Listen Ethically
Campfire Music Foundation is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to address the structural failures of the music industry. Our first project is Campfire, a sustainable, independent alternative music streaming platform.
Music streaming can serve both artists and fans better. We are a group of young individuals who have researched and identified what a public-benefit model of streaming can look like, and are taking the steps to build it out through technology development, collective organizing, and arts advocacy.
Campfire Music Foundation was founded to address widespread issues of labor insecurity and low royalty payouts to artists under the current system of music streaming. The project originally began as a final project for a music industry class at Georgetown University, and the organization has since grown into a registered 501c(3) nonprofit led by a group of young, passionate individuals whose agenda is backed by a strong collective of national and regional artists, industry experts, policy-makers, international music advocacy groups, and other leading music stakeholders. We're actively building a new model of music streaming that pays artists more fairly and transparently.
The problem with music streaming is not the technology. It is the underlying economics and the lack of innovation for artists and fans. Our focus has been on research, coalition-building, and fundraising so that when Campfire launches, it will be positioned to stand apart. Campfire will feature music from artists and ethical record labels across the country, with scene-specific discovery that highlights local communities.
The catalog will showcase the incredible diversity of independent music being made and give listeners new ways to connect with it. There will be no AI music and no preferential deals for major labels.
Our value proposition is not just better payments for artists. It is a fundamental reimagining of how streaming can serve the entire music ecosystem: fans, artists, independent labels, and music workers. To deliver on that vision, Campfire’s work extends beyond streaming itself:
Campfire Streaming Platform: Building a public-benefit streaming service that provides high-quality original music to fans, redistributes listener dollars more fairly to artists, and connects audiences more directly to artists.
Artist Support and Services: Offering free educational resources, profiles, and visibility initiatives that help musicians build sustainable and lasting careers.
Advocacy and Policy Programming: Hosting conferences, workshops, and forums focused on music, cultural policy, and the role of the arts in society. Notable events we’ve been fortunate to work on include the2025 Music Policy Forum in Seattle and the 2023 Cascadia Music Summit in Boise.
Live and Community Events: Producing concerts and community programs that pay local artists, showcase independent music, and bring people together through live performance. This includes the JAM Duluth concert series, which we have helped produce for the past two years, delivering more than $10,000 to working artists in northern Minnesota.
Public Education: Creating messaging and educational content that informs the public on issues within the music ecosystem, emphasizing creative value, fair compensation, and the preservation of the arts.
Our model for a new platform is simple: the money you pay goes directly to the artists you listen to. Campfire will operate on a subscriber-share/user-centric model, differently than traditional streaming services. This means instead of pooling subscription fees and distributing them based on overall streams, your monthly payment goes directly to the artists you actually listen to. If you spend ten percent of your listening time on one artist this month, then ten percent of your subscription fee (after operating expenses and publishing licenses) goes directly to that artist.
We’re currently in beta development and fundraising, and we invite artists, listeners, and supporters to join us as we build the future of fair, community-driven music streaming.
IRS Mission Statement:
The purpose of this organization is charitable: To advance art, music, education, and the creative interests of musicians by lowering the technological, monetary, and educational barriers to success in the music industry. This includes, but is not limited to: 1.) creating a campfire atmosphere where multiple genres of music are offered with a loving spirit; 2.) building a digital streaming platform to provide music to the public while at the same time fairly compensating the musicians for their labor; 3.) investing in musicians so they have the time and resources to create additional artistic content; and 4.) instructing and educating the public about the importance of creativity and the preservation of the creative arts.
We believe world peace is possible through a restructuring of the world's systems for the public benefit - let's start with the music industry. This is a creative and cultural shift towards a better era of music. The intention of Campfire Music Foundation is to better humankind through providing music to the public while taking care of those who make it. We aim for this mission to invite study, open minds, and drive long-term structural change across the broader music community.