Artist-Run Streaming Catalytic Soundstream
- New releases & all-time free jazz classics
- Exclusive videos and artist profiles
- Option Talks — conversations with co-op musicians
- CS Radio, curated by Catalytic artists monthly
- Exclusive independent music labels
- CS Festival archive & live streaming
- Catalytic Art Archive (CAA) — full access
- Live festival streaming — follow every set
30 Days, No Commitment
Discover improvised music made by musicians — and put money directly in their hands.
What’s Inside Soundstream Artist-Run Music
Catalytic Soundstream isn’t an algorithm. It’s a hand-curated platform where every record, video, and radio set was chosen by the artists who created it. This is what happens when an independent music cooperative builds its own stage.
From deep catalog dives to live festival footage, from intimate artist profiles to improvised music conversations that go places journalism doesn’t reach — every corner of Soundstream was built to honor the creative work behind the sound. No filler. No recommendation engine selling you back what you already know.
CS Radio
A monthly-rotating stream of records chosen by Catalytic artists and staff. Expect deep cuts, surprise pairings, and zero algorithm interference — just curated listening from the people who made the music.
Artists Profiles
Dedicated pages for each CS musician featuring exclusive videos, festival sets, mixtapes, and full discography access. The closest thing to a backstage pass in the free jazz world.
Option Talks
Long-form conversations with co-op musicians from Experimental Sound Studio’s OPTION series. Candid, unfiltered talks about improvisation, collaboration, and working outside the mainstream.
CS Festival Archive
Complete footage from every edition of the Catalytic Sound Festival. Rare and landmark performances from the world’s most vital improvised music scene — yours to revisit anytime.
Exclusive Artist Labels
Content from Flying Aspidistra, Aerophonic Digital, Sonic Transmissions, Audiographic Records, and more. Independent music labels that exist outside the industry’s reach, updated monthly.
Classic Bands Discography
Full discography access to The Ex, DKV Trio, Vandermark 5, Large Unit, Trio X. The essential catalog of the free jazz and noise-improv tradition, all in one place.
New Releases & Catalog
Fresh albums and archival classics added constantly. Whether catching up on a decade of output or following a new record the week it drops — Soundstream keeps the listening current.
Exclusive Video Content
Studio sessions, rehearsal footage, live performances, and artist-curated selections unavailable anywhere else. Video that doesn’t exist on YouTube, streaming only for Soundstream members.
Live Festival Streaming
Stream Catalytic Sound Festival performances as they happen, from wherever you are. Real-time access to the improvised music events that define the edge of contemporary jazz.
Choose Your Plan Simple Plans. Money for Musicians.
Every Soundstream subscription is a direct act of support. Half of every dollar you pay goes straight to the Catalytic Sound co-op musicians — split equally, every month. No opaque royalty pools. No algorithmic cut-offs. Just a clear, fair model built by an artist-run cooperative that decided to do things differently.
Whether you’re starting with a Basic plan or going all-in with Full membership — complete with physical editions, festival exclusives, and album downloads — you can switch, pause, or cancel anytime. Start with a 30-day free trial on the Plus plan, no commitment required.
Basic
$ 5.00
Per month / billed monthly
SubscribeSoundstream 2.0 – (audio only)
Soundstream Basic membership includes:
- CS Radio
- Artists Profiles (audio only)
- CAA archive
- Option Talks
- Exclusive labels
- Classic bands discography
Plus
$ 10.00
Per month / billed monthly
Start 30-days Free TrialSoundstream 2.0 – (audio and video)
Includes everything in Soundstream Basic incorporating high quality videos
- Artists Profiles (audio & video)
- CS Festival archive
- Live Festival streaming
- Exclusive video material from the artists
Full
$ 25.00
Per month / billed monthly
SubscribeSoundstream 2.0 – (audio and video)
Includes everything in Soundstream Plus, and more features including exclusive physical items and discounts, such as:
- A tote bag or t-shirt
- Catalytic Quarterly (physical edition)
- Sale discounts (regular 10% off [think free shipping!], Summer 20%, and Holiday 25%)
- Two digital albums per month
- Each new CAA edition as a digital download
- Exclusive items just for members (like the CSF poster)
- Advance notice on special items
By signing up, you agree to Catalytic Soundstream Terms and Conditions of Use.
Why Soundstream Exists A Streaming Service Built by the Artists
The music streaming industry grosses over $10 billion annually — and funnels almost none of it back to the musicians who make it possible. Catalytic Soundstream exists to answer that problem directly: an artist-run, cooperative-owned platform where the people who create the music also decide how it’s distributed, curated, and paid for.
Catalytic Sound is a musician-owned cooperative based in Chicago — one of the most productive nodes in the global free jazz and improvised music scene. What began as a collective response to industry indifference has evolved into a full ecosystem: a record store, a festival, an archive, and now Soundstream.
We built Soundstream because the tools didn’t exist. No major platform was going to curate a deep catalog of improvised and experimental music, pay co-op musicians fairly, or hand creative control back to the artists. So we built our own — for ourselves, and for listeners who know the difference.
The model is straightforward: half of every subscription goes directly to the musicians, divided equally among co-op members each month. The other half keeps the platform running, improving, and expanding. No royalty obfuscation. No algorithmic gatekeeping. No middlemen.
By subscribing to Catalytic Soundstream, you’re not just accessing music — you’re actively funding the ongoing development of an independent music platform that puts creative equity at its center. Every new subscriber means more resources for more artists, more recordings, and more of the kind of music that doesn’t fit anywhere else. This is what artist-run looks like when it actually works.
Get in Touch Questions, Ideas, or Just Want to Talk Music?
We’re a small team inside a musician-owned cooperative — which means when you write to us, you’re writing to people who actually care about the answer. Whether you have a question about your membership, a suggestion for content, or you’re a musician who wants to know more about how Catalytic Sound works, we’d genuinely like to hear from you.
Drop us a line at members@catalyticsound.com or use the form below. We read everything and respond to as much as we can. Support independent music — it starts with a conversation.