Chaos Collective Interviews

Foreword

Last summer (July 22) I gave a talk at ParisDotComm (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j05UBW5s-3Q) about Music NFTs in the Dotsama ecosystem.

To get better insight on the point of vue of musicians selling their music, I sent out interview forms to members of the Chaos Collective, ”a gathering of sound rebels + artists from all corners of the #Dotsama ecosystem”.

These people were super welcoming in my venture into Music NFTs and helped me out a great deal. Now I am still communicating with them and we decided to compile these interviews into an article.

In my opinion these show the great diversity of origins and talents of this group.

https://twitter.com/cha0scollective

TLDR

Nationalities

England (UK), The Country That Shall Not Be Named, Texas (USA), Italy, Scotland (UK), Croatia

Ages

22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 38, 41

Level of experience in Music

Music Producers, Film composers, hobbyists

How they learned about Blockchain

Relatives, friends, buying drugs online, youtube videos, composed music for a documentary about blockchain, through Revolute or Kodadot.

Main value proposition of NFTs for artists

Ownership and control for the musician. Independence from labels and streaming platforms. Find a community. Communicate with fans directly. Fix the revenue model for musicians. Rethink the Album format. No need for physical storage.

Why Dotsama?

Young and creative. Push beyond traditional formats. Parachain technology. Strong sense of Community. Big potential for growth. Multi-ressource NFTs on RMRK.

Artist List

Haruno Heart, IAMYOU, Terra Incognita, Bowser Staxx, Dion Wakefield, Rich Valentino, Citizen Nine, fr.om, Gianste, Leif Wyn, Xylodrone, Gbaci, Aaron the Degen and Aurion (Jake Rumbles)

What is missing in the ecosystem?

Dedicated Audio Platform. Mobile friendly. Smart contract for licenses and royalties. Organize a Music Festival. Metadata standards. Better ways of storing larger and higher fidelity media formats. Non-profit organization to fund artists and educate.

In the meantime checkout the playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1hW0s2noveOOy3gL3KgEBF?si=b55dc2b4c579402d

Bowser Staxx

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

British and live in London.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

Both of my brothers were already exploring crypto such as ETH. Some of their conversations about it were interesting so I started to take a look. Once I got past all the price speculation of crypto, I started to look more into the tech behind it all and became really interested in the use cases for blockchain technology.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

While doing my research and learning about the common problems that plagued blockchain protocols, Polkadot was a name that continuously came up as a rounded solution. This sent me down the rabbit hole of learning about parachains, parathreads and the concept of interoperability.

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?

Total ownership and control of your art, its distribution and its evolution over time.

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

Yes, I have experience producing for top40 charted music artists. I also compose music for blockchain based projects, metaverses and games.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

I wanted to try something different and figure out another approach of getting music directly to supporters. Making Music NFTs allowed me to not only focus on music but also artwork and the narrative behind the project. I also like the idea of ownership for holders of the NFT.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

Dotsama is a young, growing ecosystem so it is ideal for experimentation. The ecosystem has tools and capabilities like the RMRK NFT standard that allow creatives to really push the boundaries of what people consider NFTs to be. There is a loyal base of supporters within the ecosystem who appreciate builders and creatives who push hard to achieve more and deliver great NFTs and experiences.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

I’d recommend you check out anyone from the Chaos Collective - A group of musicians making music in the Dotsama ecosystem who have got together.

Leif Wyn, IAMYOU, Terra Incognita, Kusama Acid, Haruno Heart, Rich Valentino, XyloDrone, Aaron the Degen, Jake Rumbles, Citizen 9 etc.

I along with a few others also make music for projects so you could also check out those projects like the Damned Pirates Society, Neon Crisis , PhalaWorld, GM Chain.

Are there Music NFT projects in other Blockchain that you think are interesting?

I think the concept of Audius is great because there will be a huge need for a strong audio player / streaming platform. I think like many things it just comes down to execution on whether it will stand the test of time. Interestingly we’ll probably need a cross compatible platform that allows music NFTs from any chain to be played to satisfy real mass adoption.

