Metalabels will be the tastemakers of the internet

A metalabel is like an indie record label, but for all forms of art, culture, and ideas. A book publisher, a local collaborative creative project, an online community, an activist movement, an artist collective, a record label, and other collective cultural projects are examples of metalabels: groups of people using a shared identity for a shared p... See more

At a high level, a metalabel is a group of people using a common identity for a common purpose with a focus on public releases that manifest their worldview.

metalabels are startups and institutions for culture.

Imagining a world where a metalabel is a common paradigm that people create. Where the output is a little bit slower. Where there is more deliberation, more pairs of eyes on things. I think it’s just a healthier experience.

Every metalabel shares four core elements that shape their behavior and output. There’s (1) a core purpose why they exist; (2) a squad of collaborators who operate and release projects with the label; (3) public releases they put out into the world to express their worldview; and (4) rules for participation, like how they make decisions, who owns w... See more

In short, with democratized access, the web became more saturated than ever before, and as consumers, we began to spend more and more time trying to sort through it all. In a state of analysis paralysis, how do we disaggregate signal from noise?

This problem of overabundance is why I wrote my piece last year. As consumption of digital media increas... See more

the internet era of culture is a contest between the old model of top-down elite tastemakers telling you what's good and the new numbers-driven viral creator ecosystem in which algorithmic feeds tell you what you like

In fact, I’d argue an emerging class of creators and consumer brands is actually employing curation as a business strategy. Gohar World, Ganni and Soeur have been sharing city travel guides, Ghia has been sharing Spotify playlists, and tastemakers like Olympia Gayot and Alex Eagle are joining entirely new social platforms purpose-built for discover... See more