Family, this past week I woke up in the middle night and had a BIG epiphany. For years, curation has been at the core of our process, but what if it’s actually been holding us back?
Want to watch me talk about it? Hit play #ijs
At 12:30am or maybe it was 1am, this is what I was thinking about. Is curation getting in the way? After 3 hours of thinking and writing I realized: Yes it is and The Qube needs to be open to all Black and Brown podcasters—period. I realized that curation didn’t have to go away but it needed to shift its place in the process.
Let me say more.
Since the beginning, podcasts couldn’t join the platform unless they were reviewed by our curation team. We even developed the Qubric, a structured rating system that ensured each podcast met a minimum standard before being accepted. Thorough? Yes. Scalable? No.
Let’s talk about the costs.
📉 The Cost of Curation (Let’s Do the Math)
Curation isn’t just time-consuming; it’s expensive:
Let’s say $15 per curated podcast
If each curator reviewed 12 podcasts per month
6 curators = 36 podcasts approved or denied a month because two people listen to every one podcast
$1,080/month = $12,960/year
Curation managers (1 people, 10 hrs/week at $30/hr) = $1,200/month = $14,400/year
👉🏾 To truly scale, we'd need to 50x this model and that’s just not smart business.
✨ The New Model: "Get Qube Approved"
Instead of curation leading the process, we will make it a premium service. It will be a badge of excellence rather than a barrier to entry. If we want The Qube to scale, we can’t lead with a time-intensive and costly process. The why behind this platform—representation, visibility, and access—is much bigger than curation. Creators will receive:
✅ "Qube Approved" badge on podcast profiles
✅ Exclusive placement in the “Get Qubed” discovery section
✅ Special feature in The Qube newsletter
✅ Discount on a Qube audit+review
This way, every Black & Brown podcaster can join The Qube, but those who want extra validation and visibility can opt in for the premium experience.
Honoring Our Curated Podcasters
As a thank you to those who’ve already gone through curation, we’ll offer a free curation when we roll out the new service. You all believed in us and we will invest in you.
Family, this is a major breakthrough. The Qube is evolving, and it feels lighter, faster, and more powerful. But I want to hear from you—what do you think about this shift? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And tell me—how do you capture your own late-night epiphanies? 📝
📌 Q2 Goals
🔹 Scaling Queer News: I’ve brought on three people to help execute so I can focus on The Qube
🔹 Scope out the MVP for this new approach
🔹 Determine costs & funding options
🔹 Continue publishing "Founder Life" every two weeks
🔹 Start sharing podcast recommendations
Let's keep building something revolutionary 🚀
Talk soon,
Anna
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