Catalog

We’ve decided to wind down Catalog. We started with a simple mission: help artists earn a living from their music. The economics of major streaming platforms pushed us to imagine something better. In 2021, we launched a marketplace for 1-of-1 digital records, where recorded music could carry the same weight and worth as a painting. Within days, independent artists were earning life-changing money, sometimes up to $100,000 for a single song, without giving up ownership. The next two years brought rapid growth, many lessons, and reinvention. We explored new models, including Catalog Radio: a 24/7 live broadcast with curated shows where listeners supported artists directly through real-time payments. It was resonant, but our infrastructure made it difficult to sustain. So we rebuilt again. Our final chapter became a digital download platform with automatic splits, built-in curator rewards, and seamless tools for artists and labels. While we’re proud of that foundation, it didn’t fully capture the magic we originally set out to create. After five years of building and rebuilding, we’ve decided Catalog has reached its natural completion point. Together, we facilitated over $3 million to independent artists and labels around the world. Artists paid rent, funded albums, and went on tour from Catalog sales alone. That made every day worthwhile. Thank you to every artist, collector, supporter, listener, team member, and investor who believed in us. It’s been our honor to champion new value models in an ever-consolidating industry. We’re rooting for every effort that challenges this status quo by prioritizing the sacredness of music and those who make it. We’ll be shutting off the product over the coming weeks: Feb 17 – March 1: Platform operates normally March 2: Uploads and purchases disabled (withdrawals remain open) March 9: Catalog turns off and the codebase is open sourced All music uploaded after Apr 19, 2022 is permanently stored on Arweave. Early collectors can use our migration tool (link in bio) to permanently store their media and metadata. Until soon, Catalog

Some big news: Catalog is now open to all artists for the first time, with a few special upgrades. We think it’s the simplest way to share and support independent music. #linkinbio to create an account and upload / buy music you love (-‿-)♪! Any artist (and select labels) can upload and release on Catalog and keep 100% of what they earn. Any listener can support them and their collaborators directly, instantly, for lossless downloads and unlimited playback. This canvas will support our future experiments around discovery, social, and value systems that work better for all of us. Until then, we hope it feels like a getaway from the internet doomscape :) We’re excited to continue our years-long effort to offer alternatives to the streaming giants and big algos incentivized to devalue music and the people behind it. Thank you to everyone who’s rocked with us so far. This post features releases from artists and labels we love: @leavingrecords , @niallashley , @cehryl , @letjoux , @the_south_hill_experiment , @jul.jeli , and @sandy_chamoun . They get paid the moment you buy their music on Catalog <3

Catalog just got a big upgrade 💿 Improved exploration, search, and a live feed to keep up with the artists and labels you love Faster, smoother, and easier than ever ⬇️ ⭐️ Feed Catch every update from artists, labels, and friends you follow in one place. Never miss a new release. 🔀 Explore Dig for music with tags. From club cuts to indie folk to ambient, find exactly what you’re after (or surprise yourself). 🔍 Search Easily look up artists, labels, releases, or tags from anywhere on Catalog. ⚡️ Performance & polish Site-wide performance overhaul New share images for better link previews Smoother artist invites for labels Profile hover cards And a bunch of other fixes that make Catalog smoother and more fun to use. We’re excited to share what we have coming next, things are about to get interesting… Listen to and support music on Catalog today. Request artist / label access via our bio link or catalog.works <3 Showing up early has a way of coming back around :) Featuring “for the future” by @club.aakash

New Story 🗞️💽: “10 Years of @simsaramusic : Walking Through the Dark with @sarah_el_miniawy ” by @bruisecaster , live now on our Liner Notes blog. Link in bio for full read :) Peter Holslin interviews Simsara’s founder about the making of classic albums, management logistics vs the algorithm, power dynamics between the west and ‘The Region,’ and hard-earned lessons about true independence in music ♾️ Featuring eternal Simsara releases from the almighty @nadah_elshazly , @mauricelouca , @maryammsaleh , @mounirnancy , @3phaz_ , @elwaiillii , & Tamer Abughazaleh. Artists and labels keep 100% of earnings and get paid the moment you purchase their music on Catalog. Thank you for reading, listening, and showing love <3

catalog selects: @andonlyohhara , the duo collaging a spectrum of life lessons and references (from the greek myths of orpheus and eurydice to skepta and dmx) for their equally colossal and room-quieting music. ohhara’s newly released album ‘ode’ is available to play and collect on catalog.works 🔂 swipe for thoughts and reflections they were kind enough to share with us :)

