README mission statement glow-up

README.md

@@ -1,10 +1,24 @@
-[![CI](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE) ![Node 18+](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-18%2B-brightgreen) [![PRs Welcome](https://img.shields.io/badge/PRs-welcome-brightgreen.svg)](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/pulls)
+[![CI](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/actions/workflows/ci.yml) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE) ![Node 18+](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-18%2B-brightgreen) [![PRs Welcome](https://img.shields.io/badge/PRs-welcome-brightgreen.svg)](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/pulls) [![Sponsor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Sponsor-%E2%9D%A4-pink?logo=github)](https://github.com/sponsors/msitarzewski)
+
+<div align="center">
+<img src="docs/screenshots/studio.png" alt="OpenStudio broadcast interface" width="720">
+</div>
 
 # OpenStudio
 
-> Live radio studio in your browser. No accounts. No cloud. 50KB.
+> Your voice. Your frequency. No permission required.
 
-[Try the Live Demo](https://openstudio.zerologic.com) · [Report Bug](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/issues)
+[Try the Live Demo](https://openstudio.zerologic.com) · [Report Bug](https://github.com/msitarzewski/openstudio/issues) · [Sponsor](https://github.com/sponsors/msitarzewski)
+
+---
+
+Somewhere right now, a community radio host is calculating whether they can afford another month of their streaming platform. A podcast collective just lost their entire archive because a service shut down. An independent voice got silenced — not by censorship, but by a credit card expiration.
+
+OpenStudio exists because broadcasting should not require permission. No account creation. No monthly invoice. No terms of service between you and your audience. You clone a repo, you start broadcasting. Your station runs on your hardware. Your audio never touches a server you don't control.
+
+This is a broadcast studio built the way radio was meant to work — direct, unmediated, yours. Vanilla JavaScript. Web Audio API. No framework, no build step, no dependency you didn't choose. Self-host it on a Raspberry Pi, a $5 VPS, a closet server at the back of your hackerspace. The entire client is under 50KB. If you can run Node, you can run a station — rent free.
+
+Connect guests over WebRTC mesh. Mix-minus gives every participant broadcast-quality monitoring — the same technique used in professional studios, now running in a browser tab. Stream to unlimited listeners through Icecast. Record every voice on its own track for post-production. No platform stands between your signal and the world.
 
 ---
 
@@ -34,7 +48,7 @@ One command. One process. One port.
 
 ```
 ┌─────────┐    WebRTC Mesh    ┌─────────┐
-│ Host A  │◄────────────────►│ Host B  │
+│  Host   │◄────────────────►│ Caller  │
 └────┬────┘                   └────┬────┘
      │          ┌─────────┐        │
      └──────────│Signaling│────────┘
@@ -53,29 +67,29 @@ One command. One process. One port.
               └─────────────┘
 ```
 
-Each participant gets a personalized audio mix that excludes their own voice — no echo, no feedback, broadcast-quality audio in the browser.
+Mix-minus is a broadcast engineering standard — each participant hears everyone except themselves. No echo, no feedback. Professional studios have done this with hardware for decades. OpenStudio does it in the browser with the Web Audio API.
 
 ## Features
 
 - **WebRTC mesh** — peer-to-peer audio, no media server
-- **Mix-minus** — each caller hears everyone except themselves
-- **Per-participant controls** — individual gain, mute, level meters
-- **Multi-track recording** — per-participant WAV + program mix
-- **Icecast streaming** — broadcast to unlimited listeners
-- **Role-based access** — host, ops, guest with permission controls
-- **Zero dependencies** — vanilla JS, Web Audio API, no framework
+- **Mix-minus monitoring** — broadcast-standard audio routing, in the browser
+- **Per-participant controls** — individual gain, mute, live level meters
+- **Multi-track recording** — per-voice WAV tracks + program mix for post-production
+- **Icecast streaming** — broadcast to unlimited listeners, no audience cap
+- **Role-based access** — host, engineer, caller with scoped permissions
+- **Zero dependencies** — vanilla JS, Web Audio API, no framework, no build step
 - **Safari compatible** — WebSocket streaming fallback
 
 ## Try It
 
 1. Open **[openstudio.zerologic.com](https://openstudio.zerologic.com)**
-2. Enter a station name and click **Start Session**
+2. Enter a station name and click **Start Broadcast**
 3. Allow microphone access when prompted
-4. Share the invite URL with a friend (or open it in a second browser tab)
+4. Share the invite URL with a co-host (or open it in a second browser tab)
 5. Talk — you'll hear each other with zero echo thanks to mix-minus
-6. Hit **Record** to capture per-participant tracks, then **Download** when done
+6. Hit **Record** to capture per-voice tracks, then **Download** when done
 
-Rooms auto-expire after 15 minutes on the demo. Self-host for unlimited sessions.
+Broadcasts auto-expire after 15 minutes on the demo. Self-host for unlimited airtime.
 
 ## Architecture
 
@@ -116,12 +130,16 @@ PRs welcome! Please read the existing code before contributing — the codebase
 4. Push to the branch
 5. Open a Pull Request
 
+## Sponsor
+
+OpenStudio is free, open-source, and built by independent developers. If it's useful to you, [sponsor the project on GitHub](https://github.com/sponsors/msitarzewski) to keep it that way.
+
 ## License
 
 [MIT](LICENSE) — use it however you want.
 
 ---
 
 <div align="center">
-<strong>Own your voice. Control your broadcast.</strong>
+<em>talk hard.</em>
 </div>