I have never been more excited about anything as I am about the current state of web3. The sense of community, support, creative freedom and financial freedom that it is enabling among creatives is unparalleled to anything that has come before. It is an entirely new landscape, building new norms, new protocols, new values, bridging the gap between creators and consumers while slowly merging the two.
This article aims to help those who are new to the space by providing a catalog of resources to help deepen your understanding, all in one place. I have spent hundreds of hours compiling resources, taking notes and studying the moves of prolific members within the scene. I have made this article a free-to-mint NFT so that you can collect it as part of your new artist handbook to refer to whenever you may need. But before I begin, there are a few things to consider when using this resource.
This list has been refined. I have sifted through countless platforms, articles and resources to find what provided the most value to me. As an independent artist, I collect things that I feel have relevance to my career or my general understanding of the space. Dive in and see what connects with you.
The web3/music NFT landscape moves extremely fast. If you’re reading this anytime after its publish date, it is highly likely that there are new things that simply don’t exist as I am writing this. However, I do believe that the platforms mentioned here are worth keeping an eye on.
I am a student not an educator. This knowledge is not mine, I am just the messenger. Hence why I have linked to articles that answer questions far better than I could articulate, all credit goes to the creators.
Let this be your foundation. During this process I realised that its impossible to cover everything; there is so much innovation that I discover something new every day. I hope this will kick start your own journey and allow you to discover things that I haven’t covered. Doing your own research is the most empowering way to gain confidence in your understanding.
This article is the first of many. I have so much more to contribute that I will share in time. This edition acts as an initial home-base rather than an analysis, something I wish I had when I started. Going forward, I will publish in depth articles about my journey, findings, updates, specific topics/platforms etc. Anything that I feel may help others or provoke thought. To make sure you’re first to know, please consider subscribing <3
Articles
The best place to start. A great overview of the transition from Web2 to Web3, the future of ownership and the changing landscape.
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The Ownership Economy (must read)
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Water and Music (the most comprehensive web3 music industry research)
Learning
These platforms offer educational courses, step by step guides and actionable tasks in all aspects of Web3.
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Odyssey (personal favourite)
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Guide to Web3 (Notion doc)
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Creator Economy Course (amazing free resource)
Newsletters
Keep up to date with new releases, advances and interesting news in the space.
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Li Jin's Newsletter (creator economy)
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EQ (digital magazine, truly amazing resource)
Publishing
Platforms to publish, post and promote.
Minting Platforms
There are too many minting platforms to list them all. Below are some that are native to music or popular among musicians, that I believe are all innovating.
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Sound (perhaps the most prestigious)
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Catalog (1 of 1’s)
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Royal (royalty splits)
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Glass (video NFT’s)
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Arpeggi (on chain DAW and stems)
Podcasts
The best way to hear from experts in their respective fields. Most founders have appeared on a podcast at least once
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Mint (by far the most value I have gained in one place)
Listening Platforms
The future of Web3 streaming. (Note that most minting platforms allow streaming of their NFTs.)
DAO’s
Communities focused on music (see A Beginners Guide to DAO's)
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Songcamp (collaborative creation)
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Friends With Benefits (culture)
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Dreams Never Die (pay attention to this one)
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HIFI Labs (lots of development here)
Social Tokens
A relatively new concept with large scalability and adoption potential.
It is worth mentioning that almost everything listed has its own Discord server and Twitter account. These two places have become the Web2 home for Web3. The best way to get started is to engage in these communities, meet likeminded creators, ask questions and support each other. There are a ton of amazing people in this scene so go out and make friends! I’ve added a list of people that have provided me great value, insights and fresh perspectives with regards to the web3 music landscape. Many of whom contribute greatly to the evolution and expansion of the space.
Closing notes…
I hope you find this valuable and I wish you the very best on your journey. We’re all in this together, the more we can onboard new people the more this garden will flourish. I can’t wait to continue to share my experiences as the odyssey continues, immortalising this journey on the blockchain. Please share with anyone you think this will help and collect this article as an NFT. I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations so don’t hesitate to hit me up. See you next time :)
~ Elcee