A Information to the Advantages and Dangers

The incentives of being a music fan have been waning through the years. Ticket costs continue to skyrocket because of monopolized ticket marketplaces, and streaming costs are also rising. Because of this, attendees are discovering it much less rewarding to point out up for his or her favourite acts, and artists are having an more and more tough time mustering connections with their core audiences.

All in all, the music financial system feels extremely constricted.

That is exactly why creators and customers have been turning to the blockchain. It’s a strategy to circumvent a few of the worst options of the music business. Now, a few of the NFT-enabled options conceived over the previous couple of years have began trickling outward to the mainstream.

From NFT ticketing to decentralized community building, all kinds of token-gated endeavors have made their strategy to the plenty. Now, token-gated streaming has reached mainstream audiences because of Spotify’s current product updates.

What ought to followers and the standard music business count on from the rise of token-gated streaming? What are the advantages and dangers? We turned to business consultants and holders of the Now Pass — the entry go to the Now Community, the inspiration for all of our initiatives to construct the way forward for tokenized media and pioneer a community-centric media mannequin — for enter. 

However first, what’s token-gating?

Token-gating, in essence, is any occasion the place a blockchain token — usually an NFT, however it might be one other sort of crypto token — is used as an entry go. Token-gating has turn out to be standard in Web3 as a result of it’s a technique of shortly and simply proscribing entry to content material, occasions, collections, Discord servers, and extra to those that maintain a particular token.

Though token-gating is most of the time used for allow-listing functions, it has not too long ago turn out to be a software for creators within the Web3 music house to create a layer of exclusivity surrounding their content material. For instance, Spottie WiFi token-gated a number of of his music NFT drops, and Daniel Allan and Reo Cragun launched token-gated sample packs. At this level, in the case of streaming, token-gated success tales abound.

And now, the legacy streaming business has caught on.

Spotify and token-gated streaming

In February of 2023, Spotify began testing “token-enabled playlists,” which let holders of particular NFTs use their wallets to entry curated music. For the primary a part of the rollout, Android customers in choose nations gained entry to the function in the event that they held NFTs from Fluf, Moonbirds, Kingship, or Overlord.

Chatting with nft now in regards to the rise of token-gated streaming, Thomas Fiss, Head of Music NFTs on the eco-conscious NFT music platform OneOf, mentioned he sees Spotify’s curiosity in token-gating as a internet constructive for Web3.

“When large gamers like Spotify begin exploring with cryptocurrency-based fashions, it’s good for all of us within the house and for mass adoption usually,” mentioned Fiss. “On the core, we’re speaking about attribution of streaming (engagement), and artists and labels being given extra transparency to their followers’ listening behaviors, and rewarding them for it.”

From the angle of a basic NFT fanatic, extra outstanding manufacturers staking their declare on the blockchain absolutely looks like a win for the NFT group. But, as promising as some of these activations might sound, token-gating nonetheless has a strategy to go earlier than established gamers like Spotify place their bets.

“At Spotify, we routinely conduct quite a few checks in an effort to enhance our person expertise. A few of these find yourself paving the trail for our broader person expertise, and others serve solely as necessary learnings,” a Spotify spokesperson mentioned in a press release in regards to the platform’s token-gating options. “We’ve no additional information to share on future plans right now,” they added.

However whereas Spotify might have extra time earlier than committing to Web3, others have already seen the promise of token-gating and have pivoted their platform and merchandise accordingly.

Lower than a month after Spotify’s announcement, Audius went dwell with NFT-gating features that permit artists to make songs, mixes, stems, and extra accessible to followers who maintain a particular NFT.

In an interview with nft now, Audius CEO and Co-Founder Roneil Rumburg mentioned he understands the real worth of token-gating streaming for artists and followers. “The chance to determine your most extremely engaged followers, after which sort of hyper serve them — present them an expertise that they’ll’t in any other case entry with different artists — is a good way to drive extra buying exercise and engagement from these followers,” he mentioned.

