedown your releases and deactivate your account. 

We will not revisit this case, thank you for understanding. 

Regards,

(Name)"

"fraudulent streaming activity" - I'm getting 100, maybe 200 streams per day across all platforms on this new artist account. $1/ day? So all my artists are removed. This is including the 5 artists that have been up for the past 2 years without issue. I have 1 singer songwriter page that gets 50 streams a day, why is this taken down too? I assume my money is gone, which is annoying. but it's only like $200 for the past few months so lesson learned.

"Suspicious and generic content being uploaded" -so bird sounds, one of the biggest markets on streaming services is suspicious? Literally plastered all over Spotify, and it's suspicious? What exactly is meant by "generic" content?

Crickets from support.

I should note, that this very conveniently comes 3 days after Amuse charged me for 1 full year's subscription to the Pro account. I will absolutely be challenging this charge through my credit card.

Amuse used to be good for me. Until my account was causing them too much work (me asking why a release was denied, then having an agent have to answer "oh sorry yeah we'll send to stores"). Then, 3 days after my billing period for the next year *poof* music gone, end of discussion, thanks for the $80 + whatever streaming revenue they're about to steal from me. Genius business plan.

Amuse is great if you want a free way to upload an album or two for your friends to listen to, and make $0.50 a day. But I wouldn't trust them if you expect to upload a lot, or make any money.

Leaning Tunecore or distrokid now, but this is 200 hours of work I was just dealt getting all 6 artists ISRC codes, titles, artwork etc onto the new store. Thanks Amuse



A post on reddit.com (four years ago!)

Do NOT use Amuse.io to distribute your music!

Hey everyone, I’m going to share with you my unfortunate situation and how it was handled by Amuse support after battling for months and wasting so much time with them as my distributor.

I started releasing music through this distributor known as amuse.io, they are free and seemed to be trustworthy. For a large part my music was not on streaming services such as Apple or Spotify due to the charge, however, I ended up using amuse since they were free, I started seeing many fans moving over to store releases and saw plays daily.

I was then hit with a decent number of streams with people apparently listening from all over the world from the US all the way to New Zealand, I began picking up plays from many different countries. I noticed this and didn’t think much of it, I just thought that what I’m doing seems to working and continued on about my day. However, a few months after releasing my tracks through them, I received an email titled “Warning: fake streaming activity”. This email shocked me at first as I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. I have been promoting my artist page throughout my social media over the past few months and gaining a following more than before. The email stated that 99.9% of my streams are fake bots and if I don’t stop these bots they will remove everything and delete my profile. You can understand my frustration here with this regard; having my tracks and profile being deleted for something that is completely out of my control and something I wasn’t even aware of (I didn’t even know these types of bots existed until they mentioned it to me).

Finally a ticket I opened requesting help from support had its titled mysteriously changed to “Account closed, releases removed” for no apparent reason, as you can see the support agents are acting coy about the situation and left me in the dust while they close my account and pocket all the money from the stores. Countless hours that I've sunk, into promoting my artist page and setting everything up and the countless hours I've spent on each track just wasted because of Amuse’s incompetency. Amuse as the company should have been able to block all this fraudulent activity (and if this activity is even fake or if they are just using that as an excuse to pocket the money generated and close my account), I am in no way equipped to even begin dealing with this issue and I wasn't even aware of the problem until this case was opened and I got the email.

I am not fussed about the royalty generated by the streams, however it must be noted that I have been scammed out of approximately a few hundred (potentially thousands) dollars, as the streams proved I generated a decent sum but was not paid a single cent. I opened another thread about this on Reddit back when my tracks were still up and received a response from an Amuse representative claiming that they don’t take any money from the artist and all the money can be withdrawn. Alas, it seems they pocketed all the money I made from my streams and removed all traces of me and deleted my profiles and all of my tracks without second thought. I am deeply disappointed by the treatment from Amuse, I have wasted many months, so much time with them only to find them stab me in the back like this.

I am really disappointed in Amuse.io, anyone else looking to distribute their music, please avoid them: use something like landr (which is free/paid) or distrokid (paid but cheap yearly rate).

TLDR; Amuse deleted all my tracks and profile without second thought just because I started picking up more streams, they removed all traces of me after they pocketed every cent (out of the thousands of dollars generated). Use landr (free/paid) to distribute your music or distrokid (paid).


Scam and exploiting music artists. Once you’ve signed up the ticking time bomb starts and it is a matter of time before you have to change your logins or number, you’ll never get help from support as a premium member, which isn’t part of the agreement, but that’s the last time you’ll access your Amuse.io account, and the releases will remain on platforms in case you blow up and your music starts making more money, which they will benefit from. Is it a Swedish thing to do such acts of evil for profits?


