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What I see is that the responsibility does not live in the conferences or the organizers. The responsibility lives in the artist who accepts to perform without compensation. No one is forced into that exchange. An artist enters it because they believe that is the value of their work at that moment. Value is subjective. If an artist wants to shift that, the shift begins with how they relate to their time, their attention, their work. The correction is internal. The moment an artist stands in their own value, the offers change, the terms change, the market changes. This is Austrian economics applied to creativity. I say this with a lot of care because I have been a professional artist for thirty years, living and working in New York, one of the most demanding environments for any creative person. If I had not placed value on my work, I would have fallen into the starving artist narrative, and I didn’t. I learned to value my time. I learned to negotiate. I learned to hold leverage. View quoted note →
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Hey man! It’s a pleasure to read your ideas about these important issues. Annonymal, as you may know, shares a similar vision. But there are a few thoughts we believe are worth adding to the conversation. Every Bitcoin artist has their own journey, their own dream, and their own strategy — and because of that, it’s difficult to unify every perspective under one model. Here’s a reality: For conferences to pay artists… artists must first bring value to conferences. No organizer will put real money in an artist just for the sake of spending money — especially in a world where a computer running Spotify can deliver endless music to the audience “for free”. We wish that wasn’t the dynamic — but right now, it is. There’s a natural cycle: exposure interest momentum demand compensation. When people begin attending Bitcoin events because of the artists, conferences will happily pay for art — not as a favor, but as a win-win exchange. There’s simply no shortcut around that. Bitcoin culture today is early, small, diverse, and poor. (Not in creativity, but in economic power.) So we must embrace humble beginnings to climb toward the heights that we deserve. The ones who can help ignite this growth are the wealthier Bitcoiners and companies, not necessarily the event organizers, who believe in long-term cultural value. Sponsorships can give artists the opportunity to perform, to reach new audiences, and to build the momentum that later becomes financial sustainability. But we know that this is easy to grasp and hard to build. Convincing people to invest in artists that will benefit them only indirectly requires a lot of skills. But we must remain confident — because culture is how movements become unstoppable. Let’s keep building the future you are calling for. Our music will rise. The crowds will come. And Bitcoin culture will roar louder than the old world could ever have imagined. Horns up for Satoshi! Best regards, Annonymal
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Hey man! It’s a pleasure to read your ideas about these important issues. Annonymal, as you may know, shares a similar vision. But there are a few thoughts we believe are worth adding to the conversation. Every Bitcoin artist has their own journey, their own dream, and their own strategy — and because of that, it’s difficult to unify every perspective under one model. Here’s a reality: For conferences to pay the artists, the artists must first bring value to conferences. No organizer will put real money in an artist just for the sake of spending money — especially in a world where a computer running Spotify can deliver endless music to the audience “for free”. We wish that wasn’t the dynamic — but right now, it is. There’s a natural cycle: exposure interest momentum demand compensation When people begin attending Bitcoin events because of the artists, conferences will happily pay for art — not as a favor, but as a win-win exchange. There’s simply no shortcut around that. Bitcoin culture today is early, small, diverse, and poor. (Not in creativity, but in economic power.) So we must embrace humble beginnings to climb toward the heights that we deserve. The ones who can help ignite this growth are the wealthier Bitcoiners and companies, not necessarily the event organizers, who believe in long-term cultural value. Sponsorships can give artists the opportunity to perform, to reach new audiences, and to build the momentum that later becomes financial sustainability. But we know this is easy to grasp and hard to build. Convincing people to invest in artists that will benefit them only indirectly requires a lot of skills. But we must remain confident — because culture is how movements become unstoppable. Let’s keep building the future you are calling for. Our music will rise. The crowds will come. And Bitcoin culture will roar louder than the old world could ever have imagined. Horns up for Satoshi! Best Regards. Annonymal View quoted note →
Thank you so much for the energy your brought to the Bitfest music stage. It was one of the highlights that I have shown to my pre-coiners friends and family. I didn't tip you then, as I was too busy dancing, so I have just now. I think your initiative and manifesto is a great start in overcoming the many hurdles adhead.