Arizona Tribune - FriendsGroove Relaunches as a Human-First Social Network for Music - No Algorithm, No Crypto, No AI-Generated Songs

NEWTON, NJ / ACCESS Newswire / August 7, 2026 / FriendsGroove, the social network for music operated by Remergify, Inc., is now live in a form the company describes as a clean break from its earlier concept. The platform lets fans claim a permanent, numbered spot in an artist's community - Friend #12, forever - pays artists 95% of every tip, and runs a friends-only feed with no algorithm and no advertising. It hosts human-made music only, with every artist approved by a person.

A deliberate repositioning. FriendsGroove was first announced in early 2026 around a different set of ideas, including blockchain-based collectibles. The company has since rebuilt the product and retired that framing completely. FriendsGroove today uses no blockchain, no crypto, no tokens, and no digital-collectible mechanics of any kind; accounts are ordinary email-and-password logins, and the platform's value comes from human relationships and direct fan-to-artist support rather than any speculative asset.

"We changed our minds in public, and we'd rather be clear about it than quiet," said Stuart Fine, founder and CEO of Remergify. "The earliest version of FriendsGroove leaned on mechanics we no longer believe belong anywhere near music fans. What survived - and what the whole platform is now built on - is a simple idea: being early to an artist should mean something, permanently, and it shouldn't require anyone to buy or understand anything. A fan's number is earned by showing up, not purchased. There are no tokens here, and there never will be."

What FriendsGroove is now. Each artist opens a single community, called a Groove, where every fan who joins claims the next permanent friend number. Artists stream their original music natively, receive tips directly through Stripe while keeping 95%, and see a private ledger of their community - every fan by name, friend number, and join date. The published roadmap extends the same artist-first economics to ticketing (90/10) and merchandise (80/20), with founding artists' rates locked permanently. Listening is free for fans, always.

Human-made music only. In July 2026 the company published its Human Music Policy: AI-generated tracks and AI voice cloning are prohibited, and there is no automated path to becoming an artist - a person reviews every application. The standard is authorship, not tools: artists may freely use digital audio workstations, plugins, mixing, mastering, and cleanup, but music whose composition or performance came from a model is not permitted, and a human vocal over a generated track does not qualify. "We're not the tool police," Fine said. "You wrote it and you performed it - that's the line."

Available now, and international. FriendsGroove is live at app.friendsgroove.com, with artists in the United States, the United Kingdom, and additional markets. Fans can join free and claim a founding member number while the earliest tiers remain open; artists can apply to open a Groove today.

About FriendsGroove. FriendsGroove is the social network for music: mutual friendships, a friends-only feed with no algorithm and no advertising, artist communities in which every fan claims a permanent numbered spot, human-made music only, and direct fan-to-artist economics with artists keeping 95% of every tip. It is developed and operated by Remergify, Inc., a technology holding company that builds and owns a portfolio of software ventures. Learn more at friendsgroove.com.

For artists: The founding artist program, the full Human Music Policy, and the product roadmap are at friendsgroove.com/bands.

Editor's note. This release supersedes earlier announcements describing FriendsGroove as a blockchain- or NFT-based platform. Those mechanics are not part of the current product. FriendsGroove uses no blockchain, cryptocurrency, tokens, or digital collectibles.

Media Contact:
Stuart Fine, Founder & CEO, Remergify, Inc.
[email protected]

SOURCE: Remergify, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

M.Robinson--AT