X-Files: Upgrades, Improvements, and Staying True to CommonX
As CommonX continues to grow, we’re making thoughtful improvements behind the scenes—while staying true to our blue-collar roots and commitment to open conversation.
Graphic announcing upgrades and improvements at the CommonX Podcast while staying true to its blue-collar roots and open conversations
As CommonX has grown, so has the community around it—listeners, guests, artists, thinkers, and everyday people who care about honest conversation. With that growth come a few behind-the-scenes improvements. We want to take a moment to explain what’s changing, what isn’t, and most importantly, what CommonX will always be.
Growth brings structure—not control
CommonX started the way a lot of blue-collar projects do: two people, a microphone, and a willingness to have real conversations without polish or pretense.
As the show has grown, the volume of messages, guest inquiries, and coordination has grown with it. Adding a bit of structure helps us stay organized, responsive, and respectful of everyone’s time—especially our guests and our audience.
That’s where support roles come in.
What hasn’t changed
Let’s be clear about this, because it matters.
The conversations are still unscripted
Topics are still driven by curiosity, not approval
No one is filtering viewpoints
No one is censoring discussions
No one is “cleaning up” the show
What happens in the studio is exactly what it has always been: open, honest, sometimes messy, and always human.
Ian and Jared are still the hosts. They still shape the conversations. They still read messages, engage with listeners, and care deeply about the people who show up for this show week after week.
What has improved
Support and coordination don’t exist to lock things down—they exist to keep things running smoothly.
Having help with scheduling and communication allows the hosts to focus on what matters most:
showing up prepared
being present with guests
and keeping the conversations real
It also helps prevent burnout, which is one of the fastest ways authenticity disappears from creative work.
A blue-collar show at heart
CommonX has never been about polish, spin, or gatekeeping. It’s a blue-collar podcast in the truest sense—built on showing up, doing the work, and respecting people.
That includes:
fans who send thoughtful messages
listeners who disagree respectfully
guests who trust us with their stories
Growth doesn’t mean selling out.
Growth doesn’t mean distancing ourselves.
Growth doesn’t mean changing who we are.
It means protecting the conditions that allow CommonX to stay honest and accessible as it continues to grow.
Still the same CommonX
We’re grateful for the trust our audience places in us, and we don’t take that lightly. These upgrades aren’t about control—they’re about care. Not about restriction—but sustainability. Not about locking things down—but keeping the doors open the right way.
Still curious.
Still human.
Still blue collar.
— Jared & Ian CommonX Podcast
CommonX Podcast Departs Spotify as Hosting Platform
CommonX Podcast has officially ended its relationship with Spotify as a hosting platform.
This decision wasn’t driven by outrage or trend-chasing. It was driven by alignment.
As a platform built to amplify artists, musicians, and independent voices, we refuse to allow our work to be exploited in ways that conflict with our values — whether that means contributing to systems that underpay creators, silence artists, or normalize industries that profit from war and human suffering.
Culture should never be collateral damage.
Art should never be disposable.
And creators should never be treated as fuel for algorithms.
We choose culture over convenience.
Curb Fail Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The CommonX Podcast has formally ended its relationship with Spotify as a hosting platform.
This decision reflects a values-based choice.
CommonX was created to amplify human voices — artists, musicians, thinkers, and everyday people — not to exist as a passive asset within systems that creators increasingly feel exploit, suppress, or disregard them.
After becoming informed of serious and growing concerns regarding Spotify’s treatment of artists, the erosion of creator trust, and ethical questions surrounding the platform’s leadership and broader financial interests, we concluded that our work should no longer be hosted there.
To be unequivocally clear:
CommonX Podcast will not be exploited to fund war, normalize violence, or indirectly support industries that profit from human suffering. Nor will our platform participate in systems that silence, penalize, or algorithmically suppress artists and independent voices.
While Spotify as a company may not directly engage in warfare or censorship, the values signaled by leadership decisions and platform behavior matter — especially in creative spaces built on expression, dissent, and culture.
We believe artists deserve:
Fair treatment and transparency
Protection from arbitrary removal or suppression
Platforms that respect creativity as human, not disposable
This is not an act of outrage. This is not performative virtue.
It is a refusal to be complicit.
CommonX will continue publishing on platforms that align with our belief that culture should never be collateral damage, and that art should never be reduced to an algorithmic resource.
We invite listeners to follow us directly through our website and supported platforms as we continue building an independent, human-first media space.
Culture doesn’t survive on convenience alone. It survives on conscience.
— Ian Primmer & Jared Mayzak
Co-Hosts, CommonX Podcast
A Gen-X Media Platform