I spent a long time producing for others and although I found ways to make a living, so little of the music I made actually got released. The factors that led to that were often not in my control. As a producer the songs rarely feel like they’re yours, and I started to question why I was doing this, and why I didn’t feel fulfilled by it… I was more emotionally attached to my process than others around me. I wanted to share my music with the world and make it on my own terms and maybe that’s why being on the producer/writer treadmill wasn’t a good fit for me in the end. I realised I needed to get off.

So, here’s how it’s playing out so far:

Personal finances:

I work for a University, it is a lot of work, but it allows me some flexibility and I can talk and teach about my life and what I’m trying to do. The wages keep me steady, but yes I have less time for music, the counter to that is; how much music can you make? And most importantly; how much ever gets heard? So, I’ve had to learn to adjust to not making as much music which has been hard because it became a coping mechanism - a way to bury myself in creation and hide from the world. The positives are that I’ve not relied on my music income to live for the first time in my life. What this means is that from my first release as Sound of Fractures all my income from music has gone into music, and the plan is to continue this.

Music Finances:

The tension between minting art on-chain for provenance and potential investment value is one we are all working through. Particularly, how best to articulate value when emotional value is a factor for both creators and collectors. The things we collect in life continue to grow in emotional value to us the longer we hold on to them, and that mirrors how we hope our financial investments grow too. So, as the saying goes, I'm HODLING on my music career. I’m investing in my long-term life as a creator, by reinvesting in my career now, and creating the stability to be here long term. Crypto offers us this unique way to allow others to be a part of this process too, and that’s why I'm breaking this all down, because I’m all in. This isn't a hobby or a distraction from responsibility. I’m building a stable creative entity that can weather the storms of life and markets, and be empowered by you and the technology to innovate and experiment in the gray space between Web2 and Web3. Everything should link together and will increase its impact on the Sound of Fractures network with each new track, piece of content, or connection.

I see it as a funding cycle, each time I can spend on growing exposure, the exposure helps me generate more meaningful connections and more income, and with each funding cycle the reach grows, the audience grows, and the reputation of the project grows. The input comes from me and collectors and with each creative cycle Sound of Fractures accumulates more connections, exposure and funds to reinvest in the project. What is so hard to factor in when trying to describe or visualise this process is the role of emotional connections, and the power that music has to bond to experiences. It almost renders any attempts useless, but not quite as we live and create in a world with financial pressures. I believe we need more simple ideas that encourage progress and have longevity as their focus.

A more useful way of thinking about the cycle (once you add more layers of connection) is as an interconnected network. A network of creativity, platforms, value capture and connections. As the network gets busier it grows in reach and status, cycling over and over, and each new connection and revenue stream in turn increases the traffic within the network. What is key to this, of course, is the ability to sustain, adapt and maintain the network, so it stays healthy and functional.

This way of working, although it has its imperfections, gives me control of my career in a way I've never had. I can release music when I want and how I want, and there is no-one making bad decisions that affect my work (apart from me!). The benefit is a focus on progress and sustainability. As the project develops I am slowly clawing back more and more creative time, but with way higher chances of progress and hitting key moments than most musicians, and much less risk of it falling apart or me falling out of love with it. It is early days for me, so if it needs to be one fan at a time or one collector at a time, then that is fine because I know I'll still be here rolling the dice, creating interesting projects and making music I love a lot longer than most musicians get too.

We don't know what the future is for a music career that is not backed by corporations, but there needs to be people experimenting to find out. As Sound of Fractures I will continue to share ideas, experiments and involve the community around me in my process.

What next:

This week i am starting to roll out the process of raising funds for the next steps for Sound of Fractures, and I will share the details in my next post Finding Balance pt.3.

Step one is ‘Hold Me’ which you can collect here, there are 11 left and every collect matters: