The Cryptoverse really has something for everyone, and the latest thing I've stumbled upon is Musicoin. It's far from a perfect streaming service, but the steps it has taken to set itself apart from the big names like Spotify and Soundcloud have really got me interested.
For those of you that don't know, Musicoin is a blockchain based music streaming service that, in true nature of a blockchain, boasts transparent payment options for both users and artists. It's not as easy to use or accessible as it should be right now, but I have high hopes that this platform will see mass adoption in the next few years, and is well worth the investment now. Initially, users can listen for free but artists are still paid in full. I'm excited to see how this pans out with more and more users.
A little background about me;
My name is Patrick Heaton and I have a degree in Audio Engineering. I've been recording, mixing and managing band's for over 3 years now, and I know exactly what I look for in a streaming service. Audio quality, user accessibility and platform performance are the 3 main indicators if a service is going to waste my time or not.
Currently, to have your music on Spotify or any mainstream platform you need to work through a third party like TuneCore or CDBaby. Musicoin eliminates the need for a third party, making the market for online music distribution a whole lot more user accessible.
I'll be going through this guide with the music from my band Joy In Motion.
Pros
The main entry in the Pro's column for Musicoin is obviously the transparency it offers to artists and users. You know EXACTLY where your money is going, and where it's coming from. This allows artists to follow and interact with people who are actually fans of their music, and not have to waste time figuring out who likes what and how to get your music out there.
Being a blockchain, the system is also secure to know you won't be hacked, having your money or music stolen.
Cons
Now there is a lot to be desired with the Musicoin platform. The main issue I have with it, is you need coins to start listening to music. For the new user experience, this sends off a negative message straight away, giving me no option to actually test out the platform without putting my money straight into it. If they implement a free 100 coins delegated to every new account, I think the system would gain a lot of traction.
The absence of a mobile platform is also a massive negative mark over Musicoin's name. Normal users will hardly ever listen to music on their main computers, so a mobile app is going to be an essential tool for Musicoin to become a mainstream service.
Aside from that, the only other negative for me personally is the user interface is slow and hard to navigate (it also leaves a lot to be desired visually). However, with a few changes the service could be a really strong competition to Spotify and Soundcloud.
How To Set Up Your Account
Setting up your account is an incredibly simple process. All you do is input your information into the sign up box, then click "Get Code". This will send you a unique code that you need to sign up to the service. As a side note, I'm not really sure why this is a requirement. Seems like its another barrier that 90% of users will give up at.
Uploading Your Music
Once you've set up an account, you can upload your music. Musicoin currently only accepts .mp3 format files, which in my opinion really isn't good enough. Once .wav format is made standard, I will be a lot more interested in the format. (the difference between .wav and .mp3 may be subtle, but to the trained ear it's like night and day. The compression that .mp3 adds to the file actually plays a big part in the listening process)
Click on the cloud with the upload symbol in the top right of the screen, and you'll be taken to the upload page.
Just click on the big upload button and select your track. The "exclusive rights" checkbox is super important, and I'm glad they included it, because if they didn't, it would fly in the whole face of what they're trying to do.
Next, you'll be taken to a track details page, where you can enter the track title, artwork, metadata and description. Uploading artwork for your track is essential to having it noticed, users interact with professional artwork frequently, as opposed to a picture drawn on MS Paint. Make sure you add a description for your track that people will read and get excited by. Sell your music, you need to make people want it.
After this, you'll be taken to a release page, with the pay per license information. You can choose to have the payment distributed between people who own the license for the track, which is a really nice touch.
Once you click release, you're done!
Your .mp3 file will be sent to the blockchain to be verified, and then it'll appear on Musicoin in the next few minutes.
Streaming
Oops, I have another complaint. You can't listen to your own music without paying for it. How am I supposed to check if the track works or not?
This really needs to be fixed, I even though I'll get my coins back by listening to my own music, I need coins in there initially to do that. (A free initial coin system would fix this!)
The UI does look very good I must admit.
(As a side note, you can get verified and therefore eligible for free plays, but I'm working on a separate guide for that!
Overall Impressions
I love the idea of Musicoin, and the intial implementation has laid a strong foundation for me. Only time will tell if it can become a legitimate platform for music streaming, but I believe once it becomes easily accessible for everyone (and there's a mobile app) it will be a great way to release your music!
If you're an artist or just a fan of music, sign up and trying it out!
Follow Joy In Motion and check out our songs for extra points ;)
Use this link to sign up! ---> https://musicoin.org/accept/fee47d97 <---
Upvote and Resteem for Australian Music!
