Eleven years after the launch of the Bitcoin network and blockchain technology has yet to go mainstream. However, the disruption is continuing to happen in real-time. Blockchains like Ethereum are enabling creators to have true digital ownership over their works, from user-owned virtual worlds to digital art to music streaming and beyond. Web3 is forever changing the way creators distribute and monetize content.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with composer Mighty33 who is using distributed ledger technology to drop his new album. This is what he had to say about Web3 and how it relates to music.

Talking Music and Blockchain with Mighty33

Culture Pledge: Can you tell the readers about yourself? Who is Mighty33?

Mighty33: Sure. For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated with balancing both the creative and the business worlds. I’ve had several musical lives—from 20 years learning piano, to 15 years of home music production. I grew up listening to and learning from the most powerful and influential producers of our day.

Over the years, I ended up forming a strong crew (geniuscorp) and we decided we wanted to use our knowledge and experience to help build new ways for artists to birth ideas to music.

CP: Can you tell us more about geniuscorp and your mission?

M33: The mission, since 2012, has been to provide deserving, under-the-radar artists with the tools to develop their genius potential in a wise manner and for free under the condition to part take in royalty splits. From headhunting to music production, education, composing, arrangements, recording, editing, mixing, mastering, distribution, consulting, and more, geniuscorp’s environment is designed to produce the finest frequencies—unaltered by the music industry’s frequent troubles.

We run a totally disruptive business landscape with a clear vision about the full process of birthing ideas to music and we help artists to manage it using fair and independent/decentralized tools.

Music, Web3 & Blockchain

CP: Speaking of decentralized tools, your upcoming album release is experimenting with Web3 and blockchain technology. Can you share any details about this?

M33: That’s correct. This experiment is designed to blaze a trail in the Web3 economy and hopefully set a precedent for tomorrow’s musicians (and related artists) as a way to workflow through the blockchain. Over time, I think the music industry will slowly self-reorganize to a fair and transparent ecosystem by getting rid of unscrupulous actors and setting a public database layer to build on.

Smart-contracts and metadata are at the core of the process; allowing for efficient, self-executable sales/royalties tracking in real-time. This means everyone involved in the project can receive their proper cut and don’t ever have to worry about not being paid. This upcoming release is aimed at enlightening the industry about 2020’s possibilities for an artist/label to organize their music business with the blockchain—setting a level playing field. It is also a tribute to artist and author George Howard.

Mighty33 Others Die

CP: This is exciting! I love seeing you guys blaze the trail and I’m honored to be a part of the story. Let’s get into the album. What’s it about and who’s on it?

M33: The album is titled Others Die and it’s full of collaborations with pioneering, crypto-friendly artists. Made during quarantine times, the drama is all about light vs darkness. In a theatrical way, sensitive topics are unfolding one track after the other. Diving between hip-hop, trap, rock-metal, electronic and a grain of classical music, Others Die is intended to be a hybrid fusion of my inspirations and production skills. 

Rebellious is the best word to describe the overall intention and energy of this album. I’m using the power of music to wake people up about the great mind hack of humans over the last centuries.

Several layers are incorporated in such a way that, at first listen, it sounds cool and enjoyable for music lovers, but once you really get into it, a rabbit hole quickly unveils itself to the deepness of our reality. Magic, the Metaverse, MKUltra, the Deep State, the control grid, camgirls and more all get a mention.

A Creative Crypto Collaboration

The instrumental work on the album is from myself, mndyrmm and WinstonLC (the geniuscorp team). Additionally, Others Die features guest appearances from Connie Digital, Vandal, Unknown Mizery, Raion.K, Kat Galie and Renegade. Each bringing a striking new dimension to the sound; each bringing infinite wisdom; and each making pioneering moves years ahead of any curve. Also inspired by the Crypto Art community, many thanks goes to the visual artists involved: Connie Digital, Tommy, CECHK and Katy Arrington.

CP: The overall intention is quite intriguing. I can’t wait to hear the completed album! Why did you title it Other’s Die?

M33: To highlight the gift of still being here making music during this crazy year of 2020. The title says “hey, consider my existence as mathematically impossible today in a society where many die rebelling against the most subversive form of evilness we’ve probably ever met.” It’s like saying, “others die, but I’m still here striving and achieving.” Each minute, each atom is priceless.

Livestreaming in the Metaverse

CP: How will Others Die be released?

M33: Great question. The technological advancements of blockchain technology help us get rid of middleman frustrations and allows us to start organizing without trust concerns. So for the purposes of this experiment, and to better embed the message into the concept, Others Die will not be uploaded to traditional streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, etc. Instead, the album will be released on a new generation of streaming platforms that have included blockchain technology at the core of their product—making song plays decentralized and processing payments in-real-time. We are looking at releases on both Emanate and Audius.

We are also interested in hosting events across the Metaverse to celebrate the release. A livestream will be organized at geniuscorp’s venue inside of Cryptovoxels, a blockchain-based virtual world. There are also plans to host a listening party in Decentraland, a different blockchain-based virtual world.

CP: When can we expect the album and how can people stay updated?

M33: Others Die will drop in September 2020. However, the exact date has yet to be determined. Follow me on Twitter @Mighty_33 or follow the @geniusc0rp account to stay updated. Also, feel free to visit our productions catalog at geniuscorp.fr.