Subvert's 50 Year Roadmap: The Mondragon of Music
Systemic problems require systemic solutions. That's why our vision for Subvert isn't just about creating a better Bandcamp. It's about building a resilient, collectively owned infrastructure that can evolve and serve artists for generations to come. This is why Subvert begins with a 50-year roadmap.
On October 17th, we're launching "Plan for the Artist-Owned Internet," a 140-page manifesto and business plan that outlines our blueprint for a music marketplace owned by us all. This limited edition zine is more than just a publication—it's your ticket to becoming a founding member of the Subvert Co-op. Artists and labels will be able to join the Subvert Co-op for free.
The next year
The coming year lays the foundation for our collective vision. As co-owners, here's what we'll be working on together over the next 3-6 months:
- October-December 2024:
- Launch of our members-only forum
- Collaborative refinement of our cooperative bylaws
- Codesign and research sessions with founding members to influence the platform development
- January-March 2025:
- Continued platform development
- First round of fundraising, with co-owner input on strategy
- Establishment of our governance structure
- April-June 2025:
- First Board of Directors election
- Inaugural Subvert Quarterly Town Hall
- Platform beta testing with early members
Throughout this period, we'll be making decisions together that will shape the future of Subvert. We're building this together, and every voice matters in creating the foundation for our 50-year vision.
The next 50 years: The Mondragon of Music
Here’s a crazy thought experiment.What’s possible when the Subvert co-op has hundreds of thousands of members?
What becomes possible when a global independent music community is organized within a self-governing legal entity?
To answer these questions, we looked back nearly 70 years to a cooperative called Mondragon. Founded in 1956 in the Basque region of Spain, Mondragon began as a small worker-owned cooperative manufacturing home appliances. Today, it's the world's largest worker cooperative, employing over 80,000 people across various industries.
Today, the Mondragon Corporation includes a range of community-owned enterprises:
- A bank
- A chain of grocery stores
- A university
- A construction company
What can Subvert learn from Mondragon? Imagine a future where the Subvert Platform is just the start of our long journey. Our underlying legal and organizational model is designed to allow for Subvert to become the Mondragon of Music. Picture Subvert co-op members collectively owning:
- A vinyl pressing plant
- A network of cooperatively-owned music venues
- A credit union
- Professional services
- A housing cooperative
How This Could Work
Subvert's model serves as a kind of legal and organizational protocol, allowing new ventures to plug into our larger network. Each new service can have built-in mechanisms for raising investment and sharing ownership back with co-op members. This creates an unfair advantage:
- A built-in network of customers
- An aligned community with proven incentive structures
- Ways to distribute ownership of new businesses to participating co-op members
- Shared resources and economies of scale
As needs arise within our community, we can develop new cooperatively-owned services to meet them. Each new venture can strengthen the overall ecosystem, creating a more resilient and equitable music industry.
This isn't speculative fiction. This model already exists today with Mondragon, and there's no reason why it can't be applied to reshape the music industry. By organizing our community within a cooperative legal structure, we're laying the groundwork for these possibilities to become reality.
This isn't just about creating a better Bandcamp. It's about creating a new economy owned and controlled by us. Mondragon shows us that this is possible.
Invitation to Participate
On October 17th, we're releasing the full "Plan for the Artist-Owned Internet," a comprehensive 140-page manifesto and business plan that details this vision and the steps to achieve it. This launch also marks your opportunity to become a founding member of the Subvert Co-op.
By purchasing a zine, you're not just supporting a platform—you're becoming a co-owner in a movement to build a new economy for music. One that's owned and controlled by us, designed to serve our needs for the next 50 years and beyond.
We invite you to be part of this journey from the very beginning. Mark your calendars for October 17th, and prepare to help us lay the foundation for an artist-owned internet.
Sincerely Ours,