Sonar Presents has announced a new music discovery app, scheduled to launch on Sunday 15 November 2026. Free to download, it is designed to help independent artists get heard and give listeners another way to find new music.
The UK-based platform was created by three industry professionals whose work in grassroots music gave them first-hand experience of the challenges facing independent musicians.
Although based in the UK, Sonar Presents describes the app as a worldwide platform covering multiple genres, with its work rooted in grassroots communities.
Giving independent artists a route to listeners
Musicians face considerable competition for attention on digital platforms. At the same time, the loss of grassroots venues reduces opportunities to perform and meet future fans.
Sonar Presents wants its app to give emerging artists a presence that does not depend on a large marketing budget. The platform is open to grassroots musicians, including artists whose work crosses genres or sits outside familiar categories.
“We’re about the music, and the people behind the music,” says Russ Phillips, founder of Sonar Presents.
“There is an incredible amount of music being made that never gets the attention it deserves. People are crying out for new music but struggle to find it. We wanted to build something that connects musicians with their audience without depending on the size of an artist’s marketing budget.”
Phillips says the intention is to help listeners discover music while giving independent artists access to new audiences. Building a community where musicians have opportunities to break through is central to that approach.
How the discovery app will work
Sonar Presents describes the app as an ethical music discovery platform, developed around the needs of independent artists.
Its planned features include curated music drops and community-led recommendations. Direct connections between artists and fans are also part of the platform’s approach.
The intention is to give early-stage talent and cultural relevance greater prominence, rather than relying on popularity figures to determine what listeners discover.
Sonar Presents says the app offers musicians another route to build an audience, with every listen supporting the grassroots music scene. The supplied announcement does not explain how that support will operate.
The pressures behind the project
The launch announcement points to concerns about the effect of AI-generated music on musicians’ incomes.
It cites a study by CISAC, described in the announcement as the largest network in the creative sector, suggesting musicians could lose up to 24% of their income by 2028. The announcement also gives a potential loss figure of £22 billion.
Sonar Presents places those concerns alongside the reported loss of 125 UK grassroots music venues in 2023, arguing that emerging artists face fewer opportunities to connect with future fans.
These pressures form part of the thinking behind a platform intended to help independent music find an audience at community level.
When will the app be available?
The free Sonar Presents app is scheduled to be available through Google Play and the Apple App Store on Sunday 15 November 2026.
Attendees at the Sonar Presents Music Convention on Saturday 14 November 2026 will be offered a first look at the app. The convention takes place at Bread & Roses in Clapham, London.
Convention tickets and registration:
https://themusicconvention.eventbrite.co.uk/
Sonar Presents is a UK-based grassroots music platform curated by three industry professionals, with a focus on discovering emerging talent and helping independent artists reach listeners.
Published as part of Involving Music’s partnership with Sonar Presents.
