Sone 2025
posted 7 hours ago #
Back in 2023, I mentioned some Bandcamp alternatives I was researching after BC was acquired by Songtradr (and laid off loads of the staff, least we forget). Two of the three platforms in that post have gone from early beta to open access and continue to grow - namely Ampwall and nina. The third, Sone, was always a bit of a mystery to me.
Recently, they relaunched their Sone website and have provided a little clarity. I think. According to the site, Sone is both a physical space - a venue, a print studio, and meetup spot - and a community publishing website. I take this to mean they make the software for tone (more on that in a moment), as well as host a place online discussion and highlight people using their software.
Tone is an "open source, artist & listener owned music listening service." It is very much still in development but seems to be like an Ampwall or Bandcamp but with a focus on supporting artists through streaming. An idea that many independent thinkers (myself included) believe is the obvious way forward. I often cite this as the User Centric Payment System aka Fan Powered Royalties. Two ideas that Deezer and Soundcloud have floated in the past but I've no idea how successful they were (I am guessing, not very).
Very long story short - Sone updated their site. It's a glimpse into what they've got planned. Tone seems a little further off but I am still in the Discord for both of these and they are still very much active. A labor of love to this scale takes a long time. I think they're closer than ever now.
Recently, they relaunched their Sone website and have provided a little clarity. I think. According to the site, Sone is both a physical space - a venue, a print studio, and meetup spot - and a community publishing website. I take this to mean they make the software for tone (more on that in a moment), as well as host a place online discussion and highlight people using their software.
Tone is an "open source, artist & listener owned music listening service." It is very much still in development but seems to be like an Ampwall or Bandcamp but with a focus on supporting artists through streaming. An idea that many independent thinkers (myself included) believe is the obvious way forward. I often cite this as the User Centric Payment System aka Fan Powered Royalties. Two ideas that Deezer and Soundcloud have floated in the past but I've no idea how successful they were (I am guessing, not very).
Very long story short - Sone updated their site. It's a glimpse into what they've got planned. Tone seems a little further off but I am still in the Discord for both of these and they are still very much active. A labor of love to this scale takes a long time. I think they're closer than ever now.