Aftermath Media case study · 2020–2025
We built and ran the platform behind 12,000+ members.
Launching paid content or fixing a membership site that has become hard to run? Bring Rovidx the access, playback and publishing problems you need solved. We built and operated Aftermath’s platform from 2020–2025: a membership business with thousands of archived episodes, creator publishing tools and 12,000+ total members by the end of the project.
- WordPress
- MemberPress
- Custom PHP
- Next.js
- Media libraries
- Partner portal
The scale behind the membership experience.
Membership access, catalogue navigation and creator uploads had to work across a substantial media operation. These figures show what sat behind the member portal.
12,000+ total members
Aftermath reached 12,000+ total members by the end of the project, supported by the platform Rovidx built and operated.
129,302 completed transactions
Completed subscription transactions recorded during 2020–2023, including repeat renewals. This is a measure of payment activity across the membership system.
4,077 podcast episodes
The Aftermath archive included 2,082 episodes of Ground Zero and 1,131 episodes of The Secret Teachings within its wider podcast catalogue.
2,436 montage and audio clips
The Aftermath library also included 173 public-domain films and 18 webinars, bringing several content formats into the membership offer.
Archive counts are from the March 2024 project inventory. The membership total reflects the end of the project; app analytics cover their displayed period.
Bring us the part that is holding you back.
A MemberPress problem. A custom integration. A player that stops when someone changes pages. A member portal your business has outgrown. Bring the specific problem to Rovidx. We’ll look at your existing setup and agree on what needs to change before development starts.
Paying members need access that works and content they can use.
A subscription starts a relationship that continues every time a member logs in, finds an episode or presses play.
Aftermath needed recurring payments, membership access and a growing media archive to work together.
Show staff also needed a way to publish and see their reports.
Our job was to build those connections and handle the technical operation around them.
- Connect recurring payments to membership access.
- Keep audio playing as members browse the portal.
- Bring audio, video and documents into the member experience.
- Give creators upload tools through their existing accounts.
What we built, and why it mattered.
01
A path from payment to member access
We used WordPress and MemberPress for the membership system, then added custom PHP functionality around the way the platform worked. Membership rules, content access and integrations could be addressed together by the team operating the service.
02
Keep listening while you browse
We built a Next.js member portal with persistent audio playback. Members could move between pages while their audio continued, making browsing the archive part of the listening experience.
03
Put the back catalogue to work
Aftermath’s March 2024 inventory included 2,082 Ground Zero episodes and 1,131 episodes of The Secret Teachings within its 4,077-episode podcast archive. Audio, video and document libraries gave members a place to explore that catalogue, with persistent audio playback as they browsed.
04
Give creators a way to publish
Show staff could upload commercial-free episodes through a partner portal using their existing Aftermath accounts. Monthly reporting gave them a view of their activity and earnings. Publishing tools and member access were part of the same operating system.
05
An 11-show radio network alongside the membership site
The separate Ground Zero Radio catalogue listed 11 shows and 2,023 podcast episodes in the March 2024 inventory. Its website imported creators’ RSS feeds and played audio from their existing podcast hosts, preserving the creators’ download statistics and advertising arrangements.
06
Web, Apple, Google and Alexa access
The distribution setup included Aftermath on Apple and Google, plus Ground Zero Radio on Apple, Google and Alexa. The operating work connected website publishing, app distribution and commercial-free partner uploads. Mobile apps used third-party tooling alongside the custom web platforms.
Keep the membership backend. Build the experience around it.
For Aftermath, we retained WordPress and MemberPress as the backend while introducing the Next.js frontend. This diagram reconstructs the system as it evolved during 2020–2025. Mobile applications used third-party app tooling.
01
Creators publish
Show staff upload episodes through the partner portal.
02
Memberships and access
WordPress, MemberPress and custom PHP connect accounts, access and content.
03
Members listen and browse
The Next.js portal brings playback and media libraries together.
Then reaches
Audio archive
Video library
Document library
Mobile access
For Aftermath, we retained WordPress and MemberPress as the backend while introducing the Next.js frontend. This diagram reconstructs the system as it evolved during 2020–2025. Mobile applications used third-party app tooling.
The work continued as the business evolved.
Our responsibility covered the connections between accounts, content, hosting and publishing. These dated project records show the decisions and operating work behind the platform.
| Area | Implemented behavior |
|---|---|
| Jul 2023 | Hosting correspondence described moving the frontend to Next.js while retaining the WordPress backend on WP Engine. |
| Jul–Aug 2023 | Host updates documented live partner uploads, use of existing Aftermath accounts and a new monthly reporting section. |
| Sep 2023 | Hosting correspondence recorded the team’s decision to use AWS Amplify for usage-based hosting. |
| Oct–Dec 2023 | Operational messages referenced the player frontend and explained the separate website, mobile and partner-upload publishing paths. |
Selected views
Aftermath Media’s app recorded 969 downloads from August 27, 2023 to February 23, 2024. Cropped from App Store Connect. These are app downloads, separate from podcast downloads and memberships.Open full-size screenshot (opens in a new tab)
Technical highlights
- Custom PHP functionality around WordPress and MemberPress.
- A Next.js portal connected to the existing WordPress backend.
- Audio playback that continues while members browse.
- Podcast archives, audio clips, films, webinars and document libraries in one member experience.
- Creator uploads through existing member accounts.
- Technical operations across hosting, integrations and ongoing support.
Hire the developer who had to keep the platform running.
Work directly with Rob Davenport, who led Aftermath’s development and technical operations alongside the operating team and technology providers.
His work covered the connections between member payments, a catalogue of thousands of episodes, continuous listening and creator publishing.
Bring Rovidx in for a specific WordPress fix, an archive or portal project, an integration or the wider platform.
We’ll define the work around your existing setup and the result you need.
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Next step
Let’s get your membership platform working for your business.
Need to bring an archive into a member portal, connect payments to content access or give creators a better way to publish? Tell Rob where your current system is holding you back. We’ll discuss your setup, the outcome you need and the scope before you commit to development.
Work directly with Rob Davenport, Co-Founder & CTO.