One year and 5,000 users later, Toby, a music app, has become a popular fixture for many. With 700 artists on the platform and a growing number of users every day, the stage is set for the Assyrian heritage to live on for generations to come.
Today, artists of Assyrian descent are frequently streamed on platforms like Spotify. But according to Tobil De Basso (one of the founders of Toby Audio), far from everyone is receiving a fair share of the revenue. Spotify uses a so-called pro-rata model. This means that the streaming service keeps a portion of the revenue, while the rest is distributed among rights holders, often through several intermediaries before the money reaches the artist.
When we ask Tobil from Toby App Production why it’s so important to create a platform that promotes Assyrian artists, the answer is clear.
“This system favors top artists who generate massive streaming volumes. It puts artists with smaller but loyal fan bases at a disadvantage, since listeners’ money doesn’t go directly to the artists they’re actually listening to. That’s exactly why we wanted to create a platform like Toby,” Tobil says emphatically.
“This was our ‘why.’ We saw a gap that needed to be filled, and we decided to step into that role,” he says.
Over the past year, Tobil has worked with a dedicated team to develop a music app focused on Assyrian music.
But the road to get there hasn't been without its challenges. When we ask him about the setbacks, he replies:
– The company is funded by internal capital, which has left us with limited resources—a challenge in itself. At the same time, high expectations are placed on us, as we aim to create something that resonates with our people in a society where expectations are high. Furthermore, since we are growing organically, we must constantly stay relevant, especially in the tech world where developments move very quickly.
Where do you see yourselves in five years?
“Our goal is that whenever you, as an Assyrian, want to dance, go to a wedding, or cook at home, we want Toby to be the first thing you turn to when you want to listen to music. Our goal is to become a major player—the obvious choice in Assyrian households,” he says, with a clear vision for the future.
With growing curiosity, we asked Tobil what had kicked off the journey.
– It was actually my dad’s idea, but I decided to put it into action and make it happen. I became more and more curious about where I came from and started asking myself, “Who am I?” Especially when people would ask me what Assyrians were.
He described an identity issue that many Assyrians could relate to: the feeling of searching for one’s place and home in a world where one could sometimes feel like a stranger, no matter the country.
When we asked him about his favorite song, he replied:
– One of my personal favorites is “Foreigner in Any Country” by Ogin Betsamo.
A song about the feeling of not belonging anywhere, even though you live in different countries. A common feeling that reflects the diaspora in which Assyrians live today.
– Do you have any final thoughts you’d like our readers to take away from this interview?
– What I hope they’ll take away from this is that we Assyrians and Syrians are the architects of our own destiny; as a people, we have a duty to support one another so that we can continue to thrive. If you see people who are passionate about our culture and working to keep it alive, support them. Without a support system, it becomes very difficult to pursue ideas and develop them.
As we wrap up the interview, it’s clear that Toby isn’t just an app, but also an answer to a question of identity that began long before it was created—something that can provide us with an answer when, just like Toby, we ask ourselves, “Who am I?”