🆕 story on our blog: @leavingrecords is trying to lead (& learn) by example, with @matthewdavidmcq and @lanitrock , written by @siberspaceee . link in bio // visit notes.catalog.works 💽 inside leaving records’ effort to fight the la wildfires with music, its leaders’ philosophies on boycotts and growing in public, the mycelial music continuum, and lots more. leaving’s brilliant 98-track, 133-artist fundraiser compilation, ‘staying,’ is out now on catalog. 100% of proceeds go to la wildfire victims this story features or mentions @vthemartian , @flyinglotus , @thegrowtheternal , @andre3000 , @musicbotofasinasurya , @tate.ec , @anenonmusic , @samandude , @laraaji_official , @modularprincess , @lowleaf , @reggiewatts , @photay , @ceellliiiia , @zorthianranch , @tp.dutchkiss , and more. photos courtesy of @matthewdavidmcq , @lanitrock , and @benwilsonpictures

catalog selects: the exhilarating ‘clash’ and ‘on speed’ ep’s by bader بدر (@badershashit ), out now on catalog.works. bader بدر gets paid the moment you buy his music on catalog ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ even though bader بدر started making music as a joke to poke fun at his local club scene a couple years ago, his knack for joyous, jetpack-blasting electronic music was unmistakable from the opening moments of “libya on speed.” we couldn’t be happier that he decided to honor his own gifts for productions you can’t stay seated for. over the past year, while enduring the ongoing “dark hole era” of the zionist genociders and their cronies across europe and north america, bader بدر would turn every friday night out into a personal challenge: reimagine popular sounds, from belo horizonte to new jersey to tunis to his own old homes, benghazi and damascus, with heart-accelerating signatures and a healthy dose of organized chaos. the result, ‘clash,’ is a five-track world tour born from dm’s between online friends turned collaborators. we’re equally excited about the continued work bader بدر is doing with @voemvzw , teaching dj skills and production techniques to the next generation in belgium. play these tracks as loud as your ear drums can handle and stay tuned for more on the way — @siberspaceee featuring music from the projects ‘clash’ and ‘on speed’ by bader. featuring @5amaseen , @bigsizer , @whyvsef , and @lorisms . mixed by 5amaseen and al nasik. mastered by @rashad__becker , @fausto.mercier , and al nasik. brilliant videos and photography by @greg_verbeke , courtesy of bader, from their “clash” music video. released on @sawna.rec of @yalla.worldwide . thanks for reading, watching, listening, and supporting tags: #experimental #bassmusic #dub #breaks #electronica #100 #140 #160 #808 #ghent #belgium

catalog selects: ‘healing out loud’ by @madkeys_ and @mynameisheno , an endearing hip-hop/jazz project rooted in kinship, comfort food chords, euphoric rap-sung hooks, and endurance of the spirit. mad keys and heno. get paid the moment you buy their music on catalog. read the full interview and listen by tapping that bio link ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ featuring music from the album ‘healing out loud’ by heno. and mad keys. produced by mad keys. coproduced by heno. lyrics and vocal performances by heno. guest vocals from @jaszyshavers and @moruf88 . additional production from @louisc._ . mixed and mastered by @gregsoundsgood . executive produced by mad keys, heno., and @cxy . released on @mixto_records . distributed by @symphonicdistro . ‘healing out loud’ front cover by @karimali.psd ; back cover by @tshnspncr . photography by @maddoucephoto . performed on tour with @oddisee . thanks for listening, watching, reading, supporting :) story by @siberspaceee tags: #hiphop #rap #jazz #improvised #lofi #stlouis #maryland

“door.link is the music internet’s purest place,” a new story with the beloved argentinian artist, ambient archiver, and door.link creator @si_romo_ . out now on our liner notes blog, featuring two projects from @isabeldelbosco . listen and read the full story on notes [dot] catalog [dot] works. link in bio ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ a decade ago, in the palermo barrio of argentina’s capital city, the self-taught artist, illustrator, and ambient archiver romina malta had an idea: enshrine the connective tissues underpinning every millisecond of sound. in other words, craft mixes (bridges) with care and house them somewhere untainted as romi’s design practice grew, visions of a sacred listening space became more html tangible. her early inklings eventually gave rise to the ongoing sanity project door.link. she uses the public webpage to host mixes handpicked by herself and her loved ones, from her husband javi to @lykkeli . it’s a devotional internet node. there’s no ads or algorithms or marketing funnels to crawl out of. instead, the minimal-tech zone strives for a new internet by invoking the old one. an interface that does less. not for the sake of user optimization, but to let the magic run unencumbered story by @siberspaceee

