"JPG Chief - 'Less Than 1,000 Followers' - Vol. XX" | Decrypting The Curator's Code | Cipher Chronicles: [Transmission]
The official logo for "Less Than 1,000 Followers," the influential curation platform founded by JPG Chief.
Image courtesy of JPG Chief. All rights reserved. 3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™ claims no ownership of this media.
I. Decrypting the Curator's Code
A platform is only as strong as the architect behind it. We've already explored JPG Chief's influential "Less Than 1,000 Followers" (Vol. XVII), a vital hub for undiscovered artists. Now, we go deeper.
We're moving past the "what" and plugging directly into the "why"—the mind of the curator himself. This is not a [Transmission] from a man who shares our core code: making justice for the unheard.
The signal is clear. Are you ready to receive it?
II. The [Transmission]: JPG Chief
We connected with the curator himself to get the [Transmission] firsthand. JPG Chief was generous with his time, sending back a detailed set of answers. What follows is the core philosophy—the unfiltered code—from the man building a new network for the unheard.
1. Decrypting: The Origin Story
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: Origin Story: What sparked your journey into music curation, and when did you launch your first playlist?
That was back in 2016/2017. I joined the Spotify Community because I wanted to share my music taste with others, so that seems like the right place to do it. Eventually, I joined the “Star program” and ended up visiting the Spotify headquarters, which was a great experience. As part of the star program, we get access to some of the upcoming features, and one in particular (I can’t remember the name), was the previous playlist for “Discovery Weekly” and all those that came after that blew my mind because that playlist contains basically unknown artists with so few streams that I decided to focus on spreading the word about this type of artist. That was when I created my playlist “Less Than 1,000 Followers”.
2. Decrypting: The Mission
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Mission: "Less Than 1,000 Followers" is a powerful concept. What's the philosophy behind championing undiscovered artists, and why does this matter to you?
It felt wrong to find so many great tracks and artists that no one knows, so I decided to put my effort into making some justice, or at least try to, a lot of the stuff you can find out there, supported by the big labels sometimes, is not as good as other underground and unsigned artists. I love to support artists who create their art for all the right reasons, for the need to express their feelings powerfully.
3. Decrypting: The Numbers
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Numbers: Can you share your current reach? (Combined playlist followers, blog traffic, artists featured to date, success stories)
I have over 10k combined followers on my Spotify playlists, over 17k on my 8 social media channels, the music blog is around 100k views and 50k visitors over the last two years, with over 5k posts (reviews). Not as big as I would love, but I’ll keep working to reach as many people as possible, spreading the word about these talented artists.
4. Decrypting: The Process
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Process: Walk us through your curation process - how many submissions do you receive, and what makes a track stand out for your playlists?
Okay, I don’t receive as many submissions, just a bunch, and honestly, I’ll prefer to do it by MusoSoup. This is not about the money, it’s about the ease and time-saving that the platform provides for us as curators. If you do it manually, it's way more time-consuming (adding, moving the track to the top of those playlists, and after a few days or weeks removing the song from the playlists) than only by clicking a couple of buttons. This might seem silly, but when you add hundreds of songs weekly to your playlists, believe me that the time you can save is gold.
First, I look in the platform for the newest submission and listen to them, if the song makes me feel something, anything (joy, pain, sadness, excitement, energy, want to dance, want to bang, want to stream it again), it’s a good indication. If I enjoy the song, if it’s already released, I add it to the playlists that fit best, and if not, I send an offer to the artist letting them know in which playlists I’ll add their song, regardless they accept my coverage or only go for the free part of the offer (to be added to the Spotify playlists).
5. Decrypting: The Evolution
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Evolution: How has your curator journey evolved from your first playlist to now managing multiple playlists and a blog?
It’s a completely different animal, I have to say. The principle remains the same, but now I do it way more professionally than when I started doing it as a hobby. Because of the pandemic, I have to close my business and decided to put all my energy into creating a music blog and making this curator thing a way of life, and once again, it’s not for the money, I love doing this, it makes my day always. Finding new music is my drug, and I just can’t stop. It's hard to explain, but it’s something that keeps my motor running no matter what.
6. Decrypting: The Impact
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Impact: Share a story about an artist you featured who went from under 1,000 followers to significant growth - what role did your platform play?
