There is a Historical Precedent for What Incubator is Trying to Achieve

Motown Records.

You might have not heard of it since it’s long been absorbed into the corporate monolith that is the music industry, but its humble beginnings of great relevance to Incubator. 

Motown Records was started in a house in Detroit by industry outsiders. The founder, Berry Gordy, worked for a time at an automobile factory. It was there he was inspired to use an assembly line-style process to make music. 

Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Ritchie, Rick James, The Supremes.

They all got their start at Motown. 

What was their secret?

Beyond having an ear for good music and an eye for talent, their secret sauce was their factory-inspired processes.

They didn’t just put together bands and leave them to figure it out on their own. 

They had songwriting teams who wrote for in-house bands. 

Ideas were vetted and shared, then arranged by specialized teams of funk experts. 

Demos were reviewed by committees and approved songs were then polished and published, all in-house. 

The presentation of the groups was also part of the process. Bands’ visual brand, bandmates’ on-stage personas and outfits were carefully crafted for show business. 

Motown is a shining example of how collective art can bring collective prosperity

It worked. The artists of Motown became global sensations. 

But they didn’t live happily ever after.

Motown is also a case study in how to succeed unsuccessfully.

Their decline began when its artists wanted more creative control and money than ownership was willing to give. 

The community-minded spirit of their early endeavors was eroded and the owner decided to sell Motown to the highest bidder.

Now Motown is the property of Universal Music Group, who owns 24% of all published music. 

That’s why Incubator has no ownership class

Incubator is not being built to become another asset, a financial instrument for the benefit of a small group of people.

It’s a community meant to last.

It’s collectively owned by the artists, with everyone having an equal share.

Members collectively own Incubator’s work and there’s complete financial transparency. 

The will of the members will always determine Incubator’s actions through committee voting.

Because of this, Incubator will offer an unmatched level of community, autonomy and prosperity to its members.

Incubator will pick up where Motown left off. Making music collectively, in an organized way, for the collective benefit of its members.