Listen Ethically
July 14th, 2025
Minneapolis, MN — What does a long-term solution to music streaming actually look like? Fed up with exploitative streaming models, a new generation is building something better.
A group of recent college graduates has launched a bold initiative to build Campfire, a nonprofit music streaming platform designed to pay artists fairly, give community to fans, and restore integrity to digital music. Campfire Music Foundation, the public-benefit nonprofit behind the project, is now raising funds through a $100,000 Indiegogo campaign—part of a broader $3 million capital campaign to transition founders from volunteer to staff, fund software development, licensing infrastructure, and the platform’s initial launch.
Unlike major streaming platforms, Campfire's structure is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with no equity, no ads, and no major label control. Its commitment is to the community. The platform will feature music exclusively from the growing sector of independent artists and ethical labels—no AI-generated content—and will use a transparent, subscriber-share (user-centric) royalty model that sends revenue directly to the artists users actually stream on a proportional basis.
Campfire’s model lets users choose their own monthly subscription price, starting at $5 and scaling up to $50 or more for superfans. After a 20% operations cut and required publishing licenses, the remainder is distributed to master rights-holders based on each listener’s habits. The platform will serve the needs of music fans directly, with features like social tools, local music discovery, contextual content, and fan-to-artist interaction. Artists will have opportunities to generate additional income through merch sales and exclusive content. Campfire’s long-term sustainability plan includes covering core operating costs through its platform fee, supplemented by ongoing philanthropic support.
“This is about restoring balance to the music industry,” said Johannes Larson, founder of Campfire. “Streaming doesn’t have to be extractive. We're building an alternative that works for both artists and fans."
He continued, “This is a long-term project. Building and licensing a fully compliant, secure, and functional streaming platform that tracks usage and pays royalties transparently is a major undertaking that requires significant upfront capital and systems development. Yet the time is right to engage an audience of early supporters and bring our mission to the public. Let’s build a movement of independent art and create a platform filled with original music that fans want to discover, paired with tools that make that discovery possible."
Larson founded the nonprofit during his time at Georgetown University, where he double majored in American Music Culture and Computer Science. The team includes recent graduates from Northeastern, Boston University, Grinnell, and Amherst College, bringing together experience in music, software development, nonprofit leadership, and cultural policy. Since 2022, they’ve built the foundation for a public-benefit streaming model from the ground up—incorporating as a nonprofit, researching legal and royalty frameworks, designing technical infrastructure, and developing product prototypes. In parallel, the team has actively validated the model at the ground level and thoroughly tested the idea.
The organization has conducted artist interviews, hosted impact concerts, and led advocacy events. They’ve co-hosted conferences in partnership with organizations like Music Policy Forum, KEXP, and Treefort Music Fest. While young, the team is supported by a trusted group of mentors and advisors across music, tech, and nonprofit sectors, including Michael Bracy (Music Policy Forum), Tommy Stinson (The Replacements), Kate Becker (King County Creative), Cyrille Aimée (Grammy-nominated jazz artist), and Josh Aas (Internet Security Research Group).
“The emerging generation of music stakeholders has an opportunity as well as an obligation to address the structural challenges facing musicians and the broader independent music community,” said Michael Bracy, Founder of Music Policy Forum and Founder Emeritus of Future of Music Coalition. “Campfire Music Foundation is stepping up to assert leadership with curiosity, imagination, and a dogged determination to build a better future of music.”
The mission is to build a nonprofit alternative to commercial streaming that values fairness, transparency, and community over profit. Donations will support key milestones including staff hiring, technology development, licensing, and a public launch. An initial public version of the Campfire platform is projected for 2027.
Campfire has an early prototype available for viewing, along with a public-facing project deck and considerable planning materials, all available on its Indiegogo campaign page.
To support the campaign and learn more, visit: https://igg.me/at/campfiremusic