Given all the change in recent years, it is easy to forget that the launch of the digital age was not so very long ago. Digital music files opened the door to new ways to consume music, which, within a few years, gave way to streaming services, each step offering unprecedented access to songs and albums to more people in more places. However, the current system has also brought with it an excess of middlemen, centralization, and archaic reporting technology which has driven costs through the roof, and squeezed artist earnings to a minimum.

So how do we use technology to reinvent the industry and give artists the fair pay they deserve? This is where blockchain emerges as a means to solve the problems inherent in music distribution, monetization and fan-artist interactions. …

Today eMusic becomes the first major music service to launch a digital token (eMU), creating a unique opportunity to build a sustainable music ecosystem to the benefit of artists, fans, and music services

Music fans can now purchase eMU tokens on digital asset exchange Bibox, one of the world’s leading sites for buying and trading digital tokens. The tokens can be used immediately to buy your favorite songs from your favorite artists on the eMusic service. It is the first of many features that will bring life to eMusic’s vision of a fair and sustainable music ecosystem.

What is the eMU token?

Based on blockchain technology, the eMU is a secure and decentralized form of digital currency that makes payments to artists more efficient and transparent. It allows music artists to keep more of the royalties they earn for purchases and plays as well as real-time visibility into how their music is being consumed and by whom. …

An exciting future for eMusic

eMusic launched in 1998 as the first legal, digital music store. During our long tenure, we’ve seen a LOT of change and faced a lot of challenges, but our core mission has been consistent: we aim to provide music fans with access to the best independent music at the best prices AND support the artists who create it.

eMusic — a fair-pay platform — is increasingly an outlier. Advancements in digital and streaming technology may have helped rescue the music industry but the corresponding commoditization of music by a few centralized players is a point of major concern.

Why is it that we can stream hours and hours of music, but in doing so we are hurting the musicians we love because they’re getting paid pennies on the dollar for each stream? Or that profit-driven algorithms deliver playlists and recommendations full of great music, but it only comes from a handful of labels? …

ERC-20 tokens like eMusic’s eMU token need to be added manually for you to see them in your wallet. In this short article we’ll walk you through the simple process of adding the eMU token into your wallet so you can see your eMU token balance and start using them. Note that while the examples shown relate to the Metamask wallet, adding the token to other wallets is a very similar process.

Step 1: Select to add a new token

a. Open your preferred ETH wallet and click to Add Token. We recommend using Metamask for which the process is described here:
https://metamask.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015489031-How-to-View-Your-Tokens …

This has been an exciting few months for eMusic. We are happy to announce that our eMusic chief Tamir Koch has just led a majority investment in a UK tech firm as part of a campaign to push forward the eMusic Blockchain Project, and bring to life our ambitious strategy for decentralizing digital music infrastructure for the benefit of artists and audiences.

The deal, worth £2m, sees Magic Investments S.A. and Shmuel Koch Holdings take a controlling stake of 7digital, the global leader in B2B end-to-end digital music solutions, with over 69% of the shares, enabling eMusic to connect their distribution platform to a global network of music providers. …

As a special addition to our SXSW summary, we reached out to our panelists to find out what happens when you combine people from various roles in the music business to discuss all things blockchain.

1) You all hailed from very different vantage points of the music industry — legal, technology, artist, and management. What takeaways did you get from the panel and Q&A that gave you a different perspective on blockchain as it could be applied to the music industry (impact discussions with artists you work with)?

Hayley Rosenblum: I’ve had many conversations with music industry professionals and artists alike that seem to be intimidated by blockchain as they barely scratch the surface in learning what it is, how it works and how it can be applied in the world of music. Through our panel discussion, I think these walls were knocked down and it became clear that there are so many possibilities for musicians to use blockchain and cryptocurrencies in engaging ways as part of their businesses and community building. I appreciated Shelita Burke enthusiastically sharing her experience and advice in using this technology to not only sell her music, but to connect with her audience and offer them unique ways to support her and build upon the trust they have with her and her digital offerings. I also valued Tamir Koch’s insights in how eMusic is approaching this from the platform side to make it easier for artists to use this technology, streamlining the way for musicians to get started with it and offering features that make it easy for them and their fans to use. And of course, there were many takeaways from Jeff Leven in his wide breadth of experience and knowledge, but I found it interesting to hear about his experience working with so many unique artists over the years and the challenges he faces when artists come to him seeking to immediately replicate the success of those other artists. …

As the world’s most important creative convention celebrating and connecting innovators in music, technology, art, food, politics and more, it was inevitable that blockchain would come up in a big way at the 2019 SXSW Conference & Festival. The concept of decentralization got its first real introduction to festival-goers last year in the zenith of the crypto craze, creating mostly media buzz, so it was encouraging that this year’s program was well-balanced between theory and practice with plenty of in-market solutions actively addressing many of the music industry’s shortcomings (such as economic models, transparency, royalties, identity, and more). With keynotes by Joe Lubin (Consensys) and David Schwarz (Ripple) and a featured session with the Winklevoss twins (Gemini), as well as over 50 sessions and demos, cryptocurrency and blockchain were highly visible in this year’s conference. …

Blockchain is coming in big at South by Southwest this year. The blockchain and cryptocurrency track has over 48 panels and talks, Joe Lubin is delivering a keynote, and ConsenSys has already opened their Blockchain House, filled with non-stop programming, workshops and demos. We’re happy to be leading one of the most relevant panels for independent artists on Saturday, March 16, 2pm (“Artist in Control: Technology and the New DIY”). Designed to share more about the choices facing DIY artists today and how new technologies will usher in a future of music distribution that is more transparent and profitable, giving a new level of control and power to artists. Featuring Tamir Koch (eMusic President), Hayley Rosenblum (Head of Digital, Creative and Fan engagement for Amanda Palmer), Shelita Burke (Pop Artist and Crypto/Blockchain Expert), and Jeff Leven (Partner at Davis Shapiro Grabel Leven Granderson & Blake Law Firm), you can expect a lively discussion on how to get more ownership back into the hands of creators. …