Most of what an independent artist learns about releasing is learned the hard way, and then kept private. Artist stories is a series in which artists tell, in their own words, how they released, what went wrong and what they fixed. Each story is published with the artist's written consent and only after they have read the final text.
What the series is
Each story is one artist and one release, or one period of releasing. It is told in the first person, in Arabic or English or both, and edited for length and clarity but not for meaning. The point is not to praise a tool or a company; it is to show the decision, the mistake and the fix so that the next artist can skip the mistake.
Stories are open to any independent artist, not only to those who release through Mazufa. A story that involves another distributor is welcome as long as it stays with what happened to the artist and does not turn into a complaint about a named company.
What a story covers
Every story follows the same three parts so that readers can compare them.
- How you released: the plan, the timeline, the metadata, the artwork, who did what
- What went wrong: a missed profile, a wrong spelling, a claim, a late delivery, a split that was never written down
- What you fixed: the change you made, how long it took, what you would do differently
- Optional: the numbers you are willing to share, with written consent, and what they meant to you
How to take part
Use the form on this page. A short summary is enough; you do not need to write the story yourself. A person reads every submission and replies by email. If the story fits, we arrange a written or voice interview in your language and draft the text from your answers.
You receive the draft, you change whatever you want, and nothing is published until you confirm in writing. Your name, your artist name and your public profile link are shown as you set them. You can ask for the story to be amended or removed at any time after publication, and we do it.
What we publish and what we never publish
These rules apply to every story, including stories by artists who release through Mazufa.
- We publish: the artist's account in their words, the release details they choose to share, and the lesson they draw
- We publish earnings figures only when the artist gives written consent for the exact figures and the period they cover
- We never publish private disputes: no correspondence with a company or person, no names of individuals who are not the artist, no contract wording
- We never publish anything that identifies a third party without that party's written consent
- We never edit a story to favour Mazufa, and we say when a story involves a Mazufa release
- We never pay for a story and never ask for one in exchange for anything
Consent and your rights
Your story stays yours. You give Mazufa a non-exclusive right to publish it on this site and in its own channels, with your name and link, in the languages you approve. You can publish the same story anywhere else. If you withdraw consent, the story comes down and the archived copy is deleted.
The consent text under the form covers only the submission. Publication requires a separate written confirmation after you have read the final draft.
Questions
Do I need to be a Mazufa artist?
No. The series is open to any independent artist. Stories that involve other distributors are published as long as they stay with the artist's own experience and do not name individuals.
Can I stay anonymous?
Partly. We can publish a story under your artist name without your legal name, and without a profile link if you prefer. We do not publish fully anonymous stories, because readers need to know the story is real.
Can I share numbers?
Yes, with written consent that names the exact figures and the period. Without it, the story describes the effect in words only.