New streaming platform Marine Snow to pay artists the equivalent of 500,000 Spotify streams

The music streaming app describes itself as “a digital oasis for vivid music lovers.”

Founded by Tony Lashley, who previously worked as Head of Marketing & Operations at Frank Ocean’s Blonded, Marine Snow offers an alternative experience for both artists and listeners. The platform will pay artists the equivalent of 500,000 Spotify streams upfront and host the track exclusively for 90 days.

So far, Marine Snow has included tracks from Oliver Coates, Palmistry, AceMo, Amnesia Scanner, Mal Devisa and ABADIR. Speaking to Resident Advisor about the platform Lashley said, “A song’s value should not be based on the number of plays it gets.” In addition, he highlighted the positive impact this model will have for independent artists: “The median artist we are working with receives about 100,000 streams on their median song on Spotify over the lifetime of the song, meaning that for 90 days we are paying 2.5x the lifetime revenue of their median song.”

The app also aims to build a community and foster connection between music fans. Members are encouraged to engage with the platform via easter-egg style capsules that they access through collecting gem-like shards earned by listening to music and reading blurbs. Rewards will also be acquired from engaging with other Marine Snow members.

In the app, which is free to download, a statement from the team reads: “We understand that for a voracious audience, listening to new music is a bit like a collecting game. So we want the listening experience to be as fun as a video game. A musically delightful, growth-inducing, bubble-shattering video game.”

Until the launch of the app on 2 June, Marine Snow had been in beta testing since last September. Lashley previously spoke to Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst about the project on their Interdependence podcast.