Building the culture we want requires a radical change in mindset, and action. The dream of a free and open Internet isn't dead—but in 2025, it's definitely more complicated.

PublishedOct. 15, 2025

What is the post-naive generation?It’s not so rare. Just about everywhere you look, someone is trying to build an alternative. Austin Robey is the founder of Subvert, a cooperatively owned music platform. With a background in architecture and a passion for music, the NYC-based founder has spent the last 10 years trying to solve the question of how digital platforms for artists and creatives can be sustainable.When Bandcamp was sold in 2022, it clicked for him. Even then, most musicians had given up on the idea that Spotify could ever help them make an income (its average payout is $0.003 per stream, and only the top 1% of artists really benefit) Meanwhile, Bandcamp was held up as the platform where musicians felt their work was valued. It was a place where the prices were fair and the founders were in touch with their community. When it was sold to Epic Games, the behemoth company behind triple A games like Fortnite, the shock was deep.And yet this story has been written a million times before: a platform starts with the best intentions in mind, takes on venture capital and comes to realize that VCs are business people and want their money back. Could it be any different? Only if it was structurally different. So Austin wrote a manifesto and started to build Subvert in the summer of 2024.Subvert, which is set to launch later this year, now has more than 10,000 members, comprising artists, independent labels, and supporters. Each own a part of the platform that will launch later this year. Whether it will be a success, find users, create revenue or even ROI for its co-owners is up in the air; what matters is that it relies on a radically different ownership model. This structural innovation in turn shapes the way decisions are being made, the platform is being