Peace & Blessings! It's been a while. I have had a nervousness with approaching my newsletter, because I never want to feel like an incessant & tone-deaf marketer who just wants to stay top of mind in your inbox just because. I'm an artist after all, and I know the value of time, so I am mindful of when I draw your attention — and grateful for every ounce of it that you grant me. Without further adieu, here's today's article!
Stick around to the end as I've got some new music to SHARE! And if you're early enough... you'll get an opportunity to join the Splits & get paid whenever the song is downloaded!
The Innovation of Music Tech & Distribution
Music is a forever evolving landscape. Not just on the side of artistic expression, but also in music business, music distribution and in music technology. Things have certainly changed over the last 10 years, yet it has all been dwarfed by the changes brought by unique innovations formed within these last 2-3 years.
Yes, I am talking about blockchain and web3. However, it is not the buzz-word Crypto, DeFi & NFT projects that I am referring to here, even though the tech might be utilized on the backend.
The real fruiting body of these foundational pieces are beginning to emerge, thanks to a handful of builders working to fine tune the Protocols that will shape the next era. One such group that I am honored to highlight here today, is the Formless team, creators of SHARE & the SHARE Protocol. It is through their work that I will be exploring a new release strategy for my musical journey.
How I was Introduced to Formless
It started back in June of 2022, when I stumbled upon a video on YouTube by Brandon Tory, founder of Formless. He was explaining the purpose of the protocol they were building. After taking a moment to read their whitepaper, I reached out to him on Twitter (now 𝕏) for an introduction. I was fortunate to get a response and discover we both had plans of attending NFT NYC that same month, so within just a few short days, I was able to meet him face to face, along with the rest of the Formless team, and discuss their ambitious project.
We had since kept in touch and I participated with one release in the early beta for the platform they were working on as a functional showcase to the protocol. (Don't worry, It happened on a test net, so it wasn't really anything my folks could truly participate in at the time).
How the SHARE Protocol Works
The SHARE Protocol introduces the Pay For Access Model (PFA) for audio\visual content creators. It allows us to set the Price, Duration of Access & Split Owners for any content we release through it. The protocol then automatically distributes any earnings to the identified parties proportionate to their defined royalty percentage — and the payments are instant & direct!
The protocol utilizes the Polygon network & is expanding support for EVM compatible chains, currently giving access to Optimism, with stable coin support & more planned in the future.
What's even more spectacular, is that they have introduced the ability to let YOU, the community, get the chance to participate in those earnings through their Community Splits. We as music artists &/or audio\visual creators, now have the ability to designate a portion of the earnings from our releases on SHARE, to directly compensating our supporters.
On their Dashboard, there's an easy method to withdraw any earnings you receive, that was built using Beam, which allows direct deposit to a bank account directly from a crypto wallet. These payments hit your bank account very quickly! For context, I am based in the U.S.A & live in the Atlanta area, and I saw the funds in my account within 30mins. of withdrawing from SHARE through Beam!
SHARE is both a Protocol & a platform. They are preparing this protocol so that others may develop & build it out as they see fit, and their platform is a great start to showcasing what this protocol is capable of when implemented. While it is still early & imperfect, they are diligent after raising a $2.2M pre-seed round of funding, so I am optimistic they will continue growing.
Mr. Wildenfree on SHARE
I am all for the idea of distributing my music direct-to-consumer, and monetizing in a way that honors not just the parties involved in the creation, but also those who are supporting through amplifying & appreciating my art!
With that being said, I'd like to SHARE with you all, two drops that I have published on the SHARE protocol, along with some creations from some close friends of mine, who happen to be involved in my music collective, Down to Earth, which I will speak to more shortly.
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First is the music visualizer for "Never Too Late", shot by Shanfotografia.
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Most excitedly, I introduce to you all, WAGMI (We.Mix), featuring Chief Kareem & Ebonee Davis which is available on SHARE & will be on all major streaming services Sept. 6th, 2024. Cover art also shot by Shanfotografia!
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Each one of these have a limited amount of Community Splits available, which you can click to Join at NO COST!
To listen to the song or watch the video is a separate action yet one that I would deeply appreciate. It helps to make the music possible! Every dollar I earn from this I'll be pouring back into my artistry. And The blessing is that everyone who's already a part of the splits, whether as a creative collaborator or joining community member, will also be getting paid when I get paid. Instantly. Automatically. No questions asked. As written in the smart contract.
I see this offering as a tangible thank you for being a part of my community, and for trusting the process.
Down To Earth
As previously stated, I am now a part of a collective known as "Down To Earth" (eco.downtoearth)! I have been working with my fellow collaborators Dane Caston, Cam Chirstian & Christian Ahmed, to encourage innovative action as independent artists. I have successfully onboarded each one of them to utilizing SHARE in some capacity, and I wish to share the awesome music that they have also dropped using the protocol!
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Dane Caston – "Big doG."
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Cam Christian & Christian Ahmed – "Closer den Close"
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So there's a little something from the crew from me to you, and I'll send you off with one final visual of us as a collective, as a reminder to stay tuned to what else we might be releasing in the future:
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All the best,
Mr. Wildenfree 🐺🍵🎵
