The future of music is on-chain: A conversation with a TokenTraxx co-founder

TommyD is an award-winning music producer from Britain who has labored with Kanye West, Jay Z, Adele, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Emeli Sande and lots of extra. He bought into blockchain in 2016 and “fell in love with the tech ideas and the underlying philosophy of decentralization.” 

However he admitted he didn’t see the appropriate interception of the tech and music industries on the time. It was when nonfungible tokens (NFT) gained their momentum when he realized the true potential this expertise may deliver to artists. In 2021, he co-founded Token||Traxx, an NFT market for musicians.

Tommy, you’ve bought spectacular expertise within the music trade. When and why did you get into the blockchain area?

I’ve been lucky to have labored with some superb artists, from Kanye to Kylie, and I’m an artist myself. We’re all the identical in that we’re in search of acceptance and assist from the communities that get pleasure from our work.

I’ve at all times been fascinated by creativity and collaboration all through my profession in music, and I discovered that very same vitality within the blockchain area.

After I realized about blockchain expertise, I couldn’t see how the transparency and windfall supplied by blockchain expertise would sit with the normal trade, which, to be trustworthy, is constructed partly on controlling the cash that is caught within the pipelines of royalty distribution.

After which NFTs got here alongside, and that was the reply. Having the ability to apply windfall and transparency to a singular idea, a music, monitor, VIP expertise, means music creators can hook up with their fan base straight on a a lot deeper stage, constructing new ideas of worth into that relationship. And collectors can, for the primary time, commerce that worth, so it’s a win for each side.

Why did you resolve to launch Token||Traxx? Inform us about its creation.

The music streaming trade is a present for the followers, with extra music than anybody will be capable to hearken to of their lifetime, however sadly, the way in which it’s arrange isn’t financially favorable to music creators.

I had a sense that there have been alternatives for music and blockchain, however I didn’t see something available in the market that used blockchain that I felt revered the ideas round music discovery and adoption. So, I made a decision to construct an organization that places music worth first and crypto worth second. That’s not a knock to tech, I like tech, however typically tech individuals don’t perceive the intrinsic idea of why anybody in the true world wants their product!

I’m joined by Miles Leonard, who’s a former chairman and CEO of Warners and EMI. He’s helped develop the careers of Coldplay, Gorillaz, Radiohead and lots of different artists. We’ve each been working with music creators for 25 years. We perceive them, communicate their language and know their ache factors. Token||Traxx may help them develop a Web3 technique to take their music to the subsequent stage.

What’s Token||Traxx’s enterprise mannequin?

Our mannequin rests on choosing the perfect artists who’re prepared to offer their fanbase with an entire new musical expertise pushed by blockchain and NFTs. These music creators are supported by our staff to ensure we get the absolute best marketing campaign executed over an prolonged time period, and we do see it as a marketing campaign. We’re not into creators simply coming in and doing a money seize. We speak in six- to 12-month cycles. The crypto neighborhood should not silly. For those who come into their area, you’ll want to are available in with respect, creativeness and dedication.

This actually is the longer term. I noticed it with the web, the iPhone and streaming. When tech delivers a brand new, cleaner, extra intuitive expertise, it’s only a matter of time earlier than the plenty cotton on.

Proper now, a music creator actually wants a Web3 technique, and as alien as which may appear to them now, it was no completely different when speaking to artists 15 years in the past about their streaming technique.

I wish to develop this blockchain area, I’m a agency believer, and the one method to do this is thru training and, in the end, success. It’s a fairly simple play to get a creator to onboard into Web3. I imply, who doesn’t need further money? However the creators have to promote it to their fan base, which is a a lot more durable play. Why does a fan want an NFT, and why does the NFT collector need your NFT? Token||Traxx has the staff and technique to do that.

What plans and updates does Token||Traxx have for the close to future?

What we’re launching with is simply the beginning. We’re a tech firm that appears to innovate throughout each side of how we have interaction with music. There are such a lot of areas, like at-source information assortment, music registration, conventional royalty funds, direct on-chain funds, and so on. In 10 years’ time, I see a world the place increasingly more industries that use music can be on-chain, and this can facilitate micropayments on to the music creators.

We’ve bought a superb innovation staff, and on daily basis, we take a look at each state of affairs in music, dissect it, after which assume how it may be made higher.

We begin with a quite simple idea, the three Cs — creators, curators and collectors — the gorgeous relationship between those that create music, those that curate and funnel that selection, and those that gather and love music. What do they need? What do they want? Let’s construct it!

What are your ideas on the creator economic system?

It’s a buzzword for thus many issues. The underside line is that we have to pay creators correctly! We’re caught in an historic world the place industries sprung as much as facilitate the distribution of arduous copies, like vinyl and CD, siphoning off cash at each flip. That system is gone; digital makes all of it really easy, however creators are nonetheless ruled by that previous system, so it’s tousled. When music creators obtain 12% of the cash generated by their music, then one thing isn’t proper with that system. Change is coming.

After the unimaginable curiosity in NFTs we noticed final yr, it appears just like the momentum has been dropping its spike these previous few months. What do you assume, is the true future for nonfungible tokens?

Those who know crypto understand it’s the calm earlier than the storm. I’m tremendous bullish in the long run. It’s the future. TokenTraxx is long-term. We’ll climate any storm as a result of we’ve an amazing staff and nice traders. Get on it and begin constructing.