Thanks to our much-appreciated 8tracks Plus subscribers and the recent introduction of new audio ads, we’re beyond excited to say goodbye to the loathed weekly free listening limit for people in the US. Now, listeners can stream 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, all for FREE!

And it gets even better; the 1-track limit for logged-out listeners has also been removed, so now when you share a mix with friends, they can hear the entire thing right away. We promise this isn’t some cruel joke; go ahead and share any of these mixes with a friend to see for yourself!

In 2016, 8tracks became one of the first startups in history to become directly owned by the people who use it, thanks to 4,000 DJs, listeners, and angel investors who participated in the crowdfunding round. All of our investors received a lifetime upgrade to our premium, ad-free service, 8tracks Plus. We’re pleased to announce that a fresh crowdfunding round (with the same perks) is coming soon.

In our first crowdfunding round, a number of investors were unable to participate because of a variety of issues and limited payment methods. In this new round, we’ve partnered with WeFunder – a user-friendly company that offers streamlined payment methods, accepts investors from outside the US, and self-describes as “a place where you can invest in the startups you love to solve the problems you care about.”

Thanks to healthy growth in 8tracks Plus subscribers as well as the recent rollout of audio ads – and associated removal of the overly restrictive, one-hour/week listening limit – we’re getting ever closer to financial sustainability. Your support will allow us to increase our focus on new features, integrations, and improvements important to the community.

Before our new crowdfunding round opens in April, we’d love to understand if you’d consider participating. Check out our WeFunder profile here to learn more about our progress and to let us know if you’d like to invest.

 

8 Facts About 8tracks & The Upcoming WeFunder Round

#1. All investors will receive a lifetime upgrade to 8tracks Plus – our premium subscription service ($4.99/month) with unlimited, ad-free listening, along with access to an exclusive investor Facebook group and a shiny investor badge on your 8tracks profile.

#2. Thanks in large part to the steady growth of 8tracks Plus subscribers, we reached gross profitability last October and we’re on track to achieve net profitability by the end of Q1. To give some perspective, here are a few music streaming services which are not currently profitable: Spotify, SoundCloud, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, iHeartRadio, Napster.

#3. Last month, thanks to the introduction of audio ads, we were able to significantly raise the free listening limit for US listeners (less than 1% of listeners reach the limit now). Early results look positive, and we hope to be able to remove the limits altogether in the near future.

#4. WeFunder offers an excellent selection of robust payment methods, including all major credit cards, bank accounts, checks, and even Bitcoin. Oh, and the minimum investment is just $100.

#5. There’s a staggering amount of handcrafted playlists on 8tracks, with over 3m curated by 765,000 DJs and more being published every day.

#6. We’re the #3 internet radio service for US millennials, with ⅔ of all streaming coming from independent labels & artists. We’re all about helping people discover great and often new music that doesn’t get surfaced by algorithms.

#7. More than $5m has been raised so far from over 4,000 investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Steve Aoki, and the CEO of Atlantic Records.

#8. Here’s what funding will help us achieve over the next year:

• Improve the listener experience with our new “Stations” concept, making it easy for listeners to search and save sets of playlists organized by taste and context
• Simplify the DJ experience through new features, offering mix creation on our mobile apps, and offering a larger music library with content from major labels
• Integrate 8tracks where and how listeners tune in today, ensuring 8tracks complements on-demand listening (e.g. Spotify) and is available on voice-enabled devices (e.g. Amazon Echo)
• Sign key deals with major and indie labels to expand music library, provide offline listening, and allow more skips
• Optimize our advertising sales process and products
• Increase subscriptions through a better product (e.g. more features, exclusive content), and better marketing (e.g. customer referral program, optimizing price points)

And there’s so much more we’ll be able to accomplish with your help! Follow our WeFunder profile to be notified the second our round launches.

