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2020...
...what a year it's been.
Here's a retrospective thread of a few highlights
...what a year it's been.
Here's a retrospective thread of a few highlights
The first several months were primarily dedicated to putting out my third studio album 'BOY'. https://rac.lnk.to/BOY
I couldn't have predicted a global pandemic but we ran with it. Pushing back the album made no sense at all.
there was more of a captive audience anyway lol
I couldn't have predicted a global pandemic but we ran with it. Pushing back the album made no sense at all.
there was more of a captive audience anyway lol
Despite all of that it was a great success and the response has been overwhelming.
I felt like it was the first time where I was able to build a cohesive image and message around an album.
Not that the others were disjointed, but this is a learning process.
I felt like it was the first time where I was able to build a cohesive image and message around an album.
Not that the others were disjointed, but this is a learning process.
We also released $TAPE with the help of @ourZORA.
Using web3/ethereum we released an extremely limited edition version of the album on cassette.
The idea was that we'd allow a market to decide the value of this item.
Using web3/ethereum we released an extremely limited edition version of the album on cassette.
The idea was that we'd allow a market to decide the value of this item.
It peaked at $4800.
Markets are fascinating, it's the closest way to gauge human sentiment and measure the value of culture.
This idea is scary to some, but let me assure you that you're severely undervaluing yourself. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1311403650057527296?s=20
Markets are fascinating, it's the closest way to gauge human sentiment and measure the value of culture.
This idea is scary to some, but let me assure you that you're severely undervaluing yourself. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1311403650057527296?s=20
In March I realized a few things:
- touring was about to collapse (it did)
- the rest of the music industry is fundamentally broken and incapable of supporting itself without it.
So I decided to re-build my entire business model in the span of a few weeks. ~stress city~
- touring was about to collapse (it did)
- the rest of the music industry is fundamentally broken and incapable of supporting itself without it.
So I decided to re-build my entire business model in the span of a few weeks. ~stress city~
I started a @patreon http://patreon.com/rac
and I started streaming regularly on @Twitch http://twitch.tv/rac
I also made my @discord private to paying members.
These three elements alone doubled my typical touring income seemingly overnight. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1242859828927557632?s=20
and I started streaming regularly on @Twitch http://twitch.tv/rac
I also made my @discord private to paying members.
These three elements alone doubled my typical touring income seemingly overnight. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1242859828927557632?s=20
Like I suspected, this shattered the notion that touring is the cornerstone of an album release plan.
If you really think about it, it's quite an inefficient use of your time. Obviously it's important, but it's often considered the bedrock of an album campaign.
If you really think about it, it's quite an inefficient use of your time. Obviously it's important, but it's often considered the bedrock of an album campaign.
Also with the help of @ourZORA, I launched $RAC.
It's the fan-club of the future where everybody owns a piece of our social graph instead of giving it to facebook. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1311395812279087104?s=20
It's the fan-club of the future where everybody owns a piece of our social graph instead of giving it to facebook. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1311395812279087104?s=20
The idea of owning or having equity in the web2 platforms you participate in sounds foreign.
We're used to being used. Most of us have never even considered it.
Equity is a much better incentive structure where everybody is aligned.
In web3 it'll be the norm.
We're used to being used. Most of us have never even considered it.
Equity is a much better incentive structure where everybody is aligned.
In web3 it'll be the norm.
One of the other great advancements of web3 is digital scarcity. Something we lost with the early internet.
This has taken form as the "NFT" has exploded in the past few months. https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1337906085139607552?s=20
This has taken form as the "NFT" has exploded in the past few months. https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopa/status/1337906085139607552?s=20
The closest analog to compare is the traditional art world, where you can auction off the ownership of works to the highest bidder.
I collaborated with @reisingerandres and @arc4g to create several of these works. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1315023223323414529?s=20
I collaborated with @reisingerandres and @arc4g to create several of these works. https://twitter.com/RAC/status/1315023223323414529?s=20
This isn't the right model for everybody but it challenges the notion that artists need to price their works in pennies.
We're pricing music as if it's supposed to reach billions of people and when it inevitably fails, we wonder why.
Mass appeal is overrated.
We're pricing music as if it's supposed to reach billions of people and when it inevitably fails, we wonder why.
Mass appeal is overrated.
This isn't about price gouging your fans. Entire business models exist because of this pricing inefficiency.
The play count is a terrible measure of value.
A niche artist making art for a niche audience should be killing it because they add far more value to that community.
The play count is a terrible measure of value.
A niche artist making art for a niche audience should be killing it because they add far more value to that community.
All of this to say is that the music industry broke down in 2020.
A lot of complacent people haven't realized it yet, but out its ashes is gonna grow something far better and more equitable from the ground up.
It might take a few years but I'm super optimistic.
A lot of complacent people haven't realized it yet, but out its ashes is gonna grow something far better and more equitable from the ground up.
It might take a few years but I'm super optimistic.
In the midst of all of this, I got nominated for another grammy!
My 3rd nom, hopefully 2nd win.
My 3rd nom, hopefully 2nd win.
This glosses over a lot of the turmoil in the world, but you don't need me to tell you about that.
Somehow 2020 ended up being a year of growth and innovation for me. Perhaps because my reaction to difficult situations is to work even harder.
Healthy or not, 2021, here we go.
Somehow 2020 ended up being a year of growth and innovation for me. Perhaps because my reaction to difficult situations is to work even harder.
Healthy or not, 2021, here we go.
