A free, open source music platform with a chronological feed where artists keep 100% of revenue and fans always see what they follow. No algorithms. No throttling. No pay-to-play.

• Artist Studio - Combined dashboard for uploads, page settings, and royalties
• Audio Player - Upload up to 4 tracks with custom artwork
• Studio Quality Audio - Supports up to 32-bit, 192 kHz WAV with no transcoding
• Direct Payments - Revenue goes directly to your PayPal
• Collaborator Royalty Splits - Automatically split payments between multiple parties
• Flexible Pricing - Set prices from $1-10 per track
• Download Control - Choose stream-only or allow downloads
• Public Link - Share your page at 4track.io/yourname
• Audio Player Visibility - Toggle public/hidden status
• Basic Analytics - Track plays, hearts, downloads, and revenue
• Live Shows - Promote upcoming performances with flyer artwork and ticket links
• Post Once - No algorithm to game; your followers see your content automatically
• Photo Gallery - Upload high-resolution photos with automatic thumbnails
• Custom Color Themes - Extract color palettes from photos/artwork

It's 2026, and a music-oriented chronological feed is somehow a novel idea.

Artists know the algorithmic pain intimately: you can have thousands of followers and still reach only a tiny fraction of them because opaque algorithms decided you're no longer "interesting" this week, or you're not paying for "boosts." On 4track, the feed is agnostic.

How it works:

• Always Chronological - Content appears in the order it was posted
• No Shadow Throttling - Every post reaches every follower
• No Engagement Roulette - Your reach isn't tied to likes or comments
• No Artificial Scarcity - Attention isn't rationed by an algorithm
• Looping Feed - Once you've scrolled through everything, it cycles back

For Artists:

• Add a live show date and the feed automatically displays it until the day of the event
• Release a track and everyone who follows you sees it
• Post once and get back to making music

The feed mixes tracks, artists, and upcoming shows in a 3:1:1 pattern, giving equal visibility to new releases and live performances while keeping the experience fresh and varied.

• Chronological Feed - See everything you follow, in order, every time
• No Algorithm - Content appears based on when it was posted, not engagement metrics
• Mixed Content - Tracks, artists, and live shows in a natural 3:1:1 pattern
• Infinite Loop - Feed cycles back to the beginning once you've seen everything
• In-Feed Player - Play tracks without leaving the feed
• Track Queue - Continuous playback through the feed
• Music Collection - Save and purchase tracks
• Direct Support - Pay artists directly via PayPal
• Download Library - Access purchased tracks anytime
• Heart Tracks - Save favorites for later purchase
• See Collaborators - View all artists featured on a track
• Audio Quality Display - See format details (bit depth, sample rate, etc.)
• Discover Live Shows - Find upcoming performances with date, venue, and ticket info
• No Account Required - Stream music without signing up

• Artist Roster - Centralized multi-artist management
• Create Artist Pages - Add new artist profiles
• Hierarchical Access - Manage multiple artists from one account
• Role-Based Permissions - Admin sees all, others see their artists
• Quick Actions - Navigate to artist studios or public pages
• Aggregated Analytics - View performance across all artists

• User Management - View all platform users and their roles
• Application Review - Approve/deny artist applications
• Platform Stats - Monitor user growth and activity
• Access Control - Admin-only routes and features
• Invite Code Management - Control platform access

• High-Resolution Upload - Support for images up to 20MB
• Automatic Thumbnails - WebP format, 1000px, 85% quality
• Primary Photo Selection - Set main profile image
• Circular Crop Editor - Perfect framing for profile photos
• Photo Lab Filters - 10 artistic filters including Vintage, Ocean, Pink Aura
• Original Preservation - Keep originals for re-editing

• Intelligent Color Extraction - Extract dominant colors from photos or artwork using ColorThief
• Smart Gradient Selection - Automatically selects optimal gradient colors based on contrast and hue
• Manual Override Controls - Fine-tune gradient colors and text color (light/dark)
• Live Preview - See color changes in real-time before saving
• Multiple Image Sources - Extract colors from artist photos or track artwork
• Persistent Theming - Custom colors applied across the artist's public page

• Flexible Splits - Define exact percentage for each collaborator
• Automatic Distribution - PayPal sends payments directly to each person
• Equal Split Calculator - One-click to divide royalties equally
• Primary Artist Protection - Main artist cannot be removed
• Real-time Validation - Ensures splits always total 100%
• Multi-Party Payments - Uses PayPal's purchase units for simultaneous payouts
• Partial Payment Handling - System continues if some payments fail
• Transaction Transparency - All splits recorded in royalty records

• Show Management - Add, edit, and delete upcoming performances from Artist Studio
• Flyer Upload - Upload event posters up to 10MB
• Venue Details - Include venue name and location (city, state)
• Ticket Links - Link to external ticketing platforms (Eventbrite, etc.)
• Feed Integration - Shows appear in Discover feed alongside tracks and artists
• Artist Page Display - Upcoming shows prominently displayed on public medley pages
• Automatic Filtering - Past shows automatically hidden from public view
• Date Badges - Clear visual date display with month and day

• Email Verification - Required for artist features
• Google Sign-In - Pre-verified authentication option
• Invite Codes - Control platform access during beta
• Secure Sessions - JWT-based authentication
• Role-Based Access - Consumer, Artist, Label, Manager, Admin roles
• No Tracking Cookies - Zero persistent tracking
• Session-Based Analytics - Privacy-first approach
• GDPR/CCPA Compliant - Minimal data collection
• User Control - Full data export and deletion rights

