Recently, Heno approached me with a problem he was facing while trying to use the airdrop feature on Decent.xyz. He had a CSV file of his backers from Sound, but it wasn’t working with Decent’s CSV Airdrop tool, making it impossible for him to distribute his latest music nfts. I was able to help Heno resolve this issue and successfully use the airdrop feature. In this article, I'll discuss the technical challenges Heno faced and the steps I took to resolve them. I’ll end by posing a question on how we can make this easier for more musicians who follow in Heno’s footsteps.

When Heno approached me with his problem, I first recreated the bug by uploading the CSV file, from sound, to run an airdrop on a testnet. This confirmed that the bug existed and that Decent.xyz was already alerting musicians of the reason for the errors.

Steps I took:

1. Recreated the bug by uploading the CSV file to run an airdrop on Goerli testnet.

2. Confirmed that the bug existed and Decent.xyz was already alerting musicians of the reason for the errors.

3. Hypothesized that the CSV file had an additional column for quantity, which was causing the error. Also has row for column labels which caused a 2nd error.

4. Created a solution by removing the extra column & row.

5. Tested an airdrop, which worked successfully.

6. Helped Heno with his problem and gave him an updated CSV to airdrop his music nfts.

Through this process I found out that the CSV file had an additional column for quantity, which was causing the error. To resolve the issue, I followed the error messages from Decent.xyz, creating a solution by removing the extra column and column labels. Tested the changes with an airdrop, which worked successfully. By doing this, I was able to help Heno with his problem, give him the solution to airdrop his nfts, while opening a new question for how we make airdrops easier for musicians in the future.

Airdrops have become a popular method for musicians to distribute their music nfts in 2023, as it allows them to reach a wider audience and deliver utility to existing holders. However, as the music nft space continues to evolve, it's important for companies like Decent.xyz to stay on top of the latest trends, such as airdrops. It is also important to have a good communication with musicians like Heno, to understand where they're getting stuck, and how to make it easier for them to use these airdrop tools.

The problem is it’s hard to use these tools. Heno is smart, and experienced in web3 music. He’s released tons of music nfts and still needed 1:1 support. How can we make it easier for musicians, moving forward, to use airdrops?

One solution could be for Decent.xyz to do a better job communicating the requirements for the airdrop tool, or update their airdrop tool to accept new CSV formats, including the Sound format used by Heno today. This will help musicians to have a smooth experience when using the airdrop tool.

In conclusion, it's clear airdrops are becoming a popular method for musicians to distribute their music nfts, and it is important for companies like Decent.xyz to stay on top of the latest trends. The case of Heno highlights that the CSV file format used by Sound.xyz was not compatible with Decent.xyz's Airdrop CSV feature, which caused a problem for Heno (and other musicians). The solution was to remove the extra column from the CSV file and test an airdrop, which worked successfully.

This raises an important question: Should Decent.xyz do a better job communicating requirements for the airdrop tool, or should they update their tool to accept new CSV formats, including the Sound.xyz backer format? Which will help musicians to have a smooth experience when using the airdrop tool? As it gets easier for musicians to use web3 tools, we make it easier for more musicians to to make a living & support their families in music nfts.

Please share your thoughts by reaching out to myself or Decent.xyz to voice your opinion on how we can improve their airdrop tool.