Music Burnout and the Search for Joy Again: A Personal Note from Insan3Lik3
For a long time, making music was my escape. It was the one thing that made sense when everything else didn’t. But lately, something’s shifted. Creating new tracks has started to feel less like play — and more like pressure.
And that’s tough to admit.
This isn’t a goodbye to music. Far from it. But it is a moment of honesty. A checkpoint. A behind-the-scenes look at what happens when the thing you once loved begins to feel like a chore. Maybe you’re a musician feeling the same way. Or maybe you’re a fan wondering why it’s been a minute since the last release.
So let’s talk about it.
“When’s the next track dropping?”
That’s the question I get the most these days. And it makes total sense — I’ve been releasing music as Insan3Lik3 for over a decade now, built a 50k+ audience, dropped tracks with Monstercat and other indie labels, and shared the highs and lows of the journey along the way.
But here’s the honest answer right now:
I could drop a new track pretty fast.
I just don’t want to.
Not because I don’t care. But because it doesn’t feel fun anymore. Not lately. Not in the way it used to. The spark’s been fading, and for a while I kept pushing through it, thinking it would come back on its own. Spoiler: it didn’t.
I thought maybe I was burned out. Or maybe I just needed a break. But time off didn’t really help either. The truth is more complicated:
The music started to feel like a job I never applied for.
The expectations got heavy. I found myself second-guessing every sound, every synth choice, every drop — not because I was chasing perfection, but because I felt trapped in a sound that used to be mine.
The Expectation Trap
When people follow you for a specific sound, it’s hard to grow outside of it. You start to feel like you owe them more of the same. And the weird part? You can deliver. You’ve done it before. You know the formula. You could open your DAW right now and build something solid in a few hours.
But the problem is — you’re not building something for fun anymore.
You’re building something that fits. Something that won’t disappoint. Something that “performs.”
And that, ironically, kills the very thing that made people follow you in the first place: the joy, the freedom, the screw it, let’s try this attitude.
Somewhere along the way, I lost that. Or maybe I just buried it under all the pressure to keep the brand alive.
The Loneliness of Solo Creation
When you’re grinding music solo for years, it becomes second nature. But after a while, it starts to wear you down. No feedback loops. No fresh perspectives. No spontaneous creative chaos.
Just you and your DAW. And your own standards choking every idea before it even gets a chance.
This past week, I opened up some older projects, thinking maybe I could finally finish them. But instead, I found myself closing them almost immediately. It felt like being stuck in a cage — every note, every pattern felt predictable, and nothing about it felt good.
Where Collabs Come In
Looking back, my favorite moments in music were never the solo sessions. They were the times I was sitting in a room with another musician, bouncing ideas back and forth, and watching things just click. The energy in those moments was electric — ideas flowed, and the process felt effortless.
Some of my most memorable collaborations were with artists like Rob Gasser, Hot Date, Temu, Jonny Rose, Charlotte Haining, Miyoki, and Throttle. Most of those sessions happened online, but the in-person collabs had a special magic to them — the unspoken language of nods, laughs, and sudden “wait, do that again!” moments. That’s the feeling I’ve been missing.
Building My Own Solution
If you’ve been following me lately, you know I’ve been working on a side project — a platform called Sounds Social. It’s a space for music producers to connect, share tracks, give feedback, and find collaborators.
I originally built it for other musicians. But now I see it differently:
I built it for me too.
Because the problems I’m facing — lack of collaboration, stale creative loops, pressure to perform — are the same ones other musicians are facing. Sounds Social is my attempt to create the kind of environment I wish I had years ago.
Here’s how it works:
Feedback for Feedback
One of the hardest parts of sharing your music online is getting real, thoughtful feedback. On most platforms, you either get surface-level comments (“nice track!”) or nothing at all.
On Sounds Social, every user earns 0.5 feedback coins when they write feedback for someone else’s track. Once they’ve collected 1 or more coins, they can spend them to request feedback on their own track. Those requests show up in a dedicated list for others to see and respond to.
It’s a simple system, but it ensures that feedback is mutual and valuable. No one’s just posting links and ghosting — you have to give to get.
Monetization That’s Transparent
The monetization system is another thing I’m proud of. With the PRO plan ($20/month), 70% of that fee goes straight to supporting other artists on the platform.
Here’s how:
- You click the Support button on another artist’s profile.
- Your PRO funds are split between the artists you choose to support.
- Payouts are processed monthly.
It’s transparent, direct, and built to encourage artists to invest in each other — not just in ads or streams.
Collab Finder
The Collab Finder works like Tinder for musicians — swipe right if you’re interested, left if not. Right now it’s simple, but filters are coming soon so you can search by genre, skills, or location.
For me, this is huge. I’ve been producing solo for so long that I sometimes forget how powerful it is to have another creative brain in the room (or in the project file). The Collab Finder makes it easy to spark those connections.
Why It’s Different
Plenty of platforms let you upload music. But Sounds Social is built around interaction, not just plays. The combination of:
- Feedback for Feedback
- Transparent monetization
- Collab Finder
…creates a cycle of listening, supporting, and collaborating that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
How I’ll Use It Myself
I’m not just the founder here — I’m going to be an active user.
Here’s my plan:
- Start public collabs: I’ll open projects for others to join in and help shape.
- Give feedback regularly: Using the feedback-for-feedback system to help other artists grow (and learn from their approaches).
- Support upcoming musicians: Using the monetization feature to send real funds to artists who inspire me.
- Find new collaborators: Swiping through the Collab Finder to connect with producers across all genres — I’m open to trying anything right now.
I don’t have a specific track in mind yet for my first public collab. And that’s the point — I want to stay open to experimentation.
Redefining Success
For years, “success” meant plays, followers, sync placements, and charting on platforms. I’m grateful for all of it.
But now? Success is about something different.
It’s about experimentation. Learning new things. Building a (probably small) but tight-knit community of musicians who want to work together — not just on Sounds Social, but across different platforms and mediums. It’s about finding the joy again, not chasing numbers.
A Note to My Followers
If you’ve ever supported me — streamed a song, shared a post, sent a kind DM — thank you. You’ve kept this project alive longer than I ever imagined.
But I want to be honest with you.
The change won’t happen overnight. I have to find my groove again. Once that happens, you can expect new music — maybe different than before, maybe less polished, maybe more experimental. And if I’m lucky, it’ll make you feel something in the same way it made me feel creating it.
Wanna Join Me?
If you’re a music producer, sound designer, or just someone with creative energy to share — come hang on Sounds Social.
I’m not just building a platform. I’m building a space I need.
Maybe you do too.
Let’s collab. Let’s find the fun again.
Thanks for reading. This one’s personal.
– Matteo / Insan3Lik3 🎛️