“There’s loads of precedent there. However what we’re actually excited for is the chance that artists have to have interaction these followers, give them distinctive experiences that maintain them coming again, after which have the ability to reinforce that fandom by means of advantages,” he added.

And the worth is?

Rumburg’s statements hit on the coronary heart of what’s, arguably, essentially the most vital benefit of token-gating. Though it might probably assist enhance monetary rewards for platforms and artists, Rumburg notes that the true profit is giving customers novel experiences — and artists novel use circumstances — that they’ll’t get wherever else.

“There’s a perspective of rising the pie vs. higher allocating the pie that already exists. The place I feel the [traditional music] business will get involved is once they see issues which might be cannibalizing what they’ve — simply shuffling the chances of the prevailing pie,” Rumburg mentioned.

“I feel Web3 applied sciences are, as a basic rule, rising the pie. The utilization that’s taking place on Audius just isn’t competing with, and even actually associated to, the exercise that’s taking place on the foremost DSPs […] The informal listener is somebody that must be served, too, proper? It’s simply not who we’re,” he clarified.

Likewise, Fiss famous that essentially the most vital benefits of token-gated music lie in its capacity to supply new types of engagement and connection.

“Labels, managers, and artists can type deeper insights into passive vs. energetic followers and deploy retargeting techniques to activate these audiences accordingly. Artists can reward followers which might be shifting the needle whereas persevering with to nurture any passive followers,” he mentioned. “The gist right here is that music entrepreneurs have to take away the stigma round ‘Web3’ being a walled backyard and refocus consideration on the insights and alternatives the expertise supplies to complement legacy knowledge and advertising techniques,” Fiss added.

The dangers of token-gated streaming

Nevertheless, it appears not everybody is bought on token-gated streaming. Even these throughout the Web3 music house are on the fence in regards to the options. As famous by Sean Bonner, Now Go Holder and member of 8tari, token-gating, in its present type, appears at instances to virtually be a step backward.

“The promise of Web3 isn’t stopping individuals from having fun with your work, however reasonably to let anybody take pleasure in it and make possession the factor that’s uncommon,” Bonner wrote within the nft now Discord. “With music, possession will be restricted and include particular perks whereas nonetheless letting anybody hear. Requiring individuals to purchase one thing earlier than they hear it appears like a good way to lose followers. Higher to let individuals fall in love together with your artwork after which purchase in for extra,” he added.

Requiring individuals to purchase one thing earlier than they hear it appears like a good way to lose followers.

Sean Bonner

This sentiment was echoed by Now Go holder and sound/multimedia artist Michał Milczarek, who highlighted the upside of music NFTs as enhancing the fan-artist relationship, but additionally the potential disadvantages of token-gating as a part of the Web3 music ecosystem.

“Fashionable listeners dwell on the earth of Spotify. Music must be straightforward to get and totally free. For many individuals supporting artists on Bandcamp, [tokenized music] is just too ‘sophisticated’ or ‘costly,’” Milczarek wrote within the nft now Discord. “On this context, utilizing NFT platforms is even more durable, contemplating instructional issues and most of the people picture of blockchain and Web3,” he continued.

What does the longer term maintain?

Though there’s nonetheless some debate about whether or not there’s extra danger or reward in the case of token-gated streaming, that’s the entire level of Web3.

Finally, token-gating permits artists to dictate how their mental property is unfold and who can work together with it or gather it. Creators are free to make use of or ignore the instruments, which is a win for sovereignty general.

That mentioned, ultimately, these instruments might not sit effectively with lots of the world’s largest platforms, as their present fashions aren’t based mostly on constructing area of interest audiences and communities. As a substitute, platforms like Spotify depend on as many customers partaking as potential. So it stays to be seen whether or not or not the legacy music business might be keen to alter. But when the instruments meet artist and shopper wants, then they could not want legacy manufacturers to assist them safe widespread adoption anyhow.

Editor’s word: Need to share your ideas and insights with nft now readers? We’re working to construct a extra community-centric media mannequin. Head over to the Now Pass website to study extra.