Press Play

What Press Play does

Press Play is a web-based music ecosystem platform operated by Song Mates, Inc., a privately held company headquartered at 126 W. Van Buren Street, Columbia City, Indiana. Founded in 2019 by Tina Houser (CEO) and Rich Taylor (Co-Founder), the platform is currently in Beta and is positioned around the Mosaic — a living musical identity that combines artist and fan profiles with stories, music, memories, memberships, and community connections. Supporting modules include Press Play Radio (curated streams), Press Play Studio (editorial publishing), Press Play Social (chat rooms and community), Press Play Exchange (artist marketplace), Root Note (artist influence mapping), SongStory (behind-the-music narratives), StoryTrack, Hookstream (short video clips), Fantasy/Hall of Fame (fan voting and fantasy rosters), and Day Stream. The technology stack runs on Firebase storage with Stripe handling payments; no public API is documented.

The platform serves two primary user groups: music fans, who can browse for free as Explorers or join free Fan Pass accounts, and working musicians, who build Mosaics, release music, and sell directly to fans. Revenue mechanics include a $5.99/month General Admission subscription for full ecosystem access, artist-set VIP Memberships (revenue passes through to artists), a 10% platform fee on music sales, transaction fees on physical and digital storefront products (including $15 messages and $50 letters routed to artist inboxes), and a premium $19.99/month "Behind the Curtain with the CEO" tier. The go-to-market is product-led and community-led, relying on editorial content, featured legacy and indie artists (April Wine, Derek Sharp, Miljenko Matijević, Tiffany, Tracii Guns, The Chameleons, among others), and organic discovery rather than paid acquisition. Press Play operates in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Chile, and is positioned for a potential strategic alignment with Sweetwater Sound, also based in Northeast Indiana.

Name

Press Play

Legal name

Song Mates, Inc.

Website

https://pressplay.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Press Play (Song Mates, Inc.) is a Beta-stage web-based music ecosystem where artists and fans build Mosaic identity profiles, share SongStories, sell memberships and merchandise, and engage via Radio, Studio, Social, and Exchange modules, monetizing through a $5.99/month subscription, artist-set VIP tiers, and 10% platform fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Ecosystem Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator/Artist Direct-to-Fan Streaming & Membership (MPAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC), Creator Publishing & Membership Platforms (Writer-Centric) (MPACAIAD)

Keywords

• Music ecosystem platform
• Artist fan engagement
• Music social platform
• Digital music marketplace
• Music discovery system

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscriptions: Monthly subscription revenue from General Admission tier at $5.99/month providing full ecosystem access including chat rooms, messaging, social feed, analytics, studio access, and creator tools.
2. Artist VIP Memberships: Artist-set membership tiers where fans pay for exclusive access, behind-the-scenes content, early releases, events, campaigns, and private community rooms. Revenue passes through to artists.
3. Artist Storefront Products: Artists sell physical merchandise, digital products, tickets, and experiences through the Press Play Exchange. Platform takes transaction fees from sales.
4. Music Sales: Artists sell music through the platform with Press Play retaining a 10% platform fee per the Terms of Service.
5. Digital Fan Messages and Letters: Fans purchase digital products to send messages and letters directly to artists' private Mosaic inboxes. Example: $15 for a brief message, $50 for a personal letter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Press Play operates a web-based music ecosystem that combines artist profiles (Mosaic), curated streaming (Press Play Radio), editorial publishing (Press Play Studio), community features (Press Play Social), and a direct-to-fan marketplace (Press Play Exchange) into a single platform. It enables musicians to build living musical identities, share SongStories, run VIP memberships and campaigns, and sell music, digital products, and merchandise, while fans discover artists through influence mapping, stories, and community participation. The platform currently operates in Beta with freemium access and a $5.99/month General Admission subscription.

