I want to make a plain argument for backing The Pack - not as a goodwill gesture, but as an investment in structural change with measurable potential return.

The problem is documented: independent Australian musicians earn almost nothing from streaming. Government funding is capped and competitive. The current architecture will not fix itself.

The solution draws on approaches that have been tested and validated: user-centric payment models, local discovery infrastructure, democratic cooperative governance.

We've built them into the architecture from the ground up. The market demand is documented: 42% of music-engaged Australians would pay for an Australian-only platform.

At the most conservative adoption scenario, The Pack generates $152.84M annually in direct artist payments and sector development. An order of magnitude more than all State and Commonwealth music funding combined.

The ask of our community is just $45,000. The potential return - economic, cultural, structural - is genuinely large. Can you support us?

https://crowdfunding.startsomegood.com/thepackmusiccoop

#ImpactInvestment #AustralianMusic #SocialEnterprise #CulturalInvestment

Canada has banned employers from ghosting job candidates

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.positive.news/society/canada-has-banned-employers-from-ghosting-job-candidates/

What does the new £1bn investment in community energy really mean?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.positive.news/environment/energy/what-does-the-new-1bn-investment-in-community-energy-really-mean/

A few figures that have shaped how we think about The Pack's potential to change the music industry. Australia's recorded music market: $717M in 2024. Streaming subscriptions: $509M of that. Federal government music funding: approximately $18M....

The Pack's conservative low-adoption scenario - 30% of a 5M TAM at $9.99/month - generates $152.84M annually in combined direct artist payments and sector development. That's a significant multiplier on current government funding, in the low scenario.

At medium adoption (3M subscribers), the multiplier reaches eight times. At high adoption, thirteen. Projections are projections - they describe what the model produces at a given scale, not what scale will be achieved. But the structural logic is sound.

The government won't fund us… so we're asking our community to help us raise $45,000 to finish it. https://crowdfunding.startsomegood.com/thepackmusiccoop

#ImpactInvestment #CulturalPolicy #AustralianMusic #SocialEnterprise

I want to make a plain argument for backing The Pack - not as a goodwill gesture, but as an investment in structural change with measurable potential return.

The problem is documented: independent Australian musicians earn almost nothing from streaming. Government funding is capped and competitive. The current architecture will not fix itself.

The solution draws on approaches that have been tested and validated: user-centric payment models, local discovery infrastructure, democratic cooperative governance.

We've built them into the architecture from the ground up. The market demand is documented: 42% of music-engaged Australians would pay for an Australian-only platform.

At the most conservative adoption scenario, The Pack generates $152.84M annually in direct artist payments and sector development. An order of magnitude more than all State and Commonwealth music funding combined.

The ask of our community is just $45,000. The potential return - economic, cultural, structural - is genuinely large. Can you support us?

https://crowdfunding.startsomegood.com/thepackmusiccoop

#ImpactInvestment #AustralianMusic #SocialEnterprise #CulturalInvestment

"Artist-owned platform" is a phrase worth being specific about.

There's a version where founders hold equity, artists upload through the same interface as any other platform, and "ownership" is a marketing claim.

The Pack is not that version. Platforms accountable to members don't restructure payment terms to improve margin in a difficult quarter without member approval. They don't pivot away from unprofitable communities to chase better demographics.

Decisions that affect artists require consent from artists. Democratic governance is slower than executive decision-making. It requires real communication, tolerance for disagreement, and accountability when things go wrong.

We consider this a structural feature, not a problem to be solved. It's democracy in action. If you work in cooperative governance, social enterprise, or the cultural sector and want to understand how we're building this - I'm happy to chat.

https://crowdfunding.startsomegood.com/thepackmusiccoop

#CooperativeGovernance #SocialEnterprise #DemocraticBusiness #AustralianMusic

The Free Ben & Jerry’s campaign and movement was launched by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on September 9th 2025. The campaign mission is simple: to call for The Magnum Ice Cream Company to allow Ben & Jerry’s to become an independently owned company, with socially-aligned investors and once again free to honor its #socialmission and live by its #brandvalues, without compromise.
#SocialEnterprise

Help to #FreeBenandJerrys https://freebenandjerrys.com/

A few figures that have shaped how we think about The Pack's potential to change the music industry. Australia's recorded music market: $717M in 2024. Streaming subscriptions: $509M of that. Federal government music funding: approximately $18M....

The Pack's conservative low-adoption scenario - 30% of a 5M TAM at $9.99/month - generates $152.84M annually in combined direct artist payments and sector development. That's a significant multiplier on current government funding, in the low scenario.

At medium adoption (3M subscribers), the multiplier reaches eight times. At high adoption, thirteen. Projections are projections - they describe what the model produces at a given scale, not what scale will be achieved. But the structural logic is sound.

The government won't fund us… so we're asking our community to help us raise $45,000 to finish it. https://crowdfunding.startsomegood.com/thepackmusiccoop

#ImpactInvestment #CulturalPolicy #AustralianMusic #SocialEnterprise

We’ve gotten very used to talking about democracy at a distance.

As something to describe. Debate. Worry about.

Less as something we actually build.

Places like Casa do Impacto matter because they make democracy feel practical again. Tangible. Workable.

Not a system above people. A space shaped by them.
https://open.substack.com/pub/associationredefine/p/casa-do-impacto-where-change-has-c64?r=6l8ed8&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

#Democracy #CivicInnovation #SocialImpact #CommunityEconomy #Democracy #LocalChange #SocialEnterprise #CasaDoImpacto

A few figures that have shaped how we think about The Pack's potential to change the music industry. Australia's recorded music market: $717M in 2024. Streaming subscriptions: $509M of that. Federal government music funding: approximately $18M....

The Pack's conservative low-adoption scenario - 30% of a 5M TAM at $9.99/month - generates $152.84M annually in combined direct artist payments and sector development. That's a significant multiplier on current government funding, in the low scenario.

At medium adoption (3M subscribers), the multiplier reaches eight times. At high adoption, thirteen. Projections are projections - they describe what the model produces at a given scale, not what scale will be achieved. But the structural logic is sound.

The government won't fund us… so we're asking our community to help us raise $45,000 to finish it. https://crowdfunding.startsomegood.com/thepackmusiccoop

#ImpactInvestment #CulturalPolicy #AustralianMusic #SocialEnterprise