What Does It Mean To Be Listener-Powered?

You’ve heard us say we’re listener-powered, but what does that really mean? KEXP is a community-supported arts organization with a nonprofit mission to enrich lives by championing music and discovery. As a music-lover, we know there are all kinds of ways you find and enjoy music. We hope that when you tune into KEXP, watch a live performance, or join us at an event, the music you find here feels a little different. That difference is made possible by listeners like you — because most of KEXP’s funding comes directly from our community.

At KEXP, listener support champions:

• Independence as a strength: KEXP has always championed diverse musical perspectives, celebrating sounds from around the world and across genres. If you listen to KEXP, you know how our DJs bring their unique knowledge, experience, and passion to the airwaves — sharing music they truly believe in. What you hear reflects a genuine love for music, not a pursuit of ratings or profit.
   
• Music is better with human curation: Streaming algorithms can be convenient — but nothing compares to music chosen by real people.  No algorithm can listen, react, and respond the way people do with one another. Great DJs can get a message across without even saying anything, just through connections between songs and how they relate. They can craft emotional journeys, connect songs in unexpected ways, and deliver moments of joy and surprise that only humans can create. At KEXP, our DJs respond like fellow music lovers — because they are.  Listener donations help us support a whole team of individual curators — and that means you get access to a huge range of tastes and perspectives.
   
• Listening together: Nothing compares to experiencing music together. In a busy, often isolating world, music helps us reconnect, recharge, and remember what’s good. When you listen to KEXP, you’re part of a global community — sharing songs, emotions, and moments with people you may never meet, but who feel just like you do. Wherever you're tuning in from, you’re not alone.
   
• Music as a part of our lives, and life as a part of the music: KEXP is here for all of life’s moments — the joyful, the painful, the everyday. Whether you’re falling in love, grieving a loss, or just getting through the day, music helps mark the moment and make meaning of it. At KEXP we don’t try to separate music from the world we live in or from its meaning in our lives — that’s what makes music such a powerful way to honor where we’ve been and keep moving forward. Because we’re funded by the community, we can stay responsive to whatever our community needs, or adjust our programs on the fly to whatever the moment calls for.

The music you hear is shaped by the freedom to create an enriching music experience that celebrates nearly every era, style, and music tradition, and supports artists who challenge musical conventions. Because we are listener powered, every decision we make is guided by our mission, values, and plain old love for music, instead of for ratings or profit. That means you can always count on KEXP to be your music-loving friend and guide, no matter your taste or where it leads you. You can always count on discovering new sounds that expand your world, challenge your thinking, and remind you you’re not alone. And you can always count on being connected with a global community that turns to music for joy, comfort, and connection — music that’s always, above all else, human.

If you rely on KEXP, we rely on you.  We’ve been independent and community-supported for over 50 years, thanks to thousands of listeners who power what we do through their generosity. When you make a gift, you not only sustain the music you love—you help others around the world discover the same connection.

Want to learn more about how KEXP is funded and what your support makes possible? Check out our past annual reports.

And if you’re ready to become a donor or renew your support, you can make a one-time or monthly gift — it only takes a few minutes. Your donation helps grow this beautiful, curious community of music lovers. Because music was made to be heard — and at KEXP, we’re always listening.