I come from a world where NFTs are usually viewed as an interesting, but nebulous, emergent technology. Where phrases like “new revenue stream” and “optimized monetization of assets” are always thrown around once the acronym NFT enters a conversation. Because, after years in the music industry, it is hard to reprogram the voices that have been wired to focus on charts, consumption numbers, market share, gaining audience, building mass appeal, but mostly revenue.

Show me the Money! Community!

It’s hard to separate web3 and NFTs from the gold rush narrative. Headlines in the mainstream press are constantly filled with seven figure numbers, instant sell outs, and the promise of web3 clout and massive revenue for very little effort. This is why my meetings start with one question "Are you open to collect?” followed by 20 minutes of unlearning and education. The goal is to reframe the focus from what this means from an income perspective, and instead focus on what this means for the future of their careers & their community. How suddenly, artists who are developing can make a living from their music, supporters can now also benefit and be rewarded for their efforts, but most of all, how the art is now at the center of the structure and the artist can dictate terms that have never been available before.

When I start my one-on-one meetings I do something very specific but intentional. There is no explanations of structures, smart contract models, or definitions of terms. My first question is about commitment levels. Depending on the artist, it’s a matter of time and sometimes money. I begin here because I don’t want continue the pattern of musicians being led into new technology blindly. Being onboarded with the idea that X platform will be the most important in their career and if they connect with JUST the right people, treasure will come to them. There is a lot of unlearning to be done, and understanding that as new structures are built, tradicional advances paid to artists are actually a detriment, not a bonus of this new world. In web3 the community built around the artist, is the key to long term success. The established community usually welcomes people with open arms, but rewards only those who roll their sleeves up and contribute.

Once expectations are established, and sometimes this takes more than one meeting. I go into my presentation of the basics, which I like to take my time with and explain the concepts thoroughly. I also review some case studies, and look at the long term impact of those drops, because it’s important for artists to see how a secondary market can be the ultimate judge of their success. Selling out a project, is not the end of the story, instead the story is constantly being tracked and built on the blockchain.