I echo the above opinion on amuse they are crooks! Do Not Use Amuse They will at their own discretion remove all your music from distribution and keep your royalties… They are criminally incompetent and if you are in their cross hairs lookout they will accuse you of cheating without proof and when you ask them for proof and how they came to their conclusions they will tell you it’s none of your business! How it’s none of your business what becomes of years of your hard-work is beyond me. Amuse is a disgusting excuse for a distributor to dish out such a serious attack on the music of an independent artist who trusted them with their music is criminal. I have been a professional musician with album releases under my belt and a 30 year career as a recording artist. They had the gall to accuse me of fake streaming numbers on Spotify funny thing is Spotify did not agree with them and upheld my streaming numbers. Amuse in a move to steal my royalties would not respond to my requests for how they came to their conclusions how I faked my streaming numbers. Considering I was in the top 10 most requested on major radio stations they still kept my royalties they are the worst thieves I have ever come across in modern distribution.. I have switched to Dittoe Distribution and suggest you steer clear of the crooks running amuse Distribution they are destined to fail if they need to steal money from the struggling artists on their service. There is nothing free about their service they will get paid even if it means they will steal your royalties to get their money… they set me back years by removing 30 of my songs from release and leaving me without a single song in distribution… I can’t tell you how much I regret ever getting involved with these low life criminals. Do Not Trust Them! You’ve Been Warned


Do Not Use Amuse They will at their own discretion remove all your music from distribution and keep your royalties… They are criminally incompetent and if you are in their cross hairs lookout they will accuse you of cheating without proof and when you ask them for proof and how they came to their conclusions they will tell you it’s none of your business how can it be none of your business when your it’s your music, music it took you years of hard work to get published has been erased from the public eye. This is a disgusting excuse for such a serious attack on the music of an independent artist who trusted them with their music. I have been a professional musician with album releases under my belt and a 30 year career as a recording artist. They had the nerve to accuse me of fake streaming numbers on Spotify, the funny thing is Spotify did not agree with them and upheld my streaming numbers. Amuse in a move to steal my royalties would not respond to my requests for how they came to their conclusions how I faked my streaming numbers. Considering I was in the top 10 most requested on major radio stations they still kept my royalties they are the worst thieves I have ever come across in modern distribution.. I have switched to Dittoe Distribution and suggest you steer clear of the crooks running amuse Distribution they are destined to fail if they need to steal money from the struggling artists on their service. There is nothing free about their service they will get paid even if it means they will steal your royalties to get their money… they set me back years by removing 30 of my songs from release and leaving me without a single song in distribution… I can’t tell you how much I regret ever getting involved with these low life criminals. Do Not Trust Them! You’ve Been Warned


Amuse is complete BS SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM I went through the exact same thing. I have one song, they have kept the $2.50 it made and charged me $59.99 US dollars and refused a refund or a down grade in plan. Amuse also continues to charge 15% on any song you uploaded even after you cancel they are in breech of contract. They rip off every one who signs up and there are a few artists that get forwarded on their play lists. I emailed customer service many times, amuse io is highly unethical and lacks any integrity. They will not close my account after many requests of cancellation. They are online thieves, worst experience ever!! I hope and pray they get shut down, they suck beyond belief! Horrible company!!


February 08, 2024

HomeTown - Hallmark Movies!


We enjoy watching Hallmark movies for decades and I recently remembered an article that I wrote back in 2017 for my blogger magazine Read My Mind. Let me share what I wrote seven years ago and how my view has drastically changed ever since.

2017: During the holiday season I admittedly enjoyed watching a few cheesy holiday movies from the Hallmark Channel. A channel that describes itself as the destination for quality family entertainment. The channel is also dedicated to helping viewers celebrate life’s special moments by offering annual holiday programs.

Those who have read my column LILYWOOD know how much I appreciate the values of friendship and family. I enjoy watching family-oriented, hopeful, funny, and positive movies, true stories, and history rather than violent, crime, nonsense, and horror movies.

But I have to say this year after watching a few of these heartwarming movies I realized that the concept is always the same. A hardworking woman living in a stressful city in the USA, usually either New York or Los Angeles, visits a small town during the holiday season, finds true love, friends, and family within days, and decides to stay there forever. Although I’ve always lived in a city and never in a small town or village, I do believe that small places are more family-oriented and personal.

Most people living in big cities are job, money, power, and success-oriented. There is no doubt about that. And I do believe that people living in small towns are kinder, more helpful, loving, and caring. At least that’s what I hope and heard. So, I fully agree with the message of the stories. What I don’t agree with, though, is that these movies make one believe that TRUE LOVE is just around the corner and we have to leave the city to find it! Seriously?

I do ask myself why romance and fiction authors have to exaggerate so much. Why do they have to write such untrue stories and make us believe in things that simply don’t exist? Authors have a responsibility. Making up stories is one thing. Creating false hopes and dreams for lonely people who wish nothing but true love and family, especially during the holiday season, is false. Making people believe that miracles happen, especially and mainly during the holiday season, is thoughtless. Making movies that play with people’s desires is emotionally irresponsible.

We all know life and reality suck sometimes. So, the question is how much can and should we sugar coat while we are writing fictional stories? As a writer, we hold a responsibility, don’t we? Reality stinks and the sooner we accept it the better. Therefore, dear authors, be careful with your stories. Don’t play with the reader's desires and don’t fool your readers.

