Josh Savage on how NFTs saved his music career: "It has changed my life"

From growing up in Paris to living in a North London warehouse with 14 other people, and now settled in Berlin, British singer-songwriter Josh Savage is another independent musician who faced a very stark choice during the pandemic: find a new way to survive as an artist, or find something else to do. On the face of it, his pre-2020 career was a glistening one; once a Sofar Sounds record holder, supporting artists at huge venues, and yet struggling to get by. Fast forward to 2022, and Savage is one of the leading lights and voices in the music NFT space, finally being compensated fairly for his art and helping others to do so.

With restrictions no longer looming, Savage has just got back from an American tour and trip that he has absolutely relished. 

“I loved travelling and going to South by Southwest in Texas, and I also went to Nashville and Miami for the first time as well. I've really loved tapping into my creative side over the lockdown and I did miss my studio, creating what I love. But it was great to get out and about, especially when we had such bad lockdowns in Germany over the last few years.”

Savage has just released his second LP, Another Life. A classic modern singer-songwriter album, it combines pop, Savage’s instrumental skills on guitar and piano and his stunning voice. It’s a record that has brilliant modern production, but you get a strong sense it would work equally well if it were just Savage and his guitar. There are also ear-worms aplenty, like the infectious chorus of I Don’t Mind The Rain.

Coming out of York University, and leaving a band that didn’t share his dedication, Savage decided to tour as a solo artist non-stop for as long as physically possible. 

“I booked my own tours. I actually had just read Ed Sheeran's autobiography. He's a fantastic songwriter, his music doesn't resonate with me that much but I loved his work ethic. So that's what inspired me to just tour the world, that's literally what I did for three years. 

"I actually only meant to do it for one year as a gap year, but it went a lot better than I expected. And 10 years later, I'm somehow still doing it, which is absolutely incredible.”

During that relentless period of travelling and gigging, Savage became an early adopter of the now ubiquitous Sofar Sounds, even holding the record for playing the most different cities. 

“What was really beneficial from playing so many shows is that I discovered Sofar Sounds before most people and I really went to town on it. Once you enter the Sofar Sounds bubble, you can basically play anywhere in the world. Which was my dream. So I just did that all around America, Latin America, did some shows in Russia too, the Middle East and built a really loyal fan base. 

"It's incredible how, even though I was playing to small audiences, the turnaround with people buying merch was a lot higher than big support slots that I was playing to thousands of people.”

Savage then went on to sell out headline shows in London, and his biggest ever show in his hometown of Winchester, and received a message from Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody to express that he is a big fan. 

So with all this said, you might be scratching your head as to why he has delved deeply into something that seems the polar opposite of playing as many shows as possible; selling NFTs. 

But, as lovely as his pre-2020 career sounded, Savage was still having to share a Tottenham warehouse living space with 14 other people and spending a lot of his time in part-time jobs to pay the rent.

The combination of hugely cutting his cost of living by relocating to Berlin, and then discovering the potential in blockchain technology was a gamechanger for Savage, to put it mildly. 

He explains that “the long German lockdowns were really miserable for me because I had built up so much momentum. I’d released my debut album in March 2020, The Long Way Round. And it was so frustrating to have that at an abrupt halt. I think we were all just so lost and I didn't really know what to do.

“I got into cryptocurrencies late last year because of Gary Vee (entrepreneur Gary Vaynercuck), who was talking a lot about NFTs. I’ve only been in the NFT space since late January. Obviously the financial aspect is important for me. But I think more than anything, the bond between me and my collectors is incredibly powerful because for the first time in my decade of doing music my fans are actively pushing for my music to grow, because they’ve invested in me. 

"I've never seen that before and I think a good comparison is comparing NFTs to Patreon, but on steroids. Because with my community, I can give them exclusives and experiences that no one else can have unless they are a holder of one of my NFT collections.”

Savage’s success from just three months in the NFT community is quite staggering. 

“I've dropped three NFTs, and all of them sold out instantly. It has changed my life. A few months ago, I was about to call it a day with music because I was just so tired of being broke and working incredibly hard and not being rewarded for it. 

"I was just about to start a coding course, until I discovered NFT's and that took over. I'm so excited for independent artists around the globe with what they can achieve from it and learn about its potential.”

Despite this runaway success, Savage is still keeping a foot in the traditional industry, as new album Another Life is available on all streaming platforms, and he’s about to embark on a European tour. 

As well as checking out his new album, it’s worth noting his Twitter Spaces that he hosts are among the best places to learn about mixing music with blockchain technology. 

Here’s to his renewed success, and even more so, the fact he didn’t throw in the towel.