SIGNAL
Alpha Testing — Closed Access

Be first
on air. Run your station
before anyone else.

Paperweight is a self-hosted broadcast server that turns your creative archive into a 24/7 live station. We're inviting a small group of independent creators to run it on their own hardware before public release. No polish. No hand-holding. Real friction is the point.

Alpha Application
Apply to test
Paperweight v1

We'll review and reach out directly.
No spam. No pitch. Just setup docs and a friction log.

What testers get

Early access.
Direct line.
Real credit.

Alpha testers aren't beta users. You're the people who shape what this becomes. Your friction data informs every decision before public release. We want honest, not enthusiastic.
01
Full v1 build, before anyone else
Access to the complete Paperweight v1 — vault scanner, HLS broadcast, web player, library, creator dashboard. Running on your hardware, for real.
02
Direct access to the founder
Not a support ticket. A direct line. Your friction reports go straight to the person building this. Your feedback changes the product.
03
Named in the v1 release
Alpha testers who stick with it get named in the v1 public release notes. You helped ship this. That's on the record.
04
Early access to v1.5 monetization
Alpha testers get first access to the Paperweight Play monetization layer — subscriber tiers, tip button, download access — when it ships.
05
Your station is the proof of concept
When we launch publicly, real stations are the story. Your station running — your archive, your broadcast, your audience — is what we show the world.
06
Zero-config seeding consideration
Standout alpha stations may receive a pre-configured hardware kit at v2 — Station Kit, no setup required. First look at the seeding program before it's announced.
Who we're looking for
Tester profile

Not everyone.
The right ones.

We're not running a public beta. We want 8–12 creators who will actually run this on real hardware, find real friction, and tell us honestly what breaks. Community depth matters more than follower count.

01
Beatmakers & producers
Underground producers with a real archive. BPM metadata, vault organization, shuffle mode stress test.
3 spots open
02
Independent podcasters
Episode scheduling, audio quality, library browsing. People with a real back-catalog to throw at it.
3 spots open
03
Experimental / underground radio
Edge case content. Anonymous station mode. Ambient streams. The creators who don't fit neatly elsewhere.
2 spots open
04
Indie filmmakers
Video file handling, mixed media vault, the people who will immediately try to break the video pipeline.
2 spots open
05
Self-hosting / tech community
Setup process, config edge cases, hardware variety. At least one tester who has never self-hosted anything.
2 spots open
How alpha testing works
01
Apply
Fill out the form. We review personally and reach out within a week.
02
Get the build
Setup guide + the v1 build. You install it on your own hardware, no help from us.
03
Run it. Break it.
4–6 weeks of real use. Log friction as you hit it. Don't filter. Honest is what we need.
04
Shape v1
Your logs inform the final build. You're named in the release. Public launch follows.
"
The creator owns the server.
The audience comes to them.

The Paperweight philosophy

Still reading? That's a good sign.

Your station
is waiting.

Drop your email and we'll reach out when we're ready to bring you in. No commitment. No timeline pressure. Just first in line when the door opens.

We don't sell data. We barely have a database.