Today marks my 1 year anniversary releasing Music NFTs! I cannot express enough the level of gratitude within my heart to all who have showed up, supported, and experienced the ride alongside me. Let’s take a walk down memory lane & reflect on my first full year in Web3 music…
My journey in Web3 started with a little project called The Tarotsings Music NFT Marathon… Last February I decided to dive head first into the web3 music space by creating & minting a new song every single day for a month. I didn’t really know much about the blockchain at the time, but I was extremely inspired and drawn to the potential of building in the space as a musician. Because of this, I decided to embark on a challenge to really introduce myself as an artist on the deepest level by doing what I love the most and know the best - making songs. After doing some DIY research, I made the decision to mint a personal smart contract on Manifold.xyz and list each 1-1 as an auction on Zora.co.
The Tarotsings Marathon started as a true experiment to discover the potential of releasing music NFTs as an independent artist and it sparked the creation of The Soul Tribe community along with so many new opportunities that I had never imagined. Not only does The Soul Tribe allow me to embark on my crazy ideas and expand my creative vision into something bigger than I could ever imagine, but it is an ecosystem of unique, talented, supportive individuals who all connect through the music. For the first time in a long time, I felt connected to my inner child and passionate about paving a new path for myself as an artist with the intention of inspiring other creatives to develop the confidence to follow suit.
The Tarotsings Marathon really was a catalyst for so much to come…On the last day of the marathon, I attended my first IRL crypto meet up in Nashville called CryptoMondays. I then became the lead organizer for the Nashville branch and set up monthly meet ups in Nashville where I started to learn even more about the many different avenues of crypto! I felt a responsibility as an artist in the space to bring awareness to my city & facilitate connections amongst a network of like minded innovators.
In March, I attended NFT LA and performed at the Good Karma Showcase where I met so many artists and builders, which further solidified my enthusiasm for the web3 space. Being thrown into a world of unlimited creativity really pushed me to pursue new routes to continue building the Soul Tribe community. We wrapped up the month of March with my genesis music video NFT “Imaginary Friend” selling out 11 editions on Glass.xyz. I had directed, shot, & edited this music video so it only felt right to continue with the DIY theme of putting myself out there to attract my tribe.
During this time, I became quite active in the web3 space attending twitter spaces, speaking on panels, & actively sharing my journey within other communities. Because of the Tarotsings Music NFT marathon and my developing presence in the space, I was offered an opportunity to join the Reveel team as the lead of Artist Relations! Reveel is a revenue share protocol that allows a trustless, gas-efficient, and composable way to distribute web3 earnings with collaborators. As a songwriter, I am passionate about the tools that enable collaborators to not only be paid out right away, but to be accredited and respected as they deserve. Through my role over the past 8 months, I have gained a deeper sense of web3 knowledge specialized in the music space through the connections I have built in both my role as an artist and professional endeavors. Never did I ever expect to be working at a tech company, but I am extremely grateful for the team and doors that have opened up just by stepping into a position that has helped me expand even further as a multidimensional human being, while helping other artists discover the power of the blockchain. At this point, I was fully convinced that the universe has a plan and I was along for the ride.
When June came around, my dream of attending NFT NYC came true in more ways than one. I had the privilege of performing an acoustic live intimate set for my collectors at the wavROOM experience. That night is now a forever core memory of mind. Connecting with the people who believe in me and have supported my music since day one in person really emphasized the value and utility behind what music NFTs can do for not only myself as an artist, but for the community. The live performance was then minted and sold out as a live music video NFT on Glass.xyz. Another special night was the Chill RX studio session, where I spoke on a music NFT panel and collaborated with other musicians in the studio on a song. Working with Reveel, we also sponsored both events, which allowed me to wear both my artist and artist relations hats simultaneously. It really felt like I was living the dream, fully immersed in my purpose.
