Thank you for being part of our community. We wish you health and happiness, and we hope you discover some new music this year that will end up in your library for years to come!
2025 was a great year, not because of goals and achievements, but because we’re still here and still do what we love. Truth be told, it isn’t always easy. Life happens, motivation fluctuates, and endless discussions on how to be better can feel overwhelming. That being said, there’s one thing for sure - no matter what happened the day before, all of us on the team wake up daily with a newfound desire to listen to more new music.
Things seem a little gloomy in the music industry lately, but we don’t want to focus solely on the endless list of issues right now. Rather, we want to share what seems like a glimpse of positive hope around us. The mass commoditization of music, paired with the rise of AI and algorithmic-driven recommendations seem to trigger more and more discussions on how people can be more conscious about their listening habits. It also spills over into the importance of researching the artist behind the music, their story, and message. Something that AI cannot replicate.
Can’t speak for everyone, but we as a team and a lot of people around us are instantly put off as soon as it’s evident AI made the music, no matter how good. There’s 0 ground for connection with that sound, and that’s all that matters.
It’s no coincidence that in 2025, we saw the rise of human curator profiles on social media and also the return of blogs and long-form content. For reference, our traffic has tripled since 2024. Not trying to brag or anything, just facts. This is also a wake-up call for us to be even more vigilant about the music we feature and that gets sent our way. Our goal has always been and will be the support of up-and-coming artists.
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There are a lot of amazing, creative people with great taste and curiosity for new music to follow online. Insightful newsletters/Substack to subscribe to, books to read, and discussions to be a part of. There are so many ways to make sure you support independent music and culture in 2026, and that’s a reason to be hopeful. Coming to think of it, we should probably make a list soon.
But yeah, we’re happy to be here and simply be part of the whole music journey, with its ups and downs. Thank you for your support this year, and look forward to being there for you again next year.
team Stereofox
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