Today, seven years later after experiencing the Covid disaster, witnessing two wars the Russian/Ukraine and the Israel/Gaza war, I’m more than grateful for the cheesy Hallmark movies. We do need hopeful and positive stories, more than ever. The lack of inhumanity, dishonesty, and disloyalty has become unbearable.

If these movies don’t educate viewers how beautiful and magical life could look like, how family and friendships could treat each other with a good and generous heart, compassion and kindness, our world would be lost. We need hope! We need love! We need cheesy movies! Thank you Hallmark for making us believe in humanity!

February 07, 2024

HomeTown - My HOME is my hometown!


My home is my home but my town is not my town. When people ask where am I from or what is my nationality, my answer is I’m a human being. I don’t have a nationality because I don’t have a hometown. I was born in Iran and I grew up in Switzerland, but both countries are not my hometown. My hometown is my apartment of 120 square meters where I feel love and safety. But as soon as I leave my apartment, I feel homeless because there is no love and feeling of belonging in the air. Only people who were forced to live in their birth town understand what I’m talking about.

The reason why I decided to use the German language in my song lyrics for the very first time is that foreigners who live in the German-speaking part of Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg) fully understand and deeply feel what I’m talking about. I always say once a refugee, always a refugee, once a foreigner, always a foreigner. Only those who live in these countries agree without hesitating for a second. Why? Because our history, culture, mentality, values, hospitality, and generosity are nothing like in these parts of European countries. We couldn’t be more different and honestly, it is emotionally exhausting to understand and tolerate the coldness, indifference, rejections, and condescending behavior toward our moral values.

This song is dedicated to anyone who feels lonely and lost in a foreign country, especially the German part of Europe. That’s why I used the German language in the opening Das Gefühl von Heimat, Schutz und Zugehörigkeit ist was ich mir wünsche schon seit einer Ewigkeit, Kann meine Sehnsucht nicht mehr verbergen, will weiter fliegen über alle Berge“ which means: “The feeling of home, safety, and belonging, is what I wish for ages, I can't hide my desire anymore, I want to fly away over all the mountains” and the chorus „Heimat, Heimat, Wo ist meine Heimat?“ which means: “Hometown, Hometown, Where is my Hometown.”


February 05, 2024

HomeTown - Desire from the heart!


The lyrics for HomeTown were written one morning after us having a reunion with one of my mother’s ex-working colleagues after more than three decades! Yes, THREE decades, even though we live in the same city! 

We ran into each other during a shopping day when she suggested we could meet for a coffee, and she would bring her son, who I had met only once as a child when they were invited for lunch at our house.

Two weeks later, we managed to meet on a Saturday afternoon in an Italian restaurant. And this gathering was so odd, that it reminded us why we have never felt like home despite living in this country for almost four decades. And we have been in the same neighbourhood in Zurich for the last 20 years! 

One would think there is so much to talk about after three decades of silence. And anyone who knows us can assure that we are chatty, and we talk about all kinds of topics, but we had barely anything to say to each other. 

My mum's ex-working colleague's main topic was backbiting about her son's ex, the mother of her grandchild. And he, I don’t even know where to start and what to say. Well, what was supposed to be a modern match by two mothers turned into nothing because the guy's mind was everywhere but not where he was physically. Of course, he couldn’t remember us at all, because we had only met once and he was too young. I’m a bit older.

Long story short, an hour seemed like an entire day, and we were relieved that this awkward gathering was over. When we came back home I was so disappointed that I had to write down my feelings and the lyrics for HomeTown were born. It is so hard to make friends with people who don't speak the same language. It also made me wonder what’s the point of speaking several languages when people don’t understand you anyway. When they don't care to listen to anyone at all. It's always a monologue and not a dialogue.  

The next morning, I saw an IG story from an artist that I follow on Instagram, and it brought me to tears. He was sharing his negative feelings and emotions towards his city of Vienna when he was younger, and it confirmed that I wasn’t alone. There is nothing wrong with feeling what you are feeling. It’s not like I’m ungrateful, but when you feel lonely, lost, isolated and misplaced for decades, you just begin to question everything and everyone around you.

That’s why I strongly believe the following: Once a foreigner, always a foreigner. Once a refugee, always a refugee. HomeTown is a song dedicated to everyone who feels lost in this world. Especially now when so many people are forced to leave their birth town and start a new life in a foreign hometown because of war and other crises. 

Song description: The moment when you are forced to leave your birth town, you become homeless. And the non-ending, desperate search for a hometown overshadows your entire life. Especially when you end up in a foreign, narrow-minded country in which traditions, hospitality, generosity, compassion and kindness are nothing but meaningless words, and you have to constantly fight against bullying, discrimination and racism to survive!

HomeTown is dedicated to everyone who is suffering in silence while feeling unwelcomed, excluded, lost and lonely in a foreign country far away from home and family.