Blockchain Basics and The Birth of the Middle Class Musician
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Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies can be very hard and confusing to understand. A lot of people find it so difficult they just decide it is not for them and move on with their lives. The unfortunate part of this is that they are missing out on the benefits of the technology. While most people might not be ready for the power that the blockchain brings there is a certain group of society that is very hungry for this exciting change that is happening.
The Musicians
Musicians spend years of their life developing their craft. They pour everything they have into trying to make the best music and art that they can. Most not even motivated by the dreams of making money but just simply because they feel the urge to make music just as much as they need to eat, sleep or breath. It is just something people are compelled to do. Unfortunately for so long throughout history it has been very difficult for them to make a living doing it. So now we have the society perception of a failed musician working at a fast food restaurant because their band never hit it big. Or maybe their band did hit it big but all the men in the middle made all the profit while the artist saw very little if anything in return. More often than not being left in debt to a record company for even trying to chase their dreams. Thanks to a wonderful new technology called the blockchain were at the beginning of a new era.
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The word Blockchain can be confusing and cause people to get all sorts of mental images in their mind about what it even is. It can be a hard concept to grasp but at the end of the day it is nothing more than trusted record keeping. The magical part though is that it allows all sorts of things to be done that were never possible before until now. It is causing some of the brightest minds to create life changing technology. You don't need to understand how the internet works to be able to enjoy looking at cat pictures on instagram and you don't need to know how blockchain works to benefit from it. It is going to keep rapidly changing and improving over time and more more people will be joining the revolution. If you are a Steemit users then you are already getting yourself familiar with that power. If you are reading this and have not signed up for Steemit then I encourage you to go ahead and take the leap. It does not cost you anything and just might have some fun and enjoy exploring this new social media.
The birth of the Middle Class Musician
Musicians that decide to take the leap of faith into this new world have so much to gain and will be able to start themselves on a path of actually living out their dreams. You will see more and more of them be able to empower themselves and finally live their dreams as a full time musician. Those there are willing to dive in will need help and I encourage anyone with the knowledge to help them to do whatever they can to make things more clear and approachable.
There are already people doing lots of great work on this site.
@heymattsokol is woking on a musicians guide to steemit.
https://steemit.com/@heymattsokol
He was recently interviewed by @sndbox
https://steemit.com/@sndbox
you should check them out there are also doing amazing things.
open mic is a great way to hear new artists
https://steemit.com/trending/openmic
So if you can contribute to the education of musicians then get started now. What are you waiting for? Music will help take blockchain to the mainstream just like Napster helped to bring attention to peer to peer online file sharing.
There are plenty music projects to explore outside of Steemit and I will start diving into those and posting about them here. It would be awesome if we had a way to tag blockchain music most that are meant to help musicians. If there is something like that already being used then please let me know. For know I will use music-chain to help make this stuff easier to categorize. Thanks for reading and please add any add all resources for people to check out.
Thanks for this post. I like seeing this. I'm an older musician (58, not that old) who has made his way 40 years-ish as a pro musician. In our history music was confiscated by the deep state In fact, it's been used against us since the get-go. I had great results at mp3.com until it was bought out, but it was the first big level playing field in my day. I had 4 songs go to #1. But it didn't last long until it was bought up :-) So the idea of another level playing field really appeals to me. Now, the question is, is there anybody that wants to listen anymore? :-) and to talent verses electronics? I hope so. I'm doing hours of it live. Here is a taste https://steemit.com/music/@markaustin/original-live-jam-8
here is a playlist about music industry infiltration or pysop
Wow man I had completely forgot about mp3.com. That is awesome you had 4 number 1 songs. Yeah the beauty of what will happen with this change is that the big record companies can't just come buy up these new blockchain services. It is going to have to force them to innovate or be let behind.
As far as listeners go they are still out there. You know just as well as any of us that trends come and go. Electronic music is definitely been having its moment. I think there is still a place for talent and by watching you video I can tell you have it. So I wish you continued success on Steemit and hope you are able to use other blockchains to your advantage as they become more user friendly.
man thanks brother, those words are so inspiring and that's what I hope to see and do see too! And your right this a whole new level of artist/listener relationship potential, free from interference of any kind.
Yea 4 #1's with this cool band
Well said!!
As a musician and promoter of independent musicians I have embraced the blockchain whole heartedly and am constantly inviting more and more of my contacts in the music industry to get on board.
It is a hard sell sometimes because as you say it can seem a bit daunting.
That's why I created a video series - How To Earn Money As An Independent Musician to try and explain it in layman's terms.
2018 really feels like it is the start of a revolution for musicians and my dream is to see all independent artists make a living from their music through sites like this.
Looking forward to reading more from you and thanks for the upvote on my recent track.
Best Buy no longer selling CD’s.... which seems years overdue!! Everyone must adapt to changing technology. Love your content and contributions to the cause!
Because no one wants to pay for music anymore when you can get it for free. There will still be the die hard collectors that purchase vinyl but beyond that people are just not gonna keep paying. Blockchains like Steem, EOS and Muse will help fund artists that deserve to be paid for their hard work.
Indeed it will. Micropayments are the way forward for musicians!
It will also just be the shift of power from the old guys in suits just looking for profits to the well informed blockchain supporters. The music industry will look very different in 5 years.