Frontend

• Vue 3 (Composition API) + Vite
• CSS utility-first architecture

Backend

• Firebase (Firestore, Auth, Functions, Storage)
• PayPal SDK for direct payments with multi-party support
• Privacy-first analytics

Key Features

• Direct artist payouts with automatic splits
• Self-hostable
• Zero tracking cookies
• GDPR/CCPA compliant

• Node.js 16+ and npm
• Firebase project
• PayPal account

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/fourtrack-os.git
cd fourtrack-os

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Configure Firebase

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Add your Firebase config to .env
VITE_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_api_key
VITE_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_project.firebaseapp.com
VITE_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
# ... other Firebase config

4. Set up Firebase services

# Install Firebase CLI
npm install -g firebase-tools

# Login and select project
firebase login
firebase use your_project_id

# Deploy security rules
firebase deploy --only firestore:rules,storage:rules

# Deploy functions
cd functions && npm install && cd ..
firebase deploy --only functions

5. Configure PayPal

PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID=your_paypal_client_id
PAYPAL_CLIENT_SECRET=your_paypal_client_secret
PAYPAL_MODE=sandbox  # or 'live' for production

6. Start development server

npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:5173 to see your instance running!

fourtrack-os/
├── src/
│   ├── assets/          # CSS utilities and themes
│   ├── components/      # Reusable Vue components
│   ├── services/        # API and authentication
│   ├── utils/           # Validators and helpers
│   ├── views/           # Page components
│   └── router/          # Route configuration
├── functions/           # Firebase Cloud Functions
├── public/              # Static assets
└── docs/                # Documentation

4track uses a utility-first CSS architecture:

• themes.css - CSS custom properties for colors, spacing, transitions
• components.css - Reusable component classes (.btn, .card, .section)
• Semantic utilities - Layout (.flex, .grid), spacing (.mb-md), typography (.text-primary)

Example usage:

<div class="card p-lg mb-xl">
  <h2 class="section-title text-primary mb-md">Artist Studio</h2>
  <button class="btn btn-primary">Upload Track</button>
</div>

• No tracking cookies - Zero persistent tracking
• Session-based analytics - No personal identifiers stored
• GDPR/CCPA compliant - Minimal data collection
• User control - Full data export and deletion

• Email verification required for artists
• Google Sign-In with pre-verification
• Role-based access control (Consumer, Artist, Admin)
• Secure session management

• PayPal handles all payment processing
• No credit card data stored
• Direct artist-to-fan transactions
• Transaction audit trail with split details

1. Sign Up - Create account with email verification
2. Apply to Become Artist - Submit application with artist details
3. Get Approved - Admin reviews and approves application
4. Set Up Profile - Add bio, photos, and PayPal email
5. Upload Audio and Artwork - Add up to 4 tracks with artwork
6. Configure Collaborators - Set up royalty splits for featured artists
7. Share & Earn - Share your link and get paid directly
8. Add Live Shows - Promote upcoming performances with dates, venues, and ticket links

4track is free forever with no platform fees:

• Artists keep 100% of sales revenue
• PayPal processing fees apply (standard PayPal rates)
• No subscription fees or hidden costs
• Open source = community owned

The platform supports automatic royalty splitting for tracks with multiple collaborators:

1. Add Collaborators - When uploading a track, add collaborator names and PayPal emails
2. Set Percentages - Define what percentage each artist receives (must total 100%)
3. Automatic Payments - PayPal automatically sends each collaborator their share
4. Track Transparency - All splits are recorded and visible in analytics

For a $5 track with 3 collaborators:

• Primary Artist: 50% = $2.50
• Producer: 30% = $1.50
• Featured Artist: 20% = $1.00

Each collaborator receives their payment directly to their PayPal account instantly.

• All collaborators must have verified PayPal accounts
• Business PayPal account recommended for primary artist
• Splits must total exactly 100%
• Minimum split is 1%

The platform uses ColorThief to provide intelligent color theming:

1. Upload Images - Add artist photos or track artwork
2. Extract Colors - ColorThief analyzes images to extract dominant colors
3. Smart Selection - Algorithm selects optimal gradient based on contrast and hue
4. Live Preview - See your medley page with custom colors before saving
5. Manual Control - Override automatic selections if desired

• Extracts 8 dominant colors from any image
• Calculates contrast scores between color pairs
• Considers hue distance for visual appeal
• Automatically selects readable text colors
• Falls back to generated colors if extraction fails

Colors are applied as CSS custom properties on the medley page, ensuring fast performance and smooth transitions without JavaScript overhead.

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests if applicable
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

• 🎨 UI/UX improvements
• 🔊 Audio processing features
• 📱 Mobile app development
• 🌍 Internationalization
• 📊 Analytics enhancements
• 🧪 Testing infrastructure

• API Reference
• Deployment Guide
• Security Rules
• Database Schema
• Development Guide

• ✅ Artist audio players
• ✅ Direct PayPal integration
• ✅ Chronological discovery feed
• ✅ Photo gallery with filters
• ✅ Basic analytics
• ✅ Email verification
• ✅ Collaborator royalty splits
• ✅ Live show integration

• 🔄 API for third-party integrations

• 🔮 iOS app (SwiftUI)
• 🔮 Multi-language support

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

• Built with Vue.js and Firebase
• Photo filters powered by Pixels.js
• Color extraction powered by ColorThief
• Icons by FontAwesome
• Inspired by the independent music community

• 📧 Email: support@4track.io
• 🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
• 📖 Documentation: docs.4track.io