Building New Models with Austin Robey: Creating Sustainable Music Platforms That Benefit Artists

Austin Robey, founder of Subvert, joins Denise Love Hewett to discuss building the first collectively-owned music platform that puts artists first. Learn how platform cooperatives work, why traditional venture capital fails creators, and how Subvert raised $100K by selling zines to future co-owners. Key topics covered:

How platform cooperatives distribute ownership and decision-making power

Why Spotify's ownership structure hurts artists and how co-ops solve this

Alternative funding strategies beyond traditional venture capital

The vulnerability required for democratic leadership

Building sustainable businesses aligned with your values

How to create accountability structures that benefit all stakeholders

Perfect for entrepreneurs, musicians, creators, and anyone interested in alternative business models that prioritize community ownership over profit maximization.

 Austin Robey is an entrepreneur and advocate for collective ownership, solidarity economics, and new models for online creative economies. He co-founded Ampled, a cooperatively owned platform for musicians, and was a co-founder of Metalabel. Austin is currently developing Subvert, a collectively owned and controlled online music marketplace.

 

You can follow him at @austinrobey_ and  @subvertworld 

 

You can become a co-owner at  https://subvert.fm/

 

You can follow this podcast @toomuchwithdlh and Denise @deniselovehewett

 

Email hello@deniselovehewett.com for any suggestions or submit questions for  advice.