The Sonic Syndicate is more than a music project – it’s the spark that ignited the creation of Tornevall Networks ArtistStore project. Initially formed as a collaborative home for independent artists and producers, the Syndicate faced a wall of resistance when trying to establish its identity on major platforms like Spotify.
What followed was a deep dive into the politics of platform verification, domain ownership, and artist gatekeeping. The struggle to get a simple artist profile approved would eventually lead to an entirely new hosting solution. Sonic Syndicate started as a simple collaboration between Tornevall and one other artist, with the goal of building a shared identity under a common banner. But when trying to establish an artist presence on Spotify, things quickly went off the rails.
“Instead of treating us as artists, Spotify treated the Sonic Syndicate like a label. That immediately disqualified us from using their basic artist tools.”
Spotify’s internal logic – which assumes a one-to-one mapping between an artist and a domain or Instagram account – meant that collectives or non-traditional setups were forced to jump through hoops, often unsuccessfully.
Verification Hell
When attempting to verify the Sonic Syndicate on Spotify for Artists, the lack of a “legitimate artist website” became a blocking issue. There were no shortcuts. No flexibility. A project without a traditional band structure, yet with plenty of output, was automatically flagged as non-compliant.
“Even though we had active releases and digital distribution, we were stuck in limbo because we didn’t have a dedicated domain for the project.”
The experience exposed a deep flaw in how digital platforms define legitimacy. And it became the foundation for building something better.
From Problem to Platform
The frustration around this process led directly to the birth of ArtistStore – a system that bypasses these roadblocks by offering artists a ready-made, verifiable web presence. The Sonic Syndicate served as both prototype and proof-of-concept.
“Sonic Syndicate was never the end goal. It was the case study that made the solution obvious.”
By transforming that verification dead-end into a hosted, SSL-secured site with a stable structure, the problems that plagued the Syndicate became the roadmap for others to avoid them altogether.