About Alter

The Problem

We live in an age of infinite choice and zero attention. Algorithms feed us more of what we already know. We scroll past thousands of songs, committing to none. Music—once a portal to transcendence—has become background noise.

We've forgotten how to listen.

The Practice

Alter is a daily ritual. Each day, you receive one piece of music—selected for you by someone whose ears you trust. An artist. A thinker. A curator of attention.

You don't know what the song is. You don't know who chose it. You simply press play, close your eyes, and listen.

When the music ends, you're invited to record what you noticed. A feeling. A memory. A question that surfaced. This is your reflection—private, unpolished, real.

Only then do you discover the song, the selector, and what they noticed. Two perspectives on the same sound. Two humans, connected through attention.

The Philosophy

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust

Alter is built on a simple belief: attention is the rarest resource we have. Where we place our attention shapes who we become.

We don't believe in more content. We believe in less—but better. One song, fully heard, is worth a thousand skipped tracks.

We don't believe in algorithms. We believe in humans selecting for humans. There's wisdom in curation that no machine can replicate.

We don't believe in passive consumption. We believe in active engagement. Listening is not hearing. Listening is presence.

The Name

Alter means "to change." It's also the root of alternative—another way.

We chose it because that's what this practice does. It alters your day. It offers an alternative to the noise. It changes how you hear the world.

The Team

Alter was created by a small team who believe technology should deepen human experience, not dilute it.

We're musicians, designers, and builders who got tired of the attention economy extracting our presence. We built the tool we wished existed.

We're based in Los Angeles, but our selectors span the globe.