Here is a short story based on that prompt. The Ghost in the Streaming Machine

Leo opened the app one last time. A new feature had appeared: Below it, a list of his artists—with a slider next to each name. The slider was labeled “Soul Equity.”

Leo Vance was a failure at 29. His own label, Static Noise Records , had three artists, zero streams, and a bank account balance of -$4.20. He spent his nights scrolling Google, searching for any edge: “How to get on Spotify playlists” … “Music promotion cheat” … “Music Label Manager Extra 2k21 Apk free download.”