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.
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