Hey again, Steemians! Wow, my tour for my TatianaCoin campaign and my upcoming album--Keep The Faith--has been a wild one! I just got back from Anarchapulco, but before I get into more about that, check out this video from a recent trip to Cincinnati where I spoke and performed at Stride 2017! And don't forget to find out more about, and contribute to, my campaign at: http://www.TatianaCoin.com
From the Event:
Tatiana Moroz realized music’s ability to change culture as a child, riding in her mom’s car while Cat Stevens played on the radio.
She dreamed of becoming a society-shifting singer-songwriter, so she headed to Boston to Berklee College of Music for formal university training, and then to New York City, where she worked in recording studios. She finally felt at home when she stepped on stage, but struggled to earn a living.
“It’s a very thankless job,” Moroz said at Stride 2017, a guitar slung on her shoulder. “I remember one time I made $50 at a gig, and it was like a parade.”
Then she discovered how social media – Myspace, back then – could help independent artists connect directly with music lovers. As the technology developed and new platforms emerged, she watched her fan base grow.
But things changed. The social media networks that had long offered artists a free way to connect with their audiences moved toward paid models for brands. Moroz had to start spending money to advertise, and realized the platforms owned the relationships.
Little did Moroz know that tech enthusiasts were building a way she and her fans could exchange music, ideas – and even money – without the middlemen.
Bitcoin, a form of digital currency, was invented in 2008 and released to the world the following year. Because it isn’t a government-backed currency or tied to a central bank, bitcoins can be exchanged online without the need for third-party financial institutions. Every bitcoin transaction is recorded on a public register, called the blockchain, for transparency. Friends introduced Moroz to the world of cryptocurrency. She began attending cryptocurrency events and even wrote a jingle to promote bitcoin.
“What really got me interested was not the money, but the story of what bitcoin and cryptocurrencies could do,” she said.
More recently, she partnered with startup Tokenly to develop TatianaCoin, the first-ever artist cryptocurrency. She said it functions like a digital gift certificate and compared it to brand loyalty programs.
“You can spend them on whatever you want, send them to your friends, sell them if you decide you don’t like my music anymore,” she said with a laugh. “That was the connection point – I could give my fans back something valuable, and they could use it however they wanted.”
On March 31, Moroz plans to release a new album, “Keep the Faith,” funded entirely through cryptocurrency.
It’s safe to say Moroz and her fellow activists are shifting the public’s mindset about digital currency. The concept scared people in established industries at first, she said, but now the very bankers who “thought we were rebels” attend cryptocurrency conferences, and well-known companies like Overstock.com accept bitcoins as payment.
“It’s going to be something that I think will change the world for the better,” she said. “I think we’re in for a really good ride.”