I have seen a lot of artists and bands passing through the 1K followers on Spotify. I can’t say that was because of me; I’m only part of their efforts to be seen, heard, and known. I stay humble even though I receive great feedback from the artists we work with. This is an example of an artist who only accepted the free part of the offer: “You had the best feedback and contact from all of our offers here - you can be proud, looks like doing it seriously and from the heart :)” The Dead Hearts.
I mean only added their song to my playlists and the information shared to help them have the most success with their campaign. I received this one after publishing the coverage for Mercy Kelly “Can I first just say the sincerest of thank you…. You’ve literally just blown us away by the content…. this is by far some of the best work we’ve had the pleasure to receive, and your help and advice really has been pivotal for us, a young, unsigned band from Northern England. All this then coupled with your amazing offer for inclusion on AMS Radio leaves us humbled….. I’ve just sent over the artwork and MP3 for Breathe. Please stay in touch, we would be honoured to work with you again on the next and future singles….. if you want a heads up pre-release listen to the next single just shout (you have my e-mail). I receive a few feedback like this constantly.
7. Decrypting: The Challenge
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Challenge: What's the biggest challenge facing independent curators in 2025, and how are you navigating the streaming landscape?
I’m positive the biggest challenge is to make an impact for the artist in their numbers. If your content is great, but no one sees it, or the numbers do not reflect a benefit, it would be hard for an artist to want to invest their money in your services. So you have to find ways not only to be creative but to be effective, to make a difference between using your services or the services of anyone else. So, you have to be real, you have to be honest, you need to be creative, you need to use all the tools you can find to help the artist promote their music and try to keep the cost of all of it as low as possible, something that’s really hard because all of these things take time and knowledge both precious assets.
8. Decrypting: The Network
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Network: How do you view the relationship between independent curators, artists, and labels like 3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™ in building alternative industry infrastructure?
This is a good one. Support, I guess, when you don’t have the numbers, you need to work together with others who are in the same or similar situation. We have a saying, “la union hace la fuerza” (the union makes strength), and I truly believe that. If we don’t support each other, who will be?
9. Decrypting: The Future
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Future: Where do you see your platform in the next 2-3 years, and what new initiatives are you planning for underground artists?
I’m constantly evolving, it might not look like it, but I’m only looking for better ways to promote the artists, to give them more, to try to support them in the way they want, even if this means giving more. My offers are always changing, looking to get more acceptances for pay coverage with more attractive packages for the artists, and to do this, you need to do more than others and do it better. I want to keep growing to be a better outlet for all those artists looking to promote their music, and for the music lovers (the other important half of this coin), I want to be a beacon of light for discovering great new artists and their music.
10. Decrypting: The Message
3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™: The Message: What advice would you give to both emerging artists trying to get discovered AND aspiring curators wanting to support the underground?
You need to do it for the right reasons. Never fame or money; if you do it for those, you probably won’t succeed or find any. This is a journey to enjoy every step of the way, one song at a time, one review, one post, one share, one comment. Do it for love; you need to give that leap of faith and jump into the void.
III. End Transmission
The transmission is complete. The message from JPG Chief is clear: strength lies in unity (“la union hace lafuerza”). The underground is not a stepping stone; it is the foundation. We are honored to be aligned with a curator who shares our core code.
"Empowering the Unseen, Amplifying the Unheard."
Network Acknowledgment: A Note from the Founders
Before we sign off, we need to extend a personal acknowledgment to JPG Chief. This [Transmission] isn't just an interview with an influential curator; it's a "thank you" to a genuine ally of The Network.
JPG Chief practices what he preaches. Over the last few months, he has been an active supporter of 3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™, curating our artists and providing crucial coverage for our own album and song releases. He doesn't just talk about the underground; he actively builds it with us.
His work is validation that our codes are aligned. Thank you for amplifying our signal.
IV. Support The Curator
Read the [Source Code] Feature: Cipher Chronicles: Vol. XVII. - JPG Chief
Submit via MusoSoup: JPG Chief
About 3NIGMA BRED MUSIC™
We are an independent music collective dedicated to "Empowering the Unseen, Amplifying the Unheard." Founded by Grim Logick and Co-Founded by iLLLogick, The Network is a revolutionary platform for artists who crave authenticity over conformity. Learn more about our mission.
Connect with the Network:
- Official Facebook Group: 3NIGMA BRED: Underground music network
- Contact Grim Logick (Founder): Email
- Contact iLLLogick (Co-Founder): Email
