AudioMama Transparency Statement

Independently owned. Genocide-free.

AudioMama is a music platform being established as a UK charity. It is independently owned and operated by its founder. We have no institutional investors. We make this commitment publicly and permanently.

Founding Principle

We have no institutional investors.

AudioMama is not funded by, nor invested in, any firm with ties to:

We make this commitment publicly and permanently. If our ownership or investment structure ever changes in a way that conflicts with this statement, we will disclose it immediately on this page.

This is not a marketing position. It is a founding principle.

— THE FOUNDER, AUDIOMAMA

Compared to every other platform.

A sourced comparison of AudioMama against Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp — across artist payout, audio quality, fan ownership, payout speed, and investor ethics.

Exact ownership chains and investment flows are often complex and partially hidden. Private investment vehicles, undisclosed funds, and indirect ownership through holding companies obscure the full picture of corporate financial relationships.

This comparison documents only what is publicly verifiable — through SEC filings, US Department of Defense designation records, UN Human Rights Council reports, and established journalism citing primary documents. Claims that cannot be sourced this way are omitted. The connections below should be read as a floor, not a ceiling — the universe of unproven connections is almost certainly larger than what public records reveal.

Comparison of music platforms across seven dimensions including investor ethics. Last updated May 2026.
Platform Per-stream rate to artists Artist revenue share Audio quality Fan ownership Payout speed Cost to join Investor Ethics
Spotify $0.003–$0.0051 approx. 70% to rights holders1 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis Streaming only 30–90 days Distributor fee ⚑ Founder funds defense AI
⚑ Tencent shareholder (DoD-flagged) "There's an enormous realisation that it's really now AI, mass and autonomy that is driving the new battlefield." — Daniel Ek to FT, June 2025.5 Co-founder & former CEO Daniel Ek personally led a $694M / €600M investment in defense-AI company Helsing in June 2025, on top of an earlier €100M in 2021. Helsing builds AI software for military drones and autonomous strike systems. Ek is chairman of Helsing's board.5 Following sustained artist boycotts including Massive Attack, Deerhoof, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Ek announced he would step down as CEO in January 2026.6 Tencent Holdings owns ~9% of Spotify and was added to the US Department of Defense Section 1260H "Chinese Military Companies" list on 2 January 2025.7
Apple Music approx. $0.012 approx. 52% to rights holders2 256 kbps AAC, ALAC lossless Streaming only 30–45 days Distributor fee ⚑ UN-named shareholders
⚑ Weapons / surveillance exposure Apple Inc.'s largest institutional shareholders are Vanguard (~9.6%) and BlackRock (~7.7%) as of Q4 2025 13F filings.8 Both BlackRock and Vanguard are named in UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese's June 2025 report "From economy of occupation to economy of genocide" as top shareholders in companies the report identifies as enabling destruction in Gaza — including Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Caterpillar, Microsoft, and Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.9
Tidal approx. $0.0131 Pro-rata pool FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz3 Streaming only approx. 45 days $10.99/mo subscription3 ⚑ UN-named shareholders
⚑ Weapons / surveillance exposure Owned by Block, Inc. (formerly Square). Block's largest institutional shareholders include Vanguard (~9%) and BlackRock (~5%) as of mid-2025 13F filings.10 Both are named in the UN Special Rapporteur's June 2025 report on corporate complicity in Gaza as central enablers of the "economy of genocide," with documented positions in major weapons manufacturers and Israeli government bonds.9
SoundCloud ~$0.003–$0.00512 ~55% (fan-powered)12 96 kbit/s AAC — compressed only Streaming only 30–45 days Free / $9/mo Pro ⚑ Weapons manufacturer owner
⚑ State-owned defense investor
⚑ Uses Stripe
⚑ Potential sale — buyer unknown Majority owned by Temasek Holdings — a Singaporean state sovereign wealth fund (US$521B portfolio) that directly owns ST Engineering, ranked in the global top 100 defence manufacturers by SIPRI and described by Temasek itself as "originally a weapon manufacturer set up to supply the Singapore Armed Forces."14 Temasek co-invests with BlackRock (UN-flagged) across at least 11 companies.15 Co-controlling investor The Raine Group (New York merchant bank). Minor stakeholder SiriusXM has Vanguard and BlackRock as top institutional shareholders. Payment processing via Stripe — subject of an active Tech4Palestine boycott campaign. Raine Group and Temasek began a ~$1 billion sale process for SoundCloud in 2024; the identity of any future buyer is currently unknown.13
Bandcamp N/A (download model) 85%4 FLAC, WAV, ALAC Fan owns file Immediate Free ⚑ Indirect Tencent exposure
⚑ Former Epic Games ownership Owned by Songtradr (acquired from Epic Games, October 2023). Epic Games — Bandcamp's owner from 2022 to 2023 — remains an investor in Songtradr.11 Epic Games is approximately 40% owned by Tencent Holdings, which the US Department of Defense designated as a Chinese Military Company under Section 1260H on 2 January 2025.7
AudioMama N/A (download model) 90% 96kHz/32-bit+ lossless Fan owns file Immediate Free (charity) ✓ No institutional investors
✓ No weapons / surveillance ties
✓ No UN-named investors Independently owned. UK charity in formation. Genocide-free by founding principle. The founder retains sole ownership during Phase 1. The charity's articles of association will publicly commit, upon registration, to never accepting funding from any firm with documented ties to weapons manufacturing, surveillance technology, defense contracting, or activities named in UN reports on conflict financing. Operational disclosure: downloads currently fulfilled via a temporary third-party tool while we build native infrastructure; the third-party processor used in Phase 1 is part of what we are explicitly transitioning away from in Phase 2.

