Is Substack being taken over by marketing?

"When the site launched, it was niche, it felt underground and squishy, as if the smaller circle of users genuinely could mould it. The whole point was that it was a place to throw anything, but mostly, it was for words. It was anti-social media in so many ways, as people were free to share whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, craft and publish any piece without needing a commission or a go-ahead, share it on their own terms."

"Especially for writers hustling it out in the real world, Substack appeared as a safe haven. I know for me personally, it was a creative lifeline back when I was a freelancer and suddenly, any idea I had was put through a strenuous and often disheartening routine of pitching, persuading, waiting, and regular rejection, but on Substack, you don't need a green light: you write what you want."

Substack began as a niche, anti-social-media platform centered on text publishing, allowing creators to publish directly without commissions or gatekeepers. The platform fostered notable longform pieces and functioned as a practical lifeline for freelancers who lacked traditional access to commissions. Early discoverability relied on a community of users who were both audience and publishers, enabling content to find its natural readership. Recently the platform has broadened beyond text as musicians and other creators join, changing the platform's dynamics, community feel, and patterns of discovery and engagement.

Read at Far Out Magazine