2023 Report
With our comprehensive 2023 report, we provide transparency and accountability for our activities during the last year.
As an independent platform, we believe transparency is crucial to good reporting and building trust. It is our obligation to share our successes and failures with you and provide details so you can hold us accountable.
2023 has been a year of transition for this platform, as previously stated in our «letter from the editor». The standalone Weekly5 service was re-integrated into a revamped version of Negative White, the online magazine where the playlist originated.
The transformation was followed by a variety of changes, adjustments, and experiments. However, the goals remained the same: To provide excellent music journalism in harmony with our values and reach financial sustainability.
Weekly5: 47% Female Artists
Setting the ambitious goal of financial sustainability at the end of 2022, Weekly5 started as a paid service in 2023. However, when Negative White relaunched, it returned to a free offer again, providing a platform for upcoming artists.
In 2023, we curated 30 editions featuring 150 songs from 137 artists. While trying to provide as many different artists a platform as possible, one band was featured three times: Swiss indie pop upstart Soft Loft.
Of the 137 artists, 65 were female or female-fronted bands, which amounts to almost a 50:50 ratio or 47% of featured artists.
As Negative White is based in Switzerland, we also try to highlight Swiss artists. 38 artists have their origins in the country.
Using a playlist analysing tool, Weekly5's 2023 playlist shows a moderately diverse genre distribution:
- 28% Rock
- 20% Electronic
- 18% Pop
- 17% Folk/Acoustic
- 6% Metal
- 11% Others like R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, or Blues
The analysis also shows that the playlist mainly features so-called «obscure» songs. It means that the curated tracks are not very popular on Spotify. Therefore, we fulfil the promise of featuring new and upcoming as well as underground artists.
Furthermore, our editor, Janosch Troehler, pledged to buy every featured song if it is available on Bandcamp. The count shows that out of the 150 songs, 72 have been purchased and were directly financially supported.
