If you have been following what’s happening in the metal scene right now, you may have seen a campaign pop up about a new streaming platform for metalheads, ROKK. We talked to one of the founders of the app, Alex Landenburg (KAMELOT, CYHRA) about everything you need to know about ROKK. Read the complete interview here…
Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. You recently shared some news concerning a new streaming platform ROKK for fans of rock and metal. What can you tell those who are interested in the app about the platform itself?
Alex: Hey! Thank you for having me! ROKK is a music streaming service that is fully dedicated to the rock & metal community, with the aim of finally paying out more money to musicians and bands. In other words, the first truly fair streaming service. And even though, as already mentioned, we have put the focus entirely on hard ‘n’ heavy, you will also be able to listen to any other music on ROKK. It was important to us that people who come to us don’t have to subscribe to another service if they want to listen to something else.
How did you meet each other and how long have you been developing ROKK?
Alex: Peter and I have known each other since we were teenagers. Peter comes from an IT background and has already successfully launched an app in another field, so he has the necessary background for ROKK in this area. And through MENTALIST, he has also gained a lot of experience in the metal sector from a band perspective in recent years, which is where the motivation for ROKK came from. ROKK has been in the making since early 2021, so almost 3 years now.
Ever since digital streaming, artists have been earning less and less, resulting in many artists having to do jobs aside from their music. Can you give fans some context on how the current streaming platforms distribute money to artists and why it isn’t a fair system?
Alex: Currently, regardless of who you listen to, your money goes into a single pool. That pool is then divided among all artists based on their percentage of total streams on the platform. This is a problem when you consider that 90% of all streams come from just 0.8% of artists. And those are artists that most metal and rock fans almost never stream, like Drake or Bad Bunny and so on. So for that reason alone, a huge portion of your subscription goes to artists you don’t actively listen to. And there are actually many reasons why those 0.8% of artists have such inflated streams.
First of all, the type of mainstream music we are talking about is often characterized by very short songs. In fact, these songs are getting shorter and shorter just to generate more streams. This is in stark contrast to metal and rock songs, which are often 2-3 times longer than the average pop song. However, whether you listen to a 10-minute song or a 2-minute song, both only count as 1 stream. Most people also don’t actively choose what they listen to. Popular culture and large corporations often dictate large playlists. This is another factor, among many, that makes it increasingly difficult to make a significant income from music streaming unless you are one of those heavily featured artists.
What are you planning to do to make sure that ROKK’s earning system is fair for artists?
Alex: It’s a fairly simple “trick” actually. By not appealing to the average user, we avoid mass consumption of this “popular” music. This guarantees a more even distribution of money among the artists on the ROKK platform. This results in a much more substantial portion of your subscription going to the bands you actually listen to. In addition, and maybe that’s the most important, ROKK allows you to support an artist of your choice with up to 10% of your monthly subscription. All of this can ultimately help artists make a living and create more music.
Why should fans cancel their Spotify or any platform’s subscription and use ROKK instead?
Alex: I don’t believe in telling people what they should do, but in Spotify’s case, I would suggest that you look into the things the company has recently been announcing and also in some of the private investments of their founder and ask yourself if you want to continue to sponsor this. ROKK will try to be the best possible platform under the circumstances we have, and we will always put artists first. Our direct support – if we get enough users – will be the first time many artists will make any significant money on streaming. For the fans, we will make sure it’s a great experience, the best sound quality we can deliver, and lots of info on all bands and artists and playlists that are compiled with knowledge of the music but most importantly with love for the music.
Will ROKK have different plans and if so, can you tell fans what’s in each tier?
Alex: Yes, a regular subscription called ROKK Hifi will already sound excellent but will not be lossless audio. For people who are really interested in this, we will use Opus as a codec at 160kbps. Then there’s going to be a sound upgrade called ROKK HiFi PRO which will be 100% CD Quality, FLAC at 16bit and 44.1khz. On top, we will also have a student plan at a reduced price and a family option with 4 accounts in one. All plans include ad-free, unlimited skips, and offline listening (downloads). Student and family plans will not have the direct artist support feature though, we would go heavily minus on these otherwise, as they are already reduced.
Spotify playlists can be tedious for independent bands to get on, despite having good-quality music? Is it going to be easier for artists to get on Rokk playlists?
Alex: At least there will be no way to buy yourself a spot, also not for bigger artists. It will be a mix of what we like to feature and most importantly, fan demand.
How can fans support the initiative other than supporting the current Indiegogo campaign?
Alex: Anything you do to help spread the word is gold at the moment. So if you share anything from our socials, comment on it, or ask questions… anything is cool!
When are you planning to roll out Rokk?
A: Public launch is planned for January/February, depending on how fast we can finish the last things that need to be done before we go live.
Any last thoughts you want to share with your fans?
Alex: I would like to personally thank you for your support of all the bands and projects I have been a part of over the years. I have so many friends in your country and have also been involved with a lot of Finnish acts over the years. I mean even in Cyhra we have a Finn with Euge Valovirta. I really love Finland and I hope we will get a lot of support for ROKK from there.
As far as ROKK is concerned, please be a bit more forgiving with us in the beginning. Spotify had over 15 years to establish many of the features and build the app the way it is. Some things may take us a while to perfect and some may be a little rough at first. But please give it a try when we launch in the App Stores. Kiitos!
Interview by Laureline Tilkin
