Okay, let's have an honest chat about Web3 and music. Back in 2017 – even before we all started saying "Web3" – I jumped into this new digital world, really excited about what it could mean for artists. Finally, a chance to shake up the old, kinda broken music industry and let musicians actually make a living doing what they love.
But here's the thing I've learned watching things unfold: just the "crypto" crowd isn't going to save the day. We've seen so many cool projects pop up and then fade away because they just weren't connecting with the folks who really love music – you know, the ones digging through Bandcamp, the DJs finding those killer tracks on Beatport, the people who live and breathe music.
Web3 can't just be another playground for making a quick buck with digital stuff. We need to get back to basics and focus on what makes things good for people: making it easy to use, giving real ownership to fans, and creating genuine cultural value that goes way beyond just the price of some token. Think about those projects with cool ideas – Musicoin, Emanate, Audius, and the rest. Great concepts, right? But why hasn't everyone jumped on board? Simple: we haven't brought the real music lovers along for the ride in the right way.
So, how do we fix this? How do we make Web3 music something that actually works for humans?
- Meet People Where They Are: Let's stop trying to force new platforms on everyone. We need to weave Web3 goodness right into the places music fans already hang out online. Imagine Bandcamp with built-in ways to directly support artists with unique digital goodies, or Beatport letting you truly own those tracks you buy.
- Give Real Reasons to Care: Forget complicated crypto talk. Let's offer things that genuinely excite fans: exclusive music you can't get anywhere else, a bigger cut of the money going straight to the artists, and real ways for artists and fans to connect directly, not just through endless social media noise.
- Make the Tech Invisible: Honestly, most people don't care about "NFTs" or "blockchain." They care about getting cool stuff and having awesome experiences. Web3 should be the magic behind the scenes making that happen, not the thing we're constantly trying to sell.
Look, Web3 music is only going to click when the actual music people – the artists, the fans, the folks who've been in the scene forever – are the ones leading the charge. Let's stop trying to sell "crypto" and start sharing the culture we all love.
I've been watching this space since the very beginning, and what I've learned is that we've made some missteps:
- Going Viral Isn't the Same as Building a Family: Chasing those big numbers just brought in people looking to make a quick buck, not build something real with shared passion.
- The Tools Need Heart: We built cool tech, but it often felt cold and empty. We forgot the human connection, the rituals, the things that make a community feel like home.
- Talking Like Robots Doesn't Help: All that "onchain" and "minting" talk just confused people and made them feel like they weren't part of the club.
- Changing Direction All the Time Confuses Everyone: Jumping from one idea to the next just to chase money made us lose sight of why we started in the first place.
- Shouting Loud Doesn't Mean You're Good: We focused too much on who had the most hype, not who was actually making great art.
- Throwing Parties Isn't the Same as Building a Home: We had all these cool events, but forgot to create lasting communities that people wanted to stick around in.
- We Left People Vulnerable: We didn't do enough to protect newcomers from scams, especially the folks we said we wanted to help the most.
- "Decentralized" Didn't Always Mean Fair: Sometimes, it just meant a new group of people got all the power.
- We Kept Forgetting What We Learned: We moved so fast we didn't stop to look back and build on what we'd already done.
So, how do we fix this for real? We need to:
- Build Real Communities: Focus on genuine connection and shared love for music.
- Make Tools That Feel Human: Create experiences that are easy to use and feel like they have a soul.
- Talk Like Normal People: Use clear and simple language that everyone can understand.
- Stick to a Real Vision: Let our core values guide us, not just the potential for profit.
- Support True Artists: Focus on the quality of the music and the people making it.
- Build Lasting Spaces: Create online and offline communities where people want to come back again and again.
- Protect and Educate: Make sure everyone feels safe and understands what's going on.
- Share the Power: Give real say and tools to the communities themselves.
- Remember Our Journey: Learn from the past and build on what we've already created.
Ultimately, Web3 music will only truly shine when it's driven by the love of music and the desire to connect artists and fans in meaningful ways. Let's stop selling the "tech" and start sharing the music and the culture.
What do you think? How can we, as humans who care about music and technology, build this bridge together?
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