Independent music journalism used to thrive on connection — sharing songs, introducing artists, and celebrating creativity across borders. But in 2025, that lifeline is being severed — not by lack of passion, but by corporate censorship.
Meta’s automated copyright system has become a silent executioner for small media outlets. Posts are being removed. Audio is being muted. Whole accounts are being shadowbanned.
The most devastating part? It’s happening even when creators use Meta’s own licensed music library.
Hundreds of Aria Star Music News posts — covering artists from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Australia and more— have been removed from hundreds of countries and news feeds without warning. Features, reviews, and reels that once introduced new fans to incredible music are gone.
And behind every one of those posts was a journalist working without pay — driven purely by passion.
The Financial Reality No One Talks About
Let’s be brutally honest: independent music journalism doesn’t pay.
For over four years, Aria Star Media has been 100% self-funded. Every hosting bill, software license, and piece of promotional content has come directly from personal income — not profit.
This work has never been about money.
It’s been about devotion — a genuine love for alternative music, and a mission to shine light on the Asia-Pacific artists the mainstream ignores.
But when you spend thousands of hours — and thousands of dollars — creating something that no one can even see, you start asking painful questions.
“If my work keeps being deleted, what’s the point of fighting to keep it alive?”
It’s not a loss of motivation — it’s a loss of oxygen.
And it’s a question that hundreds of creators, journalists, and fans are now asking themselves as the algorithm continues to crush independent voices.
Censorship by Automation
Meta’s AI-driven copyright tools are designed to protect music labels — not artists, and certainly not journalists. These systems can’t tell the difference between a review, a remix, or a repost. They simply strike, mute, or delete.
That leaves small creators powerless, stripped of visibility, and punished for promoting the very artists they’re trying to support.
This isn’t innovation, it’s institutional erasure.
The Heartbreaking Question
Aria Star Music News was created to celebrate the alternative scene. But after years of work, hundreds of posts deleted, and zero compensation, the founder now faces a reality no artist or journalist wants to face:
“Can passion survive when no one can see it?”
The truth is uncertain.
Maybe it can.
Maybe it can’t.
But the heartbreak lies in even having to ask.
A Plea for Change
Independent media is not the enemy — it’s the heartbeat of culture. Without it, scenes die. Without visibility, artists fade. Without support, journalism collapses.
Meta must change the system.
Artists must stand with journalists.
And fans must understand what’s at stake — because every silenced post is another lost song.
Written by Aria Storm Editor of Aria Star Music News
For the Alt Rebels who still believe music deserves to be heard.
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