Product overview

Press Play is a music ecosystem platform centered around the Mosaic—a living musical identity for artists and fans. The platform operates as a unified ecosystem combining multiple modules: Press Play Mosaic (artist/fan profiles and community), Press Play Radio (curated streaming), Press Play Studio (editorial publishing), Press Play Social (community features), and Press Play Exchange (marketplace for memberships and merchandise). Supporting features include Root Note (artist relationship mapping), SongStory (artist storytelling), StoryTrack (music with commentary), Hookstream (shareable video clips), Fantasy/Hall of Fame (fan voting and fantasy music), and Day Stream (daily curation). The platform offers tiered access: Explorer (free browsing), Fan Pass (free with account creation), General Admission ($5.99/month for full features), and artist-specific VIP Memberships. Payments are processed through Stripe, with a 10% platform fee on artist earnings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mosaic The central artist profile and musical identity platform where artists and fans build living identities through stories, music, memories, memberships, and community connections. It serves as the core hub of the Press Play ecosystem and the primary discovery surface for new and established musicians.
• Press Play Radio Curated streaming channels built around the music and artists living inside the ecosystem, providing structured streams for artist discovery and listening. The service includes co-hosted radio shows with artist interviews and is targeted at music fans seeking curated, narrative-driven listening experiences.
• Press Play Studio A publishing and editorial platform for creating and distributing articles, SongStories, and music journalism within the ecosystem. It enables editorial coverage of artists, album reviews, and storytelling content aimed at music fans and industry readers.
• Press Play Social A social networking hub with chat rooms, messaging, social feeds, polls, and community participation features, connected to but separable from the main Mosaic platform. It is targeted at fans and artists seeking ongoing community engagement around shared musical interests.
• Press Play Exchange An artist marketplace for memberships, digital products (including fan messages and letters delivered to a private Mosaic inbox), physical merchandise, tickets, and exclusive bundles. It enables direct artist-to-fan sales and fan support, with Press Play retaining a 10% platform fee per the Terms of Service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Artists can reach global audiences while maintaining direct relationships with fans
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sweetwater Soundpotential/coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Article discusses potential alignment between Press Play and Sweetwater Sound based on shared values around supporting musicians. Both companies operate in Northeast Indiana. Sweetwater has spent decades helping musicians access recording equipment and has built trust with generations of creators. Press Play works to help artists build lasting audiences. The partnership could extend Sweetwater's commitment beyond equipment into community building, while Press Play gains credibility through association with a trusted music industry name. Discussions position Press Play as approaching Sweetwater as a respected leader whose history reflects the platform's artist-first philosophy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bandcamp: Direct artist-to-fan music marketplace where independent and legacy artists sell music, merchandise, and memberships directly to fans. Closest functional peer to Press Play's Mosaic/Exchange model, especially for the indie/legacy/rock catalog Press Play has signed.
• Patreon: Subscription-based membership platform enabling creators to monetise via tiered fan memberships and exclusive content. Directly comparable to Press Play's VIP Membership mechanic and creator-paid subscription flows.
• Audius: Artist-first decentralised music streaming platform with a focus on independent and emerging artists and direct fan-artist engagement. Comparable to Press Play in positioning as an alternative to DSP incumbents with creator-friendly economics.
• UnitedMasters: Independent artist distribution and services platform that lets artists distribute music and build direct relationships with fans and brands. Overlaps Press Play's artist-onboarding, music-sales, and fan-monetisation stack.
• Genius: Music storytelling and annotation platform with editorial content about artists, songs, and lyrics. Closely comparable to Press Play's SongStory/Press Play Studio editorial-pillar focused on narrative around music.
• DistroKid: Direct-to-DSP music distribution service for independent artists, retaining a flat-fee revenue model. Functionally comparable to Press Play's music-sales offering and Stripe-based artist payout infrastructure.
• Substack: Creator publishing and membership platform that combines editorial newsletters with paid subscriptions. Comparable to Press Play's combination of editorial content (Press Play Studio) and VIP/community membership monetisation.

Broad incumbents

• SoundCloud: Large incumbent music streaming platform with creator-upload tools and direct fan monetisation features (SoundCloud Go, Reposts). Overlaps Press Play's mission but at vastly larger scale and broader mainstream positioning.
• Spotify: Global leader in on-demand music streaming. Has progressively added artist-direct features (Spotify for Artists, Marquee, Fan Study) that overlap Press Play's roadmap; vastly larger user base but limited narrative/community depth.
• Tidal: Premium music streaming service with artist-ownership origins and high-fidelity streaming. Comparable as an artist-friendly streaming offering; overlaps Press Play's premium positioning but at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pressplaytheapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pressplaytheapp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Press Play