catalog selects: ‘petra-coeur’ by @rainfromhvn , an immaculate debut album five years in the making. link in bio to listen + read our full interview ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ from ashes to ashes, between each atom and every star, the same life force animates all things: deer eyeing the fireworks, cells dancing within us, embers leapfrogging riverbanks, winged creatures in the subways, rain from heaven onstage and on record. the mahicannituck-raised artist sings in ripples that swell into waves on her debut album, ‘petra-coeur.’ its expressions of defiance and decay, a universal tug-of-war, feel like small miracles. lines will start featherlight then end with an anvil’s gravity or float upwards, like snow lifted off an arête by the wind. setbacks are liquified into catharsis, raging against the machine. thanks for reading, watching, listening, supporting ‘petra-coeur’ was written, produced, mixed, and mastered by rain from heaven. featuring musical contributions from @scottbowley , wounded deer (@ezemdiakalonu ), mena sachdev (@bluemena_ ), seth cardinal dodginghorse, alex segreti (@alexsegretidesigns ), ayman sinada (@mr_ammos ), van hoan (@animalnoir ), and jean martin. imagery courtesy of rain from heaven. video direction by dani curlin and rain from heaven. animation by iria vrettou (@_iria___ ). videography by julia zanin de paula (eye.julia) and chantal feitosa-desouza (@chantalfeitosa ). styling and hair by @solissgarcia / @solisbeing . digital to vhs by @amoresnyc . editing by rain from heaven. all photos by @ezemdiakalonu tags: #ethereal #indie #underground #alternativepop

catalog selects: ‘techno pessimist’ by @@ (@club.aakash ), a new electronic concept album you can dance to from the atlanta-raised, sf-based beat accelerator / hardware whisperer / chief ideas guy at the new nostalgia corporation. @@ gets paid the moment you buy his music on catalog [dot] works. link to full interview in our bio ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ who’s making who dance: human or machine? dodging slack notifications like they’re oncoming traffic, @@ searches for techno’s afrofuturist essence amidst the brain rot on his latest project, ‘techno pessimist,’ which ridicules the psychic death grip of digital stimulus while trying to wriggle free. whereas many likeminded efforts skew toward mutant, formless scores or synthwork that leaves puncture wounds, @@ converts the everything-is-fine, everyday dissonance into a club record as addictive as its subject. if there’s one true economic moniker for this age we’re all spiraling through — ‘attention economy,’ ‘ownership economy,’ ‘creator economy,’ yada yada yada — it’d have to be one of (self)deception. the search engines are powering weapons systems. the memes are powered by bot farms. each apple appliance, every huawei device, all but implanted in our palms, offers the sheen of progress while hiding their true cost. ‘techno pessimist’ channels ‘ease’ and ‘efficiency’ with an altogether lush, soothing listen, but @@ fractures his siren songs, and the underbelly leaks onto the CDJs ‘techno pessimist’ was conceptualized, produced, and mixed by aakash malhotra and features elias foerster (@elias.ffss ). mastered by paul mac. album art by brendan luu (@bluuyo ). imagery courtesy of @@. photos by julian pelzner, brendan luu, aakash, and @lizz.rachel . big thanks to @n.o.b.i.a.s for bringing @@ to catalog. last but not least: we recommend following @newnostalgia_org . thanks for reading, watching, listening, supporting :) tags: #techno #detroittechno #dubtechno #club #909 #140

catalog selects: various works by @kamoun_sounds , a brussels-based artist we love and the co-head of @sketchy_lines_records . kamoun gets paid the moment you buy his music on catalog [dot] works. link in bio ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ an encyclopedic reverence for dub, imaginative arrangements of north african polyrhythms, and algerian film archive snippets shape the releases of abderrahmene hamitouche, an artist we first crossed paths with through the great @dreams_ps . plot twists line every record, from the downtempo to 160-plus productions, without disrupting their trance. try multiple projects b2b2b for an out-of-body high all featured music composed, produced, and mixed by kamoun. mastering by @hypna__ , van arck, and @lucky_bloke . released by sketchy lines records, @empyreanwave , and @dancedata . imagery courtesy of kamoun. artwork by @choukatchaii and @albertpresas . photos by @maddoucephoto . tags: #bassmusic #percussion #dub #polyrhythms #ambient #dnb #downtempo #140 #160 #brussels #belgium #algeria