–David Porter | CEO & Founder, 8tracks

Follow 8tracks on WeFunder

---

8TRACKS’ OFFERING MATERIALS MAY CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE COMPANY, ITS BUSINESS PLAN AND STRATEGY, AND ITS INDUSTRY. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BELIEFS OF, ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY, AND INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO THE COMPANY’S MANAGEMENT. WHEN USED IN THE OFFERING MATERIALS, THE WORDS “ESTIMATE,” “PROJECT,” “BELIEVE,” “ANTICIPATE,” “INTEND,” “EXPECT” AND SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS ARE INTENDED TO IDENTIFY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH CONSTITUTE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE STATEMENTS REFLECT MANAGEMENT’S CURRENT VIEWS WITH RESPECT TO FUTURE EVENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE THE COMPANY’S ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH SPEAK ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON WHICH THEY ARE MADE. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE ANY OBLIGATION TO REVISE OR UPDATE THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS TO REFLECT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER SUCH DATE OR TO REFLECT THE OCCURRENCE OF UNANTICIPATED EVENTS. THE COMPANY IS “TESTING THE WATERS” UNDER REGULATION A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS COMPANIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE MAY BE INTEREST IN AN EVENTUAL OFFERING OF ITS SECURITIES. THE COMPANY IS NOT UNDER ANY OBLIGATION TO MAKE AN OFFERING UNDER REGULATION A. IT MAY CHOOSE TO MAKE AN OFFERING TO SOME, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE PEOPLE WHO INDICATE AN INTEREST IN INVESTING, AND THAT OFFERING MIGHT NOT BE MADE UNDER REGULATION A. IF THE COMPANY DOES GO AHEAD WITH AN OFFERING, IT WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO MAKE SALES AFTER IT HAS FILED AN OFFERING STATEMENT WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) AND THE SEC HAS “QUALIFIED” THE OFFERING STATEMENT. THE INFORMATION IN THAT OFFERING STATEMENT WILL BE MORE COMPLETE THAN THE INFORMATION THE COMPANY IS PROVIDING NOW, AND COULD DIFFER IN IMPORTANT WAYS. YOU MUST READ THE DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC BEFORE INVESTING. NO MONEY OR OTHER CONSIDERATION IS BEING SOLICITED, AND IF SENT IN RESPONSE, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. NO OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES CAN BE ACCEPTED AND NO PART OF THE PURCHASE PRICE CAN BE RECEIVED UNTIL THE OFFERING STATEMENT FILED BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC HAS BEEN QUALIFIED BY THE SEC. ANY SUCH OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN OR REVOKED, WITHOUT OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND, AT ANY TIME BEFORE NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE GIVEN AFTER THE DATE OF QUALIFICATION. AN INDICATION OF INTEREST INVOLVES NO OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND.

Radio has always been the way people discover music – listeners get turned onto new artists they come to love and then buy their music to tune in whenever they want. Even with the rapid advance of technology, this path is no less true today than it was 30 years ago.

Spotify offers the ultimate version of a record store, giving access to nearly every track ever recorded, anytime, anywhere. But the trick is finding the stuff that’s just right for you. On 8tracks, nearly 1m DJs actively curate playlists, introducing more listeners to both familiar and lesser-known, independent artists. We complement the algorithmic playlisting on Spotify with a curated touch that spans every imaginable style, for any time and place.

It’s with this in mind that we’re pleased to announce our new integration on the 8tracks iOS app, allowing you to automatically save favorited tracks from 8tracks to a brand-new “8tracks Discoveries” playlist on Spotify. The gems you uncover on 8tracks can now be enjoyed with on-demand playback anytime you want.

---

8TRACKS’ OFFERING MATERIALS MAY CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE COMPANY, ITS BUSINESS PLAN AND STRATEGY, AND ITS INDUSTRY. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BELIEFS OF, ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY, AND INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO THE COMPANY’S MANAGEMENT. WHEN USED IN THE OFFERING MATERIALS, THE WORDS “ESTIMATE,” “PROJECT,” “BELIEVE,” “ANTICIPATE,” “INTEND,” “EXPECT” AND SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS ARE INTENDED TO IDENTIFY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH CONSTITUTE FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE STATEMENTS REFLECT MANAGEMENT’S CURRENT VIEWS WITH RESPECT TO FUTURE EVENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE THE COMPANY’S ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, WHICH SPEAK ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON WHICH THEY ARE MADE. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE ANY OBLIGATION TO REVISE OR UPDATE THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS TO REFLECT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER SUCH DATE OR TO REFLECT THE OCCURRENCE OF UNANTICIPATED EVENTS. THE COMPANY IS “TESTING THE WATERS” UNDER REGULATION A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS COMPANIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE MAY BE INTEREST IN AN EVENTUAL OFFERING OF ITS SECURITIES. THE COMPANY IS NOT UNDER ANY OBLIGATION TO MAKE AN OFFERING UNDER REGULATION A. IT MAY CHOOSE TO MAKE AN OFFERING TO SOME, BUT NOT ALL, OF THE PEOPLE WHO INDICATE AN INTEREST IN INVESTING, AND THAT OFFERING MIGHT NOT BE MADE UNDER REGULATION A. IF THE COMPANY DOES GO AHEAD WITH AN OFFERING, IT WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO MAKE SALES AFTER IT HAS FILED AN OFFERING STATEMENT WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION (SEC) AND THE SEC HAS “QUALIFIED” THE OFFERING STATEMENT. THE INFORMATION IN THAT OFFERING STATEMENT WILL BE MORE COMPLETE THAN THE INFORMATION THE COMPANY IS PROVIDING NOW, AND COULD DIFFER IN IMPORTANT WAYS. YOU MUST READ THE DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC BEFORE INVESTING. NO MONEY OR OTHER CONSIDERATION IS BEING SOLICITED, AND IF SENT IN RESPONSE, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. NO OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES CAN BE ACCEPTED AND NO PART OF THE PURCHASE PRICE CAN BE RECEIVED UNTIL THE OFFERING STATEMENT FILED BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC HAS BEEN QUALIFIED BY THE SEC. ANY SUCH OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN OR REVOKED, WITHOUT OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND, AT ANY TIME BEFORE NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE GIVEN AFTER THE DATE OF QUALIFICATION. AN INDICATION OF INTEREST INVOLVES NO OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND.

