Succeeding in music is difficult. There are millions of artists these days with everyone trying their very best to stand out. Big name artists get most of the plays and big high cut labels dominate the charts. Spotify, Soundcloud and Bandcamp are all cramped with artists that make great music but are just never heard. Every single day more musicians join these services making it even more difficult to stand out. Hard work is required to make baby steps in this world but the financial compensation is minimal. However, blockchain could be the solution to these issues.
Light at the end of the tunnel
The current markets are saturated. Even though the listeners are on the mainstream platforms so is the competition. Most of the competition have far more knowledge on music promotion in the existing networks than a small musician has. However, with new technologies come new opportunities.
Similar to when the first MP3 came to market, the current ecosystem is filled with smaller artists. This saves smaller musicians from having to battle the big money labels. Labels and larger artists don't yet bother with the shallow sea that currently is music cryptocurrencies and nether do the masses. However, those that are interested are generally those that love discovering new music and musicians. Combined with only a small amount of competition doesn't this just sound like hitting the jackpot?
Learning about the potential
I surely believed that it did and got started. 20 ICO's alone have happened for blockchain music platforms. Which means that you will have to choose your platform. However, the one that stood out to me was Musicoin. The reason for this was that Musicoin unlike others seemed to make rapid progress through continuous development and testing. Musicoin rewards you with a MUSIC coin for every play (currently worth about 4 cents!) and takes no cuts for itself. For the listeners it is completely free!
So I got started by making an account. When I got through the verification progress I started uploading my songs and we were off to the races (I will explain this process in a later post). While doing I learned great promotional strategies for my songs and soon I was featured in the top plays of the day earning more than 500 coins along the way. I can't say I was leaning back in my chair though, it is definitely hard work at this point. However, I am confident that this start will make my life a lot easier when Musicoin gains more traction. This time I am claiming that head start!
What is next?
On Steemit I will be sharing the progress I make and more importantly the lessons I have learned. I hope that we can mobilize a community of artists that are also enthusiastic for this platform and that we can soon learn together. To maximize, the future benefit of Musicoin for us.
I agree! It is an exciting time for independent musicians and I too am getting good results from musicoin.
Do you happen to have a list of the 20 blockchain based music services you mention? I am putting together a VLOG on how independent musicians can make money and am trying out all the different services.
Thanks and looking forward to more!
Cool idea! That is the support musicians need at the moment! : )
I don't have the exact list sorry! but if you search for it you will find them. They are not hard to find.
Musicoin is also the best service that I have found. dsound.audio is an interesting option, but a little confusing as 10 upvotes can sometimes equal $.30, and sometimes $100.
Dsound indeed is a nice option. it is a lot easier to get discovered on there I feel like. However, musicoin seems more sustainable for a longer term. And the payout is a lot clearer to me too.
It is about to be an exciting journey. Hoping we can all learn from each other along the way. Although I don't make music anymore I still have the passion for helping artists along the way. Keep an eye on some coaching articles I plan on sharing.
Hi cool that we are on the same path. I definitely will. Lets work together and support each other!
Definitely! Let's figure out some good ways to work together.