Ampled (2018–2019)

ROLE: Co-founder // head of product

Ampled is a web app that allows music artists to be directly supported by their community on a monthly, recurring basis and is a platform for unique underutilized, or exclusive content and building a stronger relationship with the their community. Ampled is a cooperatively owned, values-driven platform for artists. Ampled’s mission is to make music more equitable for artists and to operate transparently & ethically.

THE PROBLEM

Music artists aren’t paid equitably. Subscription streaming services like Spotify help artists get discovered, but barely compensate them—even after millions of plays from loyal listeners. Giving direct support to artists is difficult. Music consumption today is increasingly free, with few options for artists to be directly supported by their audience besides merch and resource-intensive touring.

The process

Upon noticing a gap in the market which is leaving music artists without agency on par with what they deserve (In 2017, artists received only  12%  of all music industry revenues), we interviewed a network of artists and asked them how this could be resolved. After conducing extensive market research we concluded that our model was viable. We implemented an iterative, co-design process working directly with users to make a product that is made for them and that they can feel ownership of. The result is the current MVP.

the product

The MVP was developed alongside users in an iterative process to refine and pare down features. We only wanted what was useful to artists while keeping things in scope on a bootstrapped budget.

How it works

Landing page

Landing page to showcase the value and difference of a platform coop. From our user research, we found that trust is of the utmost importance to artists when dealing with technology. We aimed to make something that felt friendly, welcoming and straightforward while leveraging a rebel spirit and punk ethos that Ampled tries to embody.