As I’ve found myself saying far too frequently of late, “How has it been [some number] years since [some event] already?!” So it is with our ninth birthday, which feels to have come fast on the heels of our eighth. I’ve created a celebratory playlist for this special day, just as I did on the day of our launch.

 

Nine years ago today, my co-founder Remi worked away in San Francisco, and our lead web developer Ed in Williamsburg, putting the final touches on the live product. The team headed out to the Stanton Social in the Lower East Side to celebrate in the warm summer night. It was a good era all around: SoundCloud had just launched, Tumblr was the hottest thing around, it looked like Obama might just head to the White House. And we were just getting started.

Love from StumbleUpon the next spring (The Ocarina of Rhyme and Songs that make you feel better in particular) set us on an upward trajectory. This growth fueled investor interest. We closed our first institutional funding (Index, A16Z, SoftTech and Pete Tong, among others) and hired our first full-time employees in August 2011 — exactly 3 years after launch. Post-funding, we returned to profitability in a year and our audience grew fifteen-fold over two.

But just as most of us experience in life, 8tracks has seen its share of downs as well as ups, particularly over the last several years: Spotify’s well-funded ascent, the loss of SoundCloud as a source for DJs, the required cutoff of international streaming, several rounds of layoffs, and the introduction of a US free listening limit.

However, these hard decisions have allowed us to conserve cash; coupled with the nearly $2m raised from the 8tracks community last year, we’ve been able to make steady progress toward sustainability. Over the next year, we’re looking forward to product innovation and smart integrations. On our short list: a full DJ library on mobile, integration with Spotify, the ability to play music from your Amazon Echo or Google Home, and eventually, for subscribers, offline listening with more track skips.

We’re also firing up a fresh crowdfunding round on WeFunder. In addition to supporting the independent music service you love, you’ll get a lifetime upgrade to 8tracks Plus with your investment. Sign up here to be notified when the round launches.

Despite our challenges, we’re pleased with our path these last 108 months, and we’re happy to be able to serve our community today. Equipped with stronger financials, fresh funding and a clear plan to deliver a better experience for listeners and DJs, we’re excited about 8tracks’ tenth year. Thanks for joining us for this trip around the sun!

To kick off the new 8tracks blog, I thought it’d be useful to explain how I first arrived at the concept behind the business. While 8tracks was founded in October 2006 and launched in August 2008, its origin dates back to a business plan I wrote some years earlier.

In 1998, after 3 years in London, I moved back to the States to attend business school at Berkeley. I’d noted in my application that I wanted to start an internet music company, but I didn’t really know of what sort. Real Networks, Liquid Audio and N2K were companies I’d uncovered when researching whether music could be delivered on the internet, and Michael Robertson’s MP3.com would emerge shortly after I started at Berkeley. But it wasn’t until September 1999 that I found my real inspiration: Napster.

Downloading anything you could think of was pretty cool. But what happened once that was accomplished? What was next? For me, the most compelling feature of Napster 1.0 was the “hotlist” button. After downloading something interesting or a bit obscure, I could click on the “hotlist” button next to the uploader’s name to reveal the other music on his hard drive. It was, for me, the first example of *social* music discovery on the web. Admittedly, since the files weren’t sorted in any meaningful way, it was quite unorganized. But I knew there was something big there.

At the same time, I was listening to a lot of the electronic music I’d come to love in the clubs of London. It was intriguing that fans of these myriad styles often didn’t know or follow the artists actually creating the songs. Because there were so many fragmented producers of electronic music, the DJ served as listeners’ focal point. Facing a nearly infinite catalog of music now available via Napster, listeners needed a way to find new stuff they’d like, and I thought there could be a way to replicate this DJ paradigm online.

So, during the fall of 1999, I wrote a plan for a business I called “Sampled & Sorted” as part of a media management class. The name sought to describe literally the value proposition a DJ on the service would offer to listeners: sampling a bunch of music in advance, and sorting the best tracks into playlists that would be of interest to those with shared tastes. But the name also referenced certain key elements of dance music culture — the fact that a lot of electronic music is created from samples, and the oft-heard UK clubgoer’s query: “You sorted, mate?”

The plan outlined a service on which DJs would create profiles, including playlists and photos, and link to others on the service whose taste they respected. Listeners could create their own profiles and tune into DJs’ playlists. The Digital Millennial Copyright Act had been enacted about a year earlier, and its compulsory license for webcasting seemed like the right way to offer a free, legal, ad-supported, radio-like experience. In short, Sampled & Sorted would offer what would later come to be known as a social network, but focused first on streaming electronic music and eventually on all music.