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

100% a dedicated audio platform which is also mobile friendly. It needs to be as easy as loading up Spotify or Apple Music to play your music NFTs!

I know that smart contract licenses are also in mind thanks to amazing work being conceptualized by the RMRK and Invarch teams respectively. These things may be some way off but they will add a tremendous amount of value when it comes to rights /royalties attribution and distribution for artists that have contributed to NFT projects.

Haruno Heart

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

Hi, I'm 22 years old. Due to recent events in the world, I'd rather not mention where I'm from. ;) I graduated from university a month ago, now I work in a streetwear store. Due to my studies I took a very long break from music, so I plan to go back.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I learned about the existence of blockchain back in 2017, when there was a lot of hype around Bitcoin and its value, but it was all like a dark forest to me, so I never thought I would ever find myself in the crypto community.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

I was introduced to the Polkadot/Kusama community by my good and close friend @Rich_Valentinoo. It's thanks to him and his help that I ended up here and got to know a lot of talented and cool guys (love you @Cha0sCollective).

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?

The most important advantage of NFT is that artists can actually be independent of labels and streaming platforms. Create and do exactly what you want and find connoisseurs and loyal fans. That way, the fruits of your labor become of the highest value and generate a good income.

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

I've been writing electronic music for five years now, but with all my knowledge and skills, I still don't consider myself professional enough. It seems to me that there are still a lot of things I have to learn.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

At first I just decided to try how it all worked. And then I just started doing what I'm pretty good at ;)

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

The main advantage of Dotsama and its technology, it seems to me, is the presence of parachains.

The future of the crypto world is in Dotsama!

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

@RichValentinoo, @TerraIncUK, @leifwyn and the other guys from @Cha0sCollective

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

I guess it's having a convenient player to listen to the songs...

IAMYOU

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

24, I am currently full timing Chaos Collective while residing in Texas, USA.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I’ve been aware of BTC since roughly 2015. I started buying LSD with it a few years later through the onion websites. Was super cool, honestly. 10/10 would do that again. I just wish I had been smart enough to also invest my money instead of spending it all on various substances.. Glad I learned though! I got into ETH pretty heavily afterwards and invested into some various alt coins but never made serious headway just yet..

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

So, I am personal friends with one of the more outspoken members of our Community, Yung Beef. We’ve been friends for close to a decade ever since High School. We had started going to the Gym together around August of 2021 and he spoke to me about his job at Subsocial, the overall Dotsama space, and just how wild the NFT game is.. Oh and Degenning into $SOLAR.. That was my first foray into this space. I was hooked the second I saw those LP’s lol.

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?

Community.

The most amazing thing about NFT’s to me is that it allows the artist to have a direct line of communication with people who love their content. I think that is something beautiful, and not something very common in the Art scene. Definitely not online, anyway. And even more so with Musicians. How many people have actually spoken to the Artist who made their favorite songs? Not many, sadly. I love how in this space, I know many of the folks who support me and my music by name. Many conversations have been had about my music, what it means to me, and what it means to the people who also happen to love my music. (Thank You <3)

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

Not at all. I am 100% a hobbyist musician with no professional experience whatsoever, That is until I started Chaos Collective with the other Musicians on RMRK/Singular. I have been making music on and off for a little over 10 years now. I’m definitely proud of my progress as a musician, but I know better than anyone in what areas I could definitely work to improve on.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?
Why not? To be honest, I wouldn’t be in this space in this way if it were not for some encouragement from Yung Beef. I never went out of my way to share my music with anyone other than close friends, because to me, this was personal. I was in a way, ashamed of my music. I’m definitely not anymore, but I am even more aware now of my flaws with my sound and where I could improve. I’ve made other various artistic NFT’s as well, in fact I am sitting on a huge collection of unreleased Abstract Psychedelic Artworks. I am just unsure if there is a place for them on the market currently and if it fits into what I am trying to accomplish with IAMYOU.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

It kind of just worked out. To be honest, I never once looked into the other NFT ecosystems until I started doing what I did on Singular. Once I realized that no other ecosystem had the sense of community as ours does (other than perhaps the Solana Cultists) I had no reason to leave.

