I have received this comment under my “Stop Stealing My Music” post, and this is my public answer — to this lovely person and to everyone else who genuinely does not understand my issue:
درود عزیزم مگه نمیخواهید موزیک شما نشر پیدا کنه؟ همه بشنون؟ من متوجه نمیشم. وقتی ویدئو خودتون با لوگو خودتون پخش بشه مشکلش چیه؟ خودتون پروموت میشید. شما مدنظرتونه چه جوری مشهور بشه صدای زیباتون؟
“My dear, don’t you want your music to spread? Don’t you want everyone to hear it? I don’t understand. If your video is shared with your own logo, what is the problem? You are promoting yourself. How do you expect your beautiful voice to become famous?”
First of all, thank you for asking this respectfully. I know many people are thinking the same thing, so I want to answer honestly and from the heart.
Yes — every artist (I'm a songwriter and producer) wants their work to be heard. I’m happy when my music reaches people. But there is a big difference between something being heard and something being taken and reposted without permission.
Stealing my content is not just taking a video or a song I worked on for hours or days — to me, it feels like stealing my baby. Every book I write, every song I compose and produce carries a piece of my life, my time, and my emotions. It is natural that I want to protect my “babies” and keep them safe at home — on my official page — instead of seeing them appear on random accounts that have nothing to do with music or songwriting.
I don’t need my videos posted next to images of an oppressive regime or placed on political pages that have no real connection to art, even if some of my lyrics are political. The message behind my music is unity, solidarity, love, and humanity. Sadly, what I have experienced in recent weeks has felt like the opposite of solidarity.
If I had known that my hard work and my songs would be treated with this level of disrespect, I might not have released two albums at all. First, I had to hide album tracks because people were streaming instead of downloading — even though Bandcamp’s concept is based on supporting artists through downloads. Bandcamp is not Spotify; real support there means purchasing and downloading the work.
Now I have even had to switch my Instagram account to private and stop promotions because some Iranian accounts download and repost my work — my “babies” — without permission on feeds that have nothing to do with music or songwriting. This is exhausting and deeply upsetting. My team and I have spent countless hours reporting accounts to META. We have sent direct messages to each account, left respectful comments under reposted content, and still, we are ignored.
To be completely honest, right now, my team and I regret releasing these songs at all. They were meant to show solidarity/Hambastegi with Iranians around the world, but what is happening feels like the opposite of solidarity. Hambastegi is not only listening. Real support means respect, downloading instead of just consuming, asking for permission, and removing content when the creator politely asks.
When someone only listens but does not support, or reposts content without permission and refuses to remove it when asked respectfully — that is not solidarity. That is not Hambastegi.
My intention has never been to limit who hears my music. My intention is simply that my work is shared with awareness, respect, and responsibility — because behind every piece of music there is a real human being, a real story, and a real life invested in it 🤍
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