Cover photo

Platformless 002: The Web3 Toolkit For Musicians And Record Labels

A curated list of web3 tools for musicians and record labels

gm!

Welcome to the 25 new creatives who joined us since we launched.

My childhood dream was to be an artist and producer. In fact, I’d be lying if I said I’ve completely given up on it!

Web3 is changing the music industry for the better. In this guide, we’ll review the tools that are making this change possible.

Why Should Musicians Use Web3

As always, let’s start with why web3 is important for musicians.

  • Get a headstart on the future of music distribution

  • Additional source of income through collectibles (Music NFTs)

  • Your fans have skin in the game by investing in your music

  • As a result of the above, you can unlock a new level of fandom and enjoy a closer relationship with them

  • Automated royalties from secondary sales of your music collectibles

  • On-chain attribution for any sounds you create

Why Should Record Labels Use Web3

Record labels also stand to benefit from web3. Here’s how.

  • Attract rising web3-native musicians to your label

  • Position the artists in your label as future-driven creators

  • Tokenize your community and decentralize some parts of your operations

  • Raise funding from fans who are actually invested in the music (subject to regulations in your jurisdiction)

Web3 music is still new though.

Early adopters will have the advantage and enjoy the above benefits first.

The Toolkit

I already covered some tools and use cases that apply to web3 music in issue 001.

Please read it if you haven’t already.

Let’s unpack some more that are specific to music.

Music Creation

  • Arpeggi Labs

    • Summary - Arpeggi is an on-chain digital audio workstation (DAW) where musicians can publish their sounds and mint them as NFTs.

    • Use Case - Create and release music entirely on-chain and get 100% attribution whenever your sounds are remixed.

Music NFTs And Collectibles

  • Sound.xyz

    • Summary - Enables fans to discover amazing new music and collect NFTs from rising artists.

    • Use Case - Host virtual listening parties and release fixed or open edition NFT collections for your music.

  • Catalog

    • Summary - Enables fans to collect 1-of-1 music NFTs from their favorite artists.

    • Use Case - Host auctions to sell collectibles of your songs or albums.

  • Royal

    • Summary - Enables fans to discover, invest in, and trade songs and albums.

    • Use Case - Share a portion of future streaming royalties with your fans and receive upfront revenue.

  • Showtime

    • Summary - The easiest way to drop collectibles to your top fans. On the web, iPhone & Android.

    • Use Case - Enable your fans to save your songs to their Spotify libraries by minting free collectibles.

Videos

  • Glass.xyz

    • Summary - Collectible video NFTs for creators and collectors.

    • Use Case - Create and sell collectibles for your music videos. You can also release them for free to your closest fans.

  • The Sandbox

    • Summary - A virtual gaming world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences.

    • Use Case - Create your own virtual world and make music videos in it. Feature some of your fans as virtual characters.

  • Koop

    • Summary - A web3 platform for hosting collectible live streams.

    • Use Case - Host token-gated live streams of your studio sessions and enable viewers to mint digital collectibles for the streams.

Web3 Music Community

  • HedsDAO

    • Summary - A curated audio-visual community.

    • Use Case - Collaborate with other artists in the Heds community and release music together.

Commerce

  • Shopify

    • Summary - Shopify enables web3-powered merchants to token-gate their products or entire online stores.

    • Use Case - Give holders of your collectibles exclusive access to purchase your merch, concert tickets, and more.

There are many more tools but I believe the above list is a reasonable starter kit.

Leading Web3 Musicians And Record Labels

It’s impossible to list all the amazing artists and builders in the web3 music scene.

However, here are some of the most innovative ones I’ve seen.

You can find more artists, record labels, tools, and web3 music communities in my directory.

It now has 300+ listings across 15 categories and growing every day!

Check it out here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZQiPOpTLdHiCx_taZB5eMATs-UFJRP3DkZ5YRZWwsDE/edit?usp=sharing

Collectooors GMI

This issue is available to mint as a collectible!

Collect one for $0 on Polygon.

Giveaway: One lucky collector will receive my first and only music NFT to date! It’s a beat I made 12 years ago in school.

Listen

Thank you for reading! 🙏

I’ll share toolkits for podcasters, video creators, and consumer brands in the following issues.

Afterward, we’ll start covering simple tutorials and novel ideas for using these tools.

I’d be happy to chat if you ever need more in-depth guides. Feel free to book a call here.

Let’s #goplatformless together.

See you next Monday for Issue 003!

Best,

Emeka.

Did you enjoy reading this post? If yes, please share the subscription link below with your friends and fellow creatives. 🙏

https://goplatformless.xyz/subscribe

Disclaimer

Nothing I share will ever be financial or investment advice. No content will be sponsored unless otherwise stated.

#web3#music#artists#record labels