Subvert opens today, our cooperatively owned music market place. Join us!

May 12, 2026

On August 27, 2024, I was beginning to seriously plan for the release of my recent debut solo effort, The future isn't what it used to be. Having always assumed that my primary digital storefront would be Bandcamp, I was wrestling with the lingering shock and disappointment that said music marketplace—once treasured stalwart of independent musicians worldwide—had been sold/acquired not once but twice within just two years, and shed well over 50% of its employees in the process. I wondered for the first time what viable alternatives to Bandcamp I might find if I tried.

The most compelling lead I encountered was an article discussing a nascent, artist/supporter-owned cooperative music platform called Subvert.fm. After exchanging a few emails, joining a video call with a handful of prospective cooperative members, and scrutinizing the propaganda, I soon found myself unwrapping a beautifully crafted, 134-page "zine/manifesto/business plan" outlining the "blueprint for a music marketplace owned and controlled by us all"—one resilient to the acquisitions of corporate greed that would seek to exploit and disenfranchise musicians and music fans, as they always have, through every iteration of the music industry.

(Later, during an early funding effort, Subvert's initial worker-member board would turn down $200,000 because a potential investor demanded a board seat—as compelling a commitment to its values as I could have wanted.)

A music marketplace owned by its community

Today, the Subvert.fm music marketplace finally, officially opened its doors to non-members—following roughly a year and a half of member-community forum engagement; healthy debate around features, policy and much more; our first all-member board election; and many months of alpha-platform testing and feedback.

I am proud to be member 432 of (as I write this) nearly 23,000 co-owners, and I sincerely hope you will join us, either as a music artist, as a label, or as a supporter of the creators whose work you love.

As a cooperative member you'd get:

Reduced member pricing on music, as set by artists and labels on each release.
Voting rights and access to the member forum, so your voice can help continue to shape Subvert.
Your own physical copy of the zine.

A music marketplace for everyone

It's not just for members, of course. Even if you do not decide to join Subvert as a cooperative member, here are my top reasons for you to directly support music artists on Subvert:

‍You keep the music forever. Unlike accessing music via streaming platforms, choosing to directly support artists on music marketplaces like Subvert and Bandcamp means you own the music.

Music artists earn more from your direct support on Subvert, thanks for 0% platform fees! While Bandcamp has a tradition of waiving their fees on particular Fridays, Subvert does not charge a fee on any day. (You can optionally contribute to the Subvert cooperative at checkout, and I hope anyone who can afford to will.)

It's not an exclusive commitment to a particular platform. Not only can you download and then import your music purchases into other libraries/apps, but there's absolutely nothing stopping you from continuing to using other music platforms—even to listen to the same artist(s) you've supported on Subvert. Although...

You might discover a lot of music on Subvert that you wouldn't find elsewhere. Discovery on Subvert is pretty rudimentary to start—which, for some, might even be appealing—but you're sure to stumble on music there that your typical recommendation algorithm would never show you, partly because it can't, as independent music artists are increasingly exiting streaming platforms. (As of now, I am still in both worlds, for the record.)

I'll likely continue to come up with more reasons and update this list as I do. Feel free to share your own favorite reasons.

Support independent music on Subvert

You can find and purchase all of my releases on Subvert.fm now. I intend to promote Subvert as my preferred storefront, though my music is still available elsewhere, too.

Questions you have about Subvert are likely answered in the FAQ and other documentation.

If you have any questions specific to me, or if you just want to share in the excitement, you're welcome to reach out!

Sincerely ours,
Tye Newton

What's after The future isn't what it used to be.

Now that the record is released...

I still have some ideas for making it even more special, which will need time, but I hope to share more soon. (Let me know what you'd like to see from me.)

I'll likely slow the pace a bit with my newsletters.

I'll also take my time with the rest of the Q&A video series.

I'm looking forward to getting back to work on my next wave of backlogged songs, too, but that won't be right away.

—

[1] Subvert.fm is our nascent music marketplace, cooperatively owned by our artist and supporter members, so no opportunistic private corporation will ever acquire and disenfranchise our community. Subvert plans very soon to open publicly to non-members, so now is a great time to learn more about it and consider becoming a founding cooperative member!