Base

would many people today argue that artists, musicians, and other creative craftspeople have clear, equitable, sustainable business models to ship creative work?

Head of Product @base // classical composooor
Directed opportunism x Things occurring of themselves

my firsthand experience as a musician, and secondhand my musician friends’ experience, says no.

we do have better communications tools than ever. incredible opportunities to connect with audiences and collaborators the world over, in ways previous generations would scarcely believe. we have amazing creation tools. the barrier to entry to create is lower than ever. these are positive developments.

these and other market forces make a tough environment to earn a sustainable living from creating and sharing beautiful things with the world.

so experimentation is worthwhile imo.

experiments that iterate on how creative works are packaged, distributed, and consumed. that remix, reconstitute, and reimagine existing technology primitives, distribution channels, and cultural norms.

huge shoutout to all the creatives in the arena trying things, innovating on the models, working to find a path forward for themselves, their colleagues, the culture.

will everything be perfect right away? by definition, no. experimentation is messy and requires iteration. in societies where the cost of failure—financial, reputational, or otherwise—significantly increases, entrepreneurial and artistic innovation dwindle in turn. would-be trailblazers decide the risks outweigh the potential rewards. better to not rock the boat.

my POV is: less talk and critique, more action and contribution.

and this is not to say, constructive criticism and feedback are not welcome. they absolutely are. feedback is a key part of experimentation—from the producer, the consumer, the market, the platforms, the builders, the creators. but I encourage everyone to engage from first principles, with an open mind, with space for divergent thinking (especially early in “solution discovery”).

artist friends, tech friends, anyone who is interested in these problems, let’s experiment together. let’s build towards a world where creative craftspeople of all media and genre, from all walks of life, can more sustainably ship creative work.

if we’re able to solve just a couple of these problems, just a small amount, with technology just now becoming possible, the world will be a better place for it. with more truth and beauty for us to enjoy and to pass on to future generations.

DMs and PRs are open.

https://zora.co/coin/base:0x5fd353668ac67c1fda445e8757f393ae1516fd05?referrer=0x9458d5621de22813607d6442908171f9ef2beb26

but there are structural problems with how music and art are packaged, distributed, consumed, and ultimately valued. traditional media gatekeepers have been replaced by corporate platform walled gardens. take rates are deplorably low. royalties, provenance, and attribution are broken. attention spans are shorter than ever, and attention is hard to come by.