Vocana Connects With MassiveMusic to Build a Better Service for Indie Music
Vocana has joined forces with MassiveMusic (formerly 7digital, part of the Songtradr brand portfolio) to build a truly innovative music service devoted to indie music, user-centric payment, and more interaction and discovery. Providing invaluable back-end support, MassiveMusic powers Vocana’s independent artist-only catalog and, most importantly, its highly innovative payout model that directly connects how artists get paid to what fans listen to.
This partnership builds on the deals Vocana has inked with major names in indie music, including CD Baby and Distrokid. The platform is currently open in beta for both artists and fans, with new features and music rolling out regularly. Full public launch is scheduled for early 2026.
MassiveMusic will allow Vocana to ingest new releases and rightsholder-approved, AI-enriched metadata, providing access to audio for 33.5mil tracks hosted on a worldwide network of servers that ensure minimal latency. MassiveMusic will also administer Vocana’s licenses and undertake reporting to all rightsholders, allowing payout according to Vocana’s groundbreaking user-centric model. This model, developed by the pioneering team that has shifted the industry conversation around payouts, better serves emerging and niche artists, the kind of creative force that thrives independently.
Though new, this model is slowly being embraced thanks to MassiveMusic and Vocana’s combined efforts. “It’s been exciting to educate our distributor partners about how reporting will work and the advantages our model will provide for their artists,” explains Neil Sheehan, President of Vocana. “MassiveMusic has been key in supporting this effort and communicating exactly what rightsholders should expect.”
Because Vocana only works with indie artists, it has been able to craft a far more just approach to payouts based not on pro rata, but on individual users’ listening habits. “A subscriber’s dollars are split between the artists that subscriber listened to,” notes Sheehan.
“At MassiveMusic, we are proud to be able to power platforms like Vocana that are taking a truly fresh approach to supporting independent artists, human curators, and real fan interaction,” says Paul Langworthy, CRO of Songtradr and MassiveMusic. “Vocana’s user-centric model is a bold step forward for independent artists, and we’re proud to support it with our licensing, metadata, and delivery solutions. Together, we’re not just enabling a new platform; we’re helping build a fairer, more sustainable future for music.”
About Vocana
Founded by music lovers and indie music veterans, Vocana (vocana.co) is where independent music and community come together. The service is built around key tenets designed to make music thrive by fostering artist-fan connections, paying fairly, boosting human-led discovery, and ensuring fraud prevention. Now in public beta, artists and fans can join a music-loving movement, connect with music lovers who share their taste, discover new music, and stream on a platform built on user-centric payment. Thanks to this model, subscription dollars go directly to the artists that fans stream.
About MassiveMusic
MassiveMusic, part of the Songtradr brand portfolio, is the global music and sound partner for leading brands, agencies, & platforms. By blending creativity, data-driven insights, and market-leading technology, MassiveMusic delivers scalable music strategies, innovative technology services and award-winning creative solutions, driving measurable business value and shaping the future of sound. Learn more at www.massivemusic.com.