Spotify

Per-stream rate
$0.003–$0.005
Artist revenue share
approx. 70% to rights holders
Audio quality
320 kbps Ogg Vorbis
Fan ownership
Streaming only
Payout speed
30–90 days
Cost to join
Distributor fee
Investor Ethics
⚑ Founder funds defense AI ⚑ Tencent shareholder (DoD-flagged)
Co-founder Daniel Ek personally led a $694M / €600M investment in defense-AI firm Helsing in June 2025; he is chairman of Helsing's board.5 Artist boycott (Massive Attack, Deerhoof, King Gizzard) preceded his September 2025 announcement that he would step down as CEO.6 Tencent owns ~9% of Spotify; designated by US DoD as a Chinese military company in January 2025.7

Apple Music

Per-stream rate
approx. $0.01
Artist revenue share
approx. 52% to rights holders
Audio quality
256 kbps AAC, ALAC lossless
Fan ownership
Streaming only
Payout speed
30–45 days
Cost to join
Distributor fee
Investor Ethics
⚑ UN-named shareholders ⚑ Weapons / surveillance exposure
Apple Inc.'s top institutional shareholders are Vanguard (~9.6%) and BlackRock (~7.7%) per Q4 2025 13F filings.8 Both named in UN Special Rapporteur Albanese's June 2025 report "From economy of occupation to economy of genocide" as top shareholders in Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Caterpillar, Microsoft, and Elbit Systems.9

Tidal

Per-stream rate
approx. $0.013
Artist revenue share
Pro-rata pool
Audio quality
FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz
Fan ownership
Streaming only
Payout speed
approx. 45 days
Cost to join
$10.99/mo subscription
Investor Ethics
⚑ UN-named shareholders ⚑ Weapons / surveillance exposure
Owned by Block, Inc. (formerly Square). Block's largest institutional shareholders include Vanguard (~9%) and BlackRock (~5%).10 Both named in UN Special Rapporteur Albanese's June 2025 report on corporate complicity in Gaza, with documented positions in weapons manufacturers and Israeli government bonds.9

SoundCloud

Per-stream rate
~$0.003–$0.005
Artist revenue share
~55% (fan-powered model)
Audio quality
96 kbit/s AAC — compressed streaming only
Fan ownership
Streaming only
Payout speed
30–45 days
Cost to join
Free / $9/mo Pro
Investor Ethics
⚑ Weapons manufacturer owner ⚑ State-owned defense investor ⚑ Uses Stripe ⚑ Potential sale — buyer unknown
Majority owned by Temasek Holdings — Singapore's state sovereign wealth fund (US$521B). Temasek directly owns ST Engineering, ranked in the global top 100 defence manufacturers by SIPRI and described by Temasek itself as "originally a weapon manufacturer set up to supply the Singapore Armed Forces."14 Co-invests with BlackRock (UN-flagged) across at least 11 companies.15 Minor stakeholder SiriusXM has Vanguard and BlackRock as top institutional shareholders. Uses Stripe; subject to active Tech4Palestine boycott. Raine Group and Temasek began a ~$1bn sale process in 2024; buyer unknown.13

Bandcamp

Per-stream rate
N/A (download model)
Artist revenue share
85%
Audio quality
FLAC, WAV, ALAC
Fan ownership
Fan owns file
Payout speed
Immediate
Cost to join
Free
Investor Ethics
⚑ Indirect Tencent exposure ⚑ Former Epic Games ownership
Owned by Songtradr (acquired from Epic Games, October 2023). Epic Games — Bandcamp's owner 2022–2023 — remains an investor in Songtradr.11 Epic Games is approximately 40% owned by Tencent Holdings, designated by US DoD as a Chinese military company in January 2025.7

AudioMama

Per-stream rate
N/A (download model)
Artist revenue share
90%
Audio quality
96kHz/32-bit+ lossless
Fan ownership
Fan owns file
Payout speed
Immediate
Cost to join
Free (charity)
Investor Ethics
✓ No institutional investors ✓ No weapons / surveillance ties ✓ No UN-named investors
Independently owned. UK charity in formation. Genocide-free by founding principle. The founder retains sole ownership during Phase 1. Charity articles will publicly commit, upon registration, to never accept funding from firms with documented ties to weapons manufacturing, surveillance technology, defense contracting, or UN-flagged conflict financing. Disclosure: downloads currently fulfilled via a temporary third-party tool while we build native infrastructure.
Common Questions

Transparency FAQ

How can you say there are no institutional investors?
AudioMama is being established as a UK charity. The founder retains sole ownership during Phase 1. There are no venture funds, no private equity, no asset managers, no corporate parents in the ownership structure. Once charity registration completes, the charity's articles of association will publicly commit to the same standard going forward.
How can you prove these claims about other platforms?
See the Investor Ethics column on the Why AudioMama page. Every claim is sourced to SEC filings, UN Human Rights Council reports, US Department of Defense designations, or established journalism citing primary documents. Where evidence is strong but indirect, we say so. Where claims can't be verified, we omit them.
What if AudioMama's ownership ever changes?
We will disclose any change to ownership or investment structure on this page immediately. The commitment above is enforceable as a founding principle and, upon registration, will be encoded in the charity's articles of association.
Why call it “genocide-free”?
Because we are not funded by, nor invested in, any firm with documented ties to companies named in UN reports on conflict financing — including the June 2025 UN Special Rapporteur report on corporate complicity in Gaza. This is a precise factual claim. We hold ourselves to it.
Why are you explaining all this?
Because transparency builds trust. Anyone can claim ethics. We're publishing the claim alongside the sourcing standard, the methodology, and the disclosure of our operational reality. Read it, check it, hold us to it.
Read the comparison.
See how AudioMama compares to Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Bandcamp on artist payout, audio quality, fan ownership, and investor ethics — with primary sources for every claim.
Why AudioMama →