Vous revoir / Socialband
Artisans Nomades ASBL
Belgium
Recent events have highlighted the urgent need for an alternative to Big Tech platforms for independent artistic distribution, whether for political reasons or to escape the logic of audience competition and the influencer-driven web.
While the Fediverse exists as a solution, artists have been slow to adopt it and build their presence there. Socialband offers a tool specifically designed for artists and cultural venues, focused on promoting real-world events and serving as a bridge to the fediverse.
Socialband is a platform built specifically for artists, public and cultural venues, designed to address the toxicity of capitalist digital platforms and the limitations of fediverse. It operates on clear principles:
- transparency and respect: no algorithms, ads, or exploitation of user data;
- real-world connections: helping audiences discover local events and artists through geolocation;
- gentle sociability: minimizing online pressure, no likes or public follower counts, allow automation;
- fediverse integration: a Mastodon-compatible implementation for ethical audience building.
Each artist or venue creates a profile with links, event lists, a gallery, contact and support pages, and optional Fediverse accounts. They publish events, which users can follow via newsletters, notifications, or iCal calendars. The focus is not on online engagement but on getting bodies in seats at shows, exhibitions, and workshops. Socialband provides a simple, ethical tool for cultural actors to maintain visibility and foster local participation without relying on viral metrics.