In a world dominated by conventional streaming providers the place artists usually wrestle to see honest compensation for his or her work, a mission known as HIO Music is rewriting the principles. Based by musician and entrepreneur Ryder Havdale, HIO Music leverages blockchain know-how to supply a extra clear, artist-first strategy to streaming. Not like platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, HIO Music ensures that 100% of subscription charges go on to rights holders, eliminating the opaque payout buildings which have lengthy pissed off musicians.
HIO Music Founder Ryder Havdale
A Paradigm Shift in Music Streaming
The inspiration behind HIO Music got here when Havdale’s track Tokyo hit a million streams on Spotify. As an alternative of celebrating, Ryder was left questioning who his followers have been and whether or not he had been paid for these streams. The dearth of transparency and artist management within the present system led to the delivery of HIO Music.
“While other platforms pool all subscription fees and divide them evenly among all streams on their platforms, HIO does things differently. By dividing your subscription only between the songs you listen to, you can be sure that you are supporting the art you value and not the art you don’t,” Havdale says.
This distinctive fee mannequin units HIO other than conventional platforms. If a subscriber pays $10 per 30 days and solely listens to at least one track, that track’s rights holders obtain the whole $10. In the event that they hearken to 100 songs, the price is break up accordingly. The mannequin ensures that artists are instantly and pretty compensated for his or her work.
Harnessing Blockchain for Fairer Compensation
HIO Music integrates blockchain know-how to empower artists and followers alike. Artists can instantly add their music in-app and even mint their tracks as NFTs, unlocking unique content material, early entry, and bodily merchandise alternatives. The platform is offered on Apple, Google Play, and Solana’s Saga telephone, making it one of many 40 decentralized purposes (dApps) supported by the machine.
On the coronary heart of this ecosystem is the $HIO token, which incentivizes person engagement. Followers can earn rewards for inviting pals, creating playlists, and sharing music. These tokens might be redeemed for subscription reductions and unique content material, fostering a dynamic and interactive music group.
Ryder Havdale
The Energy of Neighborhood and Direct Fan Engagement
One in all HIO’s standout options is its emphasis on group (watch Ryder’s not too long ago featured interview to Bitfinex Talks). Not like mainstream platforms, which drive artists to depend on exterior social media for fan interplay, HIO gives direct entry to fan knowledge. Artists can have interaction with their listeners by in-app messaging, feedback, and tipping, making a extra private and clear expertise. This degree of connectivity strengthens artist-fan relationships and affords musicians beneficial insights into their viewers demographics.
To drive innovation, HIO Music has introduced on Arabian Prince, a founding member of N.W.A., as its Chief Innovation Officer. With a protracted historical past of pioneering work in know-how—together with contributions to gaming, VR, and AR—Arabian Prince brings invaluable experience to the platform. His unique catalog is now obtainable on HIO Music, and the corporate is actively working to safe extra main artists for unique releases.
Overcoming Challenges and Shaping the Future
Constructing a Web3 music platform has not been with out its challenges. Integrating NFT minting required direct collaboration with Solana Labs, and securing funding with out enterprise capital meant adopting a lean, impartial strategy. Nevertheless, HIO Music has thrived by the assist of devoted artists and believers in its mission.
“Our 100% per-user engagement model is the first of its kind and we believe will pay artists at least 5X more than they will receive through traditional DSPs,” Havdale states.
HIO Music’s revolutionary enterprise mannequin might reshape the trade, providing artists no less than 5 instances the earnings they obtain by conventional digital service suppliers (DSPs). By prioritizing artist compensation and fostering a direct connection between musicians and their followers, HIO is setting a brand new normal for the way forward for music streaming – so keep tuned!
