artist-owned music · invite-only

listeners are the
algorithm
curators.

softbolt is independent music streaming where fans subscribe directly to artists, the artist takes 90%, and every paid subscriber's name becomes the public signal that helps people find the next band worth knowing about. no recommendations engine. no payola. no AI slop.

sign up nowbrowse as a fan
10%
our take
that's it
$5
starting
monthly support
90/10
artists keep 90%
softbolt 10%
1,000
founding artists
free, invite only
indie
artists must own
their masters
scroll · 8 sections
"
spotify has 100,000 songs uploaded a day. softbolt thinks none of that scale matters if you can't tell a friend why you love something — and have it actually move someone else to listen.
01
the loop

one move.
four consequences.

/ 01
act
a fan subscribes to an artist
$5/month, direct. the artist sets the price. softbolt takes 10%. cancel anytime.
/ 02
badge
their name appears publicly
on the artist's page in a "supported by" strip. taste becomes a public statement, not a private metric.
/ 03
unlock
they can now boost any track
the boost is the only social action that matters. one paid subscription activates curation across the whole platform.
/ 04
discovery
others find the artist through them
no algorithm. no "for you." discovery comes from people you can name. that's the entire formula.
02
the boost

the only
social action
that matters.

a boost is a public statement of taste. tap it, your name attaches to that track on the artist's page. it shows up in your followers' feeds. it joins your boost stream — an auto-updating, listenable mixtape of every track you've boosted, ever.

un-boost works. but the trace stays. no quiet take-backs.

requires: one active subscription, anywhere · cost: zero · signal: permanent
try it →
H
cold returns
honky kong / 3:48
your move →
boosted. @dob is now publicly attached to "cold returns" on honky kong's page. it's queued into @dob's boost stream. 142 followers see it in their feed. plays still count for the band.
03
for artists

your audience.
your business.

a homepage, a paid tier, a direct line to the people who showed up. softbolt is built for musicians who want to make a living from the listeners they already have.

/ 01
keep 90%
you set the price.
$5/mo, $10/mo, pay-what-you-can. softbolt takes 10% — that’s it. no per-stream micropayments, no labels, no data partners.
/ 02
own the list
your subscribers are yours.
export them whenever. email them directly. take them with you if you leave. we don’t gate your audience behind us.
/ 03
publish
notes, shows, tracks.
one feed for the people who already care. release a single, announce a show, explain why you made the record — in your own voice.
/ 04
get paid
stripe, every month.
connect stripe, get paid. same dashboard a thousand small businesses use. no waiting six months for $43.
04
on the platform

real artists.
real money.

every dollar comes from a person whose name is on the receipt. these aren't vanity metrics; they're public, on every artist page.

H
honky kong
@honky-kong · brooklyn
"we pay rent on the laundromat we record in. now twenty people in five states pay rent with us. that's the entire pitch."
23
supporters
$144
/ month
E
ex-explosion
@ex-explosion · philadelphia
"spotify paid us $11.40 last year. one softbolt subscriber pays us more than that in two months. and i know her name."
38
supporters
$219
/ month
A
astral drift
@astral-drift · oakland
"i can finally afford the studio. the math works because nobody is between me and the people who actually want my music."
61
supporters
$340
/ month
live · supports happening right now
D
@dob→honky kong
M
@maya.r→astral drift
J
@jakob→scene 14
S
@sara_h→noah river
N
@nico→low ceiling
L
@leah-k→ex-explosion
D
@dob→ex-explosion
M
@maya.r→honky kong
D
@dob→honky kong
M
@maya.r→astral drift
J
@jakob→scene 14
S
@sara_h→noah river
N
@nico→low ceiling
L
@leah-k→ex-explosion
D
@dob→ex-explosion
M
@maya.r→honky kong
05
for listeners

your taste
is the recommendation.

free to browse. subscribe to one artist for $5/mo and you become a curator — your boosts move other listeners, your name shows up next to the artists you support. no ads, ever.

/ 01
browse free
listen to everything.
all tracks free to play. all artist pages public. you only pay if you want to support someone directly.
/ 02
support directly
$5/mo per artist.
subscribe to one band and 90% of every dollar reaches them. cancel any time. no bundles you didn’t ask for.
/ 03
become a curator
one sub unlocks boosts.
support a single artist and you can boost any track on softbolt. your boosts are how others find the next thing worth knowing.
/ 04
public taste
people follow taste.
your boosts and supports show up on a real profile. people can follow you specifically — for what you like, not for an auto-generated mix.
06
what we are not

not another
platform.

softbolt was built specifically against the things that broke music streaming. we picked sides on purpose.

we are not
×a recommendation engine pretending to know your taste
×a marketplace for the major labels
×chasing scale, MAU, or "creator" volume
×open to AI-generated music or label uploads
×monetizing your listening data to advertisers
×paying artists fractions of a cent per stream
we are
+a curated network where real people recommend artists
+indie artists who own their masters, full stop
+built to be the right size — small, deliberate, durable
+human-made music, verified through our invite system
+a flat 10% take. that's it. ever.
+direct subscriptions — $5/month goes 90% to the artist

show up.
be counted.