Going into July, I was onboarded onto Sound.xyz and released my genesis drop, “Poolside” selling out 25 editions in minutes. Although I had minted NFTs previously, this drop ignited an even stronger motivation to continue to releasing songs on Sound.xyz as a premiere before releasing them on DSPs. Since then, I have released 5 songs on the platform and gaining a new audience of collectors into the Soul Tribe. The goal has always been to utilize the tools of web3 technology to further grow my music career.
As I continued to experiment with different methods of releasing music and building the community, I wanted to do something special for my early collectors because without them, none of this would be possible. I airdropped all of my early collectors The Star Card - a 3D Tarot Card NFT that acts as a token of VIP membership into the Soul Tribe with direct access to me, early access to content/music, free access to any live show/event, exclusive merchandise discounts, & more! To open up the community even further, I created a custom mint page with the help of Vol Records for The Sun Card - a 3D Tarot Card NFT that serves as a token of membership in The Soul Tribe community. This was my first time experimenting with a free mint, and we sold out 777 cards in a couple of hours.
In November, in collaboration with Seker DAO, I curated the first ever IRL Soul Tribe event called The Astral Realm Experience! We brought the web3 community together for a night of live music, visual art installations, educational panels with leading web3 music innovators, Soul Tribe themed cocktails, pizza, and a live music NFT auction in Downtown LA! This night was incredibly impactful for me because my intention behind the event was to bring people together & inspire others. It was a successful first endeavor on putting together a special night for The Soul Tribe and it overfilled my heart to meet community members for the first time in person.
To close off the year, I attended Art Basel in Miami alongside The Reveel team to sponsor yet another wavROOM experience & also perform at The Blockchain Brunch. We really packed in a whole week of events within the three days I was down there, and it was a blast. My favorite part about this conference was collaborating with my peers at The Campfire Studio Session and celebrating the success of artists that I admire and love.
Heading into 2023, I was inspired to apply my knowledge and experience that continues to grow day by day to inspire the next wave of artists and make an impact on the music industry at large. Artists outside of the space started to reach out to me to learn how they can get started in the space and it occurred to me that there really is no guideline or centralized source of education to direct artists who are hungry to expand in web3. With my co-founder Arella Trustman, we designed an onboarding/consulting program called Soul Tribe Solutions under The Soul Tribe Umbrella.
STS is a "centralized decentralized" ecosystem of knowledge shared across communities, thought leaders, & individuals in the space where artists can not only learn the basics of entering web3, but also build a network of unique perspectives & tools to succeed as an indie artist all around. We understand the barrier to entry in this new world of web3 music. We also believe that there is an endless amount of opportunity for artists to find their wave, flourish, and connect with true fans. The program will be a subscription based model & we will also be launching a yearly access NFT to support the creator economy in web3 and promote cross pollination across all communities!
All of that to say…this past year has definitely been monumental in my personal growth as an artist and entrepreneur. I have been blessed with opportunities to connect with people from all around the globe, travel to new places, and create a world for my music and The Soul Tribe to thrive. It is really just the beginning and I am 100% dedicated to continue creating and building together. My intention always is for The Soul Tribe to be an open home for all lovers of music, mindfulness & human connection.
The biggest takeaway of my experience is that you don’t need to wait around for the opportunity to come, instead the opportunities are there for you to seize yourself. None of this would exist if I didn’t dive right in and learn in real time. The biggest lesson I’ve learned and will continue to learn to manage is balance. In such a fast moving space, it is natural to get stuck in the hustle mentality, but it is so important to make sure we all give ourselves grace and space to show up as our best selves in order to create and accomplish our goals.
I am so thankful for the relationships that I have developed, and I plan on making this next year even more impactful than the last. Through releasing music in Web3, I have discovered new parts of myself, a deeper level of confidence in my aspirations, and my true Soul Tribe. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to experiment, share my journey, and embark on creative endeavors that I never could have dreamed of. Everything happens for a reason and I fully trust that I am exactly where I need to be.
Stay up to date on Twitter @tarotsings & tarotsings.xyz.