Latest news from the Crates team
I keep hearing it on panels, in interviews, in comment sections: “Streaming saved the music industry.” Every time, something feels off. Let’s take it from the top. Yes, music industry revenues collapsed in the 2000s. Napster and piracy blew a hole in CD sales. Global recorded music revenue bottomed out around 2014 and has grown …
If you’re a serious music listener in 2026, chances are you’re juggling several different tools and platforms to manage your listening life. Streaming services may provide instant access to massive catalogs, but managing and organizing a personal music library across platforms remains difficult for many. Platforms like Bandcamp allow independent artists and labels to self-publish …
Listen smarter, support artists fairly, and reclaim your music experience. Music streaming is everywhere. Digital Service Providers (DSPs) such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music have made listening effortless – but convenience has a cost. The dominant streaming model funnels listener payments into a pooled system that disproportionately favors the biggest artists, while leaving …
What Is User-Owned Music, and Why It Matters in 2025 Reclaiming your music, your data, and your listening identity. The short answer User-owned music means you control your music library, your data, and your listening experience. It’s a shift away from the closed, algorithm-driven platforms that quietly reshaped how we consume music – and a …
Rethinking Music Discovery Beyond Algorithms The Short Answer Crates approaches music discovery through people, not prediction models. With Gems, listeners share meaningful recommendations grounded in taste, context, and trust – not engagement metrics or opaque algorithms. It is music discovery designed for humans. The problem with algorithmic music discovery Most mainstream discovery tools operate inside …
