David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
We built two tools for artists: sound.xyz - A music marketplace. vault.fm - A platform for artists to directly reach their fans, without relying on social algorithms or paid advertising Here’s an update on where Sound is, and why we’re building Vault.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
I stepped back to reflect on what worked and what didn’t with Sound. It became clear there were core issues with how artists connect with fans and release their music that needed to be solved. But before we continue, I want to be transparent with the community with where Sound is today. In a startup, focus is the difference between surviving or dying. We’re committed to keeping Sound running so artists can continue releasing their music onchain, but we are dedicating most of our time towards the Vault product to lay the foundation that we’ve been missing.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
Yes, we paid $7 million directly to artists, but we realized the missing piece was a genuine connection—both in why fans collect and how they’re reached. The relationship between a fan and an artist shouldn’t be based solely on paid mints and speculation. Sound didn’t get as close as we wanted to artists truly owning their audience, and their connection to fans was often still filtered through algorithms across social media and even our own Sound feed. I’m tired of seeing artists forced to make content they don’t care about just to please algorithms that don’t serve them. Instead, artists should be able to connect with their audience whenever they want, free of sudden algorithm changes.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
I’m still bullish on collecting music, but we’re approaching it from a different order now. Instead of focusing solely on the minting process, we’re starting with the foundation: direct and genuine connection between artists and their fans. With Vault, artists will be able to sell anything—from concert tickets to music onchain—while rewarding and recognizing the fans who matter most. If we do this right, artists will own their platform, audience and economy.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
Vault fixes these problems by giving artists direct, unfiltered access to their audience via SMS. You get your own custom phone number and you can export the data anytime. Artists build their own platform and own their audience. You should make content you want to make and post to audiences you can actually reach.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
We saw how Sound created powerful fan communities—fans became active supporters, not just passive listeners. But we also saw the downside of metrics like plays and mints, which puts unnecessary pressure on artists that ultimately distracts from the music itself. In Vault, we remove that pressure—no plays, no likes, no metrics. Just music. There’s something very powerful when artists are free to create without worrying about metrics.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
Artists need a space where they can share music without fear of immediate judgment. Vault lets artists release music, photos, videos, or even voice notes from their hard drive, like they would share with a friend or manager. It’s intimate, safe, and pressure-free.
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David Greenstein
@davidgreenstein
Lastly, more than anything, Sound taught me fans crave more than just music—they want a connection. The group chats and direct messages around Sound taught us that fans who feel involved will go to great lengths to support their favorite artists. Vault brings that fan-artist relationship closer by allowing artists to text their fans individually or chat with fans in a private group chat. No more telegram, twitter dms or messaging your audience across 10 different platforms. We take this a step further by giving artists tools to bring fans into the creative process, personally invite them to shows, or share any moment that matters.
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