The Origin
Arbiem was founded by Rafi Barides, a singer-songwriter and software engineer, to address a gap in the modern music ecosystem. As an independent artist, Barides observed that many expressive tools essential to building an artist's narrative were reserved for artists signed to major labels.
The Problem with Traditional Streaming
Features like motion artwork, advanced synced lyrics with background vocals, and animated profile visuals—while framed as premium—play a critical role in storytelling and audience connection. Yet these tools remain inaccessible to most independent musicians.
"These features, while framed as premium, play a critical role in storytelling and audience connection, yet remain inaccessible to most independent musicians."
ARBIEM: A Response to Industry Imbalance
ARBIEM was created as a response to that imbalance. The platform's mission is to empower artists by giving them access to the same creative and technical features traditionally gatekept by the industry—allowing them to fully present their work and identity on their own terms.
For the Listeners
For listeners, ARBIEM offers a way to discover and support local and emerging talent early, listen without ads, and re-engage with music as a community-driven experience rather than a purely algorithmic one.
About the Founder
Rafi Barides, who has released multiple projects including Rags to Rags and Storm Before the Storm, serves as the Founder and CEO of Arbiem—a community-focused streaming platform available on the App Store.
In addition to his work as a musician, he studied computer science and built the platform as a solo project, developing the mobile app with React Native, along with the website and supporting infrastructure.
What is ARBIEM?
ARBIEM is a community-focused music streaming platform founded by singer-songwriter and software engineer Rafi Barides. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Arbiem empowers independent artists with professional-grade features like motion artwork, synced lyrics, and animated profiles—tools traditionally reserved for major label artists. The platform offers listeners an ad-free, algorithm-free way to discover and support emerging talent directly.