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Product Overview and Elevator Pitch

My product, Underscore, is an innovative music streaming platform designed to support underground and emerging artists while transforming how listeners discover new music. In contrast to mainstream platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, which prioritise already popular artists through algorithm-driven recommendations, Underscore focuses on curated discovery, community engagement, and fair compensation for creators. The platform aims to create a more balanced and authentic music ecosystem where talent, rather than popularity metrics alone, determines success. By addressing key limitations within existing streaming services, Underscore seeks to redefine the relationship between artists, listeners, and the platforms that connect them.

Underscore will operate as both a mobile application and a web-based platform, ensuring accessibility across multiple devices and increasing user convenience. Its core features include human-curated playlists organised by genre, mood, and local music scenes, allowing users to explore music in a more intentional and meaningful way. Unlike algorithm-heavy platforms, these playlists will be managed by music experts and community contributors, ensuring diversity and originality in music discovery. This approach directly responds to concerns raised by Lily Oberman (2014) in her article ‘11 Ways the Music Industry Makes it Impossible for Indie Artists to Succeed’, where she argues that mainstream streaming services often promote repetitive content. This repetition limits exposure for independent artists and reduces authenticity in music consumption, as users are frequently directed toward already successful musicians rather than discovering new talent.

Another key feature of Underscore is its emphasis on artist-fan interaction. Artist profiles will enable direct communication between musicians and their audiences through comment sections, live Q&A sessions, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content. These features are designed to build stronger relationships between creators and listeners, fostering a sense of community that is often lacking on larger platforms. Additionally, community-driven tools such as likes, shares, and fan voting systems will allow users to influence which artists gain visibility. This participatory approach empowers listeners and gives them a more active role in shaping the platform’s content. As Oberman (2014) suggests, algorithm-based systems often remove this sense of agency, making Underscore’s model a significant improvement in terms of user engagement and inclusivity.

Underscore also integrates financial support features, such as tipping and donations, allowing fans to directly contribute to the artists they enjoy. This model provides an alternative to traditional streaming revenue systems, which have been widely criticised for their low payouts. According to Greg Fuhs (2024) in his blog ‘How Spotify is stealing from small indie artists’, platforms such as Spotify have introduced policies that limit royalty payments for tracks with fewer than 1,000 streams annually. This disproportionately disadvantages emerging artists, who are less likely to reach such thresholds. By contrast, Underscore ensures that all streams contribute to artist revenue, alongside optional fan contributions. This creates a more equitable financial model, enabling artists to earn income while building their audience.

Target Market and Audience

The primary target audience for Underscore includes music enthusiasts who actively seek new and undiscovered artists, fans of underground or niche genres, and independent musicians looking for exposure. These users are often dissatisfied with mainstream platforms, which tend to prioritise commercially successful artists and limit opportunities for smaller creators. By focusing on this underserved audience, Underscore positions itself within a niche market that values authenticity and diversity in music.

Geographically, the platform will initially launch in London, a city recognised for its diverse and influential music culture. London has a long history of producing innovative music across genres such as grime, indie, electronic, and alternative rock. Its strong independent music scene makes it an ideal location for testing the platform and building an early user base. Additionally, the city’s high population density and digital connectivity provide favourable conditions for rapid user adoption. Following a successful launch, Underscore will expand to other major cities, such as Manchester, Berlin, and New York, before scaling globally.

Market Analysis

The global music industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, with streaming now dominating music consumption. While this shift has made music more accessible to listeners, it has also created structural inequalities within the industry. As highlighted by Oberman (2014), algorithm-driven recommendation systems often reinforce existing popularity, making it increasingly difficult for new artists to gain visibility. This results in a concentration of success among a small number of already established musicians.

In addition to visibility challenges, financial inequality remains a critical issue. On platforms such as Spotify, streaming payouts are typically between £0.003 and £0.005 per stream, which makes it extremely difficult for smaller artists to earn a sustainable income. Greg Fuhs (2024) further explains that recent policy changes have exacerbated this issue by excluding low-stream tracks from royalty payments entirely. This creates a system in which only already successful artists are financially rewarded, while emerging musicians struggle to sustain their careers.

These issues highlight a clear gap in the market for a platform that prioritises fairness and accessibility. Underscore addresses this gap by combining fairer payout structures with community-driven discovery mechanisms. By doing so, it not only supports artists financially but also enhances the overall user experience by offering more diverse and authentic music.

Competitor Analysis

A key competitor for Underscore is Bandcamp, which is widely recognised for its support of independent artists. Bandcamp allows musicians to sell their music directly to fans, giving them greater control over pricing and distribution. However, research by Houssard, H., Pilati, F., and Sacco, P. L. (2025) in ‘Streaming’s uneven tune: exploring the inequalities on Bandcamp music platform’, suggests that inequalities still exist within the platform, particularly in terms of revenue distribution and visibility.