I think the main advantage is 100% the Community. Everyone is willing to work together on various projects and see what they can build. There is something wonderful in that.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

Definitely, look into Terra Incognita, Bowser Staxx, Rich Valentino, Citizen Nine, fr.om, Gianste, Leif Wyn, Xylodrone, gbaci, and Aurion (jakerumbles)

Are there Music NFT projects in other Blockchain that you think are interesting?

To be honest, I haven’t really bothered to do anything with projects on other Blockchains. I’ve stuck solely to Dotsama.

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

Almost everything I could think of is currently being built on. RMRK has big plans for MusicNFTs and I’ve seen tons of other projects pop up in the space that are doing interesting things.

I will say though, the biggest, and most important thing we need is some way for buyers / listeners to listen to their NFT music on the go. Music is meant to be added into your life and used as a soundtrack to your day to day however you see fit. Who wants to be relegated to having to go to a specific platform to listen to a specific song? Nobody. It’s much easier if all your music is in one place. For how awful Spotify has been for the industry, it’s been amazing from a listening point of view. Pay attention to the Talisman guys, I hear they’re having something neat for us soon. ;)

Kusama Acid (aka Gianste)

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

I’m 27, I work as a metalworker in my father's company, and I am also involved in music nft's. I am Italian and live in Veneto.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I learned the basics through youtube videos and thanks to a friend, later I gave a masterclass in crypto and blockchain.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

I ventured onto Kusama AND Polkadot again thanks to this friend of mine, who directed me to this project and from the very beginning I noticed its potential, again on youtube and then through a video, later on Twitter

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

I call myself a musician and an artist at the same time. I have been listening to music and experimenting with it since I was 14 years old with guitar, and later around 18 years old with electronic music. Always self taught, and trying and trying again. I consider myself to be middle-range in the sense that I have a good musical knowledge and am fairly experienced in it. I know a lot of artists, probably because over the years I have always tried to discover new up-and-coming artists.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

I chose to create musical nft's, to value music, and create uniqueness. I believe that giving a musical note makes everything more exclusive, because in my opinion music is as important as art itself.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

I chose Dotsama, because in my opinion it is a community that has a strong proportion of exponential growth. The community that has been created on twitter is fantastic, and many of us collaborate together.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

Yes I recommend that you listen to and discover IAMYOU, FROM Om, and all the artists in the Chaos Collective. they are great guys, and they all have great musical potential

Are there Music NFT projects in other Blockchain that you think are interesting?

I will be honest, right now I am just focusing here on dotsama. My time is short to be able to keep up with everything....

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

I must say that we are well on our way. There may be the integration of some outside entity that can collaborate with the artists of dotsama. Collaborations with outside entities are important to grow and to increase one's musical background. I also think that organizing a festival/party with all the dotsama artists would not be bad at all... :)

Leif Wyn

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

41, Film composer / producer / lecturer, Scottish / Scotland.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I composed music for some films about blockchain which got me interested. I then worked with Polkadot on their Behind The Code series and also provided the music for the Sub0 conference last year. This educated me further on the technology.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

As mentioned - working with them to provide music for their films. My filmmaker friend also went to school with Gavin Wood so I’ve learned a bunch from him too.

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?

As someone who has worked in the music industry for over 20 years I do believe quite strongly that it is time for something new. NFTs / Web3 offer the possibility of creating new relationships and interactions between music creators and music fans. Creating these direct channels is a huge bonus for independent artists as the current mechanism for earning any kind of revenue is broken for most artists except the very biggest. That the artist can now define their own delivery mechanisms, formats and even platforms is super interesting to me.

