Audius, the blockchain-enabled music platform with more than six million monthly users, has announced a new $5 million round of strategic funding today from artists including Katy Perry, The Chainsmokers, Nas, Steve Aoki, Jason Derulo, and industry heavyweights like Maverick Founder Guy Oseary’s Sound Ventures, John Josephson of SESAC, and Martin Bandier, former CEO of Sony Music.
Some of the biggest artists in the world see the need for alternatives to the current business model. The Chainsmokers, for example, are excited to revisit the roots of their initial success, specifically the ability to share new content with fans more directly:
“We got our start sharing music directly with fans and so we are really aligned with the way Audius uses the blockchain to enhance the artist-fan relationship. We plan to upload the stuff we play live, which we wouldn’t typically share on traditional music platforms.
“It’s a purer alternative to the more polished album rollouts that we will continue to deliver. As an artist it’s empowering to share different creative choices and to test stuff out in a lower-stakes environment.
“Additionally, for us the role of developing a community around our music has always allowed us to grow and motivated us to take risks. Audius continues to empower the artists and their community to seek freedom in all aspects of their art as the music business hopefully shifts more in favour of the artists fuelling the economy.”
“Music has often been an early adopter of disruptive technology, and it seems blockchain will be no different. Mainstream adoption of Audius is happening in front of us, as over six million users are listening and engaging on a monthly basis.
"The platform, which recently announced a partnership with TikTok, is now the largest decentralised consumer product on earth and the fastest-growing streaming platform outright.