While Bandcamp excels in direct-to-fan sales, it does not fully address the issue of sustained exposure through streaming. Underscore differentiates itself by combining continuous streaming, community engagement, and monetisation features in one platform. This hybrid model ensures that artists can both grow their audience and generate income simultaneously. Furthermore, unlike Spotify and Apple Music, Underscore avoids over-reliance on algorithms and instead prioritises human curation and community input, creating a more inclusive environment for music discovery.

Business Model

Underscore will operate on a freemium model, allowing users to access the platform for free with advertisements, while offering a premium subscription priced at £10 per month. Premium users will benefit from features such as ad-free listening, offline playback, and access to exclusive content. These premium features are designed to enhance user experience while generating a stable source of revenue for the platform.

In addition to subscriptions, Underscore will generate income through multiple revenue streams. Artist tipping and donations will allow fans to directly support creators, with a small percentage retained by the platform. Paid promotional tools, such as analytics and visibility boosts, will provide artists with opportunities to increase their reach. Brand partnerships and sponsorships will further contribute to revenue, particularly through collaborations with clothing brands, venues, and music festivals. Merchandise and event collaborations will also create additional income streams while strengthening the platform’s community presence.

This diversified business model ensures long-term sustainability while addressing the financial limitations identified by Fuhs (2024). By offering multiple ways for artists to earn income, Underscore reduces reliance on streaming royalties alone.

Operations Plan

To operate effectively, Underscore will require a robust technical and organisational structure. This includes the development of a high-quality mobile application and website, supported by reliable streaming infrastructure and cloud storage systems. Licensing agreements will be necessary to ensure legal distribution of music content.

A dedicated curation team will play a crucial role in maintaining the platform’s identity. By selecting and organising playlists, curators will ensure that users are exposed to diverse and high-quality music. This human-led approach directly addresses concerns raised by Oberman (2014) regarding algorithmic bias.

Human resources will include app developers, marketing specialists, music curators, and customer support staff. Daily operations will involve managing content uploads, analysing user data, maintaining platform performance, and engaging with both artists and listeners. This comprehensive operational strategy ensures that the platform can function efficiently while delivering a high-quality user experience.

Marketing Strategy

The marketing strategy for Underscore will focus on grassroots engagement and community building. Initial efforts will target independent artists and local music communities in London through live events, collaborations, and social media campaigns. These activities will help establish the platform’s presence and attract early adopters.

Digital platforms such as YouTube and SoundCloud will be used to identify emerging talent and promote the platform. Influencer partnerships and user-generated content will further increase visibility and credibility. As the platform grows, strategic partnerships with brands, venues, and festivals will expand its reach and create additional promotional opportunities.

Conclusion

Underscore addresses critical issues within the modern music industry, including limited artist visibility, low streaming payouts, and a lack of authenticity in music discovery. By integrating insights from Oberman (2014), Fuhs (2024), and Houssard et al. (2025), the platform offers a fairer and more inclusive alternative to existing streaming services.

Through its focus on curated discovery, community engagement, and improved financial support for artists, Underscore has the potential to redefine the streaming landscape. As the platform grows, it aims to empower emerging artists while offering listeners a richer and more diverse musical experience. Ultimately, Underscore represents a shift towards a more equitable and authentic music industry, where creativity and talent are given the recognition they deserve.

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Reference List:

Fuhs, G. (2024). How Spotify is stealing from small indie artists, why it matters, and what to do about it. [Blog post]. Indie On The Move. 12 March. https://www.indieonthemove.com/blog/2024/3/how-spotify-is-stealing-from-small-indie-artists-why-it-matters-and-what-to-do-about-it [Accessed 3 May 2026]

Houssard, A., Pilati, F., Sacco, P.L. (2025) Streaming’s Uneven Tune: Exploring The Inequalities On Bandcamp Music Platform. https://culturaleconomics.org/streamings-uneven-tune-exploring-the-inequalities-on-bandcamp-music-platform/ [Accessed 2 May 2026] 

Oberman, L. (2014). 11 Ways the Music Industry Makes It Impossible for Indie Artists to Succeed. https://www.mic.com/articles/94682/11-ways-the-music-industry-makes-it-impossible-for-indie-artists-to-succeed [Accessed 4 May 2026] 

Bibliography:

Spears, N. (2025). The Struggle of Independent Artists in the Age of Streaming Giants. https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/lifestyle/2025/03/12/the-struggle-of-independent-artists-in-the-age-of-streaming-giants/ [Accessed 3 May 2026]

The Empire Broadcasting Corporation (2024). Why East London is the Ultimate Hub for Musicians and Artists. https://www.ebc.live/news/why-east-london-is-the-ultimate-hub-for-musicians-and-artists [Accessed 4 May 2026]

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Evidence of Group Work and Evaluation – Class Notes and Group Meetings

Brand/Platform name ideas: MusicSoar, NextWave Music, AudioLaunch, Discaudio, NewWave Music, SoundScape, Underscore, SubSonic

Name chosen: Underscore – suggests hidden and underground talent, while also using music terminology to draw music enthusiasts and artists in.