NFTs provide an opportunity to move beyond albums / singles. The album in particular has been the dominant artform for recorded music for almost 100 years. While albums are still relevant - it doesn’t suit every artist. For music to stay fresh and innovative it needs to be able to access, bend and break any relevant / interesting technology that comes along.

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

Yes I am a professional. I compose music for film and television. I have written and toured internationally released albums. I have also worked as a successful record producer

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

I like the experimental nature of the environment. I had also been looking for a way of reconnecting with making music outside of screen based music. I thought I could join these two things together and see where it goes.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

Dotsama is a vibrant and friendly ecosystem. The technology appears to be the most cutting edge and is still in its early stages. There appears to be lots of opportunity for collaboration, experimentation and growth.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

Defo - Check out Terra Incognita, Haruno Heart, Xylodrone, Bowser Staxx and the rest of the Chaos Collective crew. Lots of talent around.

Are there Music NFT projects in other Blockchain that you think are interesting?

I was really impressed with the Chaos / Headless band project on ethereum. Loved the idea of sharing the value of the project between a big group of writers, artists, coders etc. Plus it sounded and looked really good.

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

I think that Singular is in desperate need of a music focussed front end. I have worked a little to think about what that might look like. A place for people to organize, interact with and categorize their music NFTs. Metadata standards and so on. Better ways of storing larger and higher fidelity media formats. Support for utilizing and expressing the RMRK standard. Devs are in short supply and everyone is working on lots of things.

Rich Valentino

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

Hi, my name is Arseniy I am 23 years old, I do music, and I live in a small provincial town.

By education, I am an engineer. I am also studying at the University.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I learned about Kusama from my father. He told me about it last year and I realized that I should do NFT because I really like music and I would like people to see my music in this space.

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

I have been making music for nine years. I'm more of an amateur than a professional. My father told me why not try to record my music on RMRK, because it doesn't sound bad.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

Dotsama is beautiful, with its multisource NFT features. Have you heard the album from our chaos collective? We are the first in the world to make a multi-resource NFT music album in the world!

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

It's corny, but it lacks a music player, when it comes Dotsama will have no competition!

Terra Incognita

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

38

College Lecturer

Scottish

Ayrshire, Scotland

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I was employed to create music for the sub0 conference, from there we learned more about NFTs etc and really grew into the space.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

I learned about the ecosystem mainly from the experience of creating music for the event then interacting with many of the people involved on Twitter.

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?

To hopefully be able to build a direct relationship with fans and other artists. To express ourselves with creating and earn a living in return.

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

I work as a Music Technology Lecturer and also make music. It is definitely me secondary income though.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

To experiment with new ways of releasing music and to interact with a new audience. ALso the potential to earn some royalties on what I create.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

I landed here kind of by accident but I believe the RMRK tech for NFTs has the greatest potential for all involved in music NFTs. That stands this ecosystem in a great position for the future if onboarding is successful.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

Leif Wyn, Haruno Heart, Xylodrone

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

RMRK Singular must listen to music artists and develop the front end towards a dedicated sales and playback interface. Separate from the tonnes of other stuff in there. If it is going to be taken seriously these developments have to happen. In the current model, I struggle to see many other music NFT artists onboarding to this ecosystem unfortunately.

Dion Wakefield

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?
-25y-30y

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?
-Via Tycho Masius.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

-Via Tycho Masius.

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?
-Mixing arts and profit is a difficult thing to do, giving power to the creator helps in giving choices to artists they didn’t have before. With NFT’s, artists get the possibility to add a layer to their art. That extra layer can be translated into utility, community, or even crowdfunding.

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?
-Depends what you see as professionalism. One can write any song he likes in a DAW without knowing one bit of theory, one can also play any score he likes without ever trying to innovate. One can tour the world with only writing four-chord songs, one can also produce amazing novelties in his bedroom without ever releasing it. A ‘music professional’ is a rudimentary term. That being said, I think you’re just either a musician or not. There is always room for more experience.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

-It seems like the narrative, media and movement of the independent music scene is longing for a fresh breath of air.

This fresh breath of air includes feeling less confined to a hierarchical system that doesn't make any sense on a creative or artistic level.

As any capitalistic infused system, the product needs to please the ‘gray zone’ and check all the required boxes, which already kills 90 percent of the creative process. This process should be in my opinion, as it is still of course a product that needs to be sold, more a process of passion and representing the maker than anything else. Any drastic change in the current media that are carrying music, can be an opportunity for artists to respect themselves more instead of the leading party. Short answer: NFTs are an opportunity for musicians to reclaim their artistic and financial power.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

-Equipable/nested NFT’s create the possibility for art to evolve and for the artists themselves to discover something new within. Being one of the greenest blockchains was also a nice surplus, as well as the vision on decentralization.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

-Dion Wakefield is the new kid on the block so you probably already know everybody, we will pull a couple of new artists into Dotsama as well. But for what it is worth, a shout out to the artists in Chaos Collective for welcoming new artists and just being great people.

Are there Music NFT projects in other Blockchain that you think are interesting?
-The things Invarch will do with IP management will be very interesting and will result in a lot of potential for music NFT’s. Chaos Collective and Sleepless Collective will probably do cool things together in the future, keep an eye on us ;). In the near future we also hope to organize relatively big community/education/onboarding events.

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

-Everybody wants clean interfaces. I am of course entirely biased but some kind of music adoption fund/non-profit organization where artists and organizers can apply for funding or some kind of cheap loan to organize real world small to midsize events. Having some kind of education template kit/merchandise/banners to make this events more educational will help onboard artists, fans, and entrepreneurs.

XyloDrone

What is your age, occupation, nationality and place of residence?

30 | Freelance UX/UI designer (currently working on my organization management dApp sponsored by Shokunin Network), Croatian, UK/London.

How did you learn about/ get into Blockchain?

I got into Blockchain after Revolut sent me an email about Bitcoin, since then I have researched the most popular chains out there and found my spot in the DotSama community after watching Gavin’s Ted talk and discovering KodaDot.

How did you learn about Polkadot/Kusama?

Through YouTube videos and KodaDot, researching NFTs.

For you, what is the main value proposition of NFTs for artists?

• Creating digital merchandise which does not require physical storage (eg. fine art in the physical world needs proof of authenticity, negotiations, storage, insurance etc)
• Easily find supporters of your project anywhere
• Royalties which bring back power to the artists’ whose works get resold for more (probably the most important point)
• Unlock further value through utility of NFTs within the real world and metaverses

Are you a music professional? What is your level of experience in Music?

I wouldn’t call myself a professional, personally still in the experimentation phase and throwing tunes together in Garageband by combining a variety of available loops. I am also a beginner drummer.

Why did you choose to make Music NFTs?

I will have a number of releases which will serve as a fundraiser for an interactive story within which the songs will appear in. Each person that owns an NFT will get a % of the IP rights of the story once it is created.

Why did you choose Dotsama? What are the main advantages of this ecosystem in your opinion?

Because of the tech and somewhat rebellious spirit of the community.

Are there other music artists in the space you recommend I check?

IAMYOU

Bowser Staxx

Leif

Terra Incognita

Kusama Acid
Rich Valentino

Haruno

Are there Music NFT projects in other Blockchain that you think are interesting?

I have yet to see something more exciting that VYBEZ

What do you think is missing or should be prioritized in the Dotsama ecosystem for the development of Music NFTs?

• UX/UI and a discovery mechanism
• Create a wallet plug in which can be added to NFT platforms and users can organize their tracklists and favorites, listen to these on the fly
• Onboarding more collectors which have an interest in music
• Onboarding more musicians and helping them out
• Integration of music nfts in metaverses
• NFT platform or UI of an existing one which just showcases music within the dotsama eco

Misc Questions:

It’s interesting that you discovered dotsama through Kodadot

I was looking for environmentally friendly nft platforms