Notes for Notes® x Cryptocurrency: A Path to Artistic Growth and Sustainability
Abstract. A network of donors, artistic patrons and creators can have an overwhelmingly quantifiable impact on the future of music creation and sustainability. Adoption of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency donations can support, enrich and advance the mission of Notes for Notes (N4N®) to provide even more youth with the opportunity to explore, create and record music for FREE while developing new and alternative directions for them to build an identity, community, audience and career they never imagined possible.
1.
Introduction:
NGOs traditionally rely on philanthropic giving from individuals, corporations, events and foundational giving. However, N4N’s primary source of funding has been corporate sponsorship, events and artists. Since our inception in 2006 N4N has found it challenging to gain the attention of and secure funding from private charitable institutions. One might look at the N4N mission and box us as purely an arts/culture organization when in reality the depth of our mission extends well beyond music education. We believe music has the power to transform lives. It is not only a fundamental aspect of our everyday as listeners, but for the creators it is a powerful tool for building Confidence, exposing Creativity, practicing Compassion and finding a Community. Inside an N4N Studio, each of these pillars fortify social emotional learning through the dynamic and relevant medium of music. Regardless of the invaluable musical and personal impact of our program on our members, N4N has found it difficult to break through the closed networks and “invite-only” process of many traditional foundations to secure their financial support. Communicating the many layers of our work proves challenging when the genres of music and methods to learning we employ fall outside traditional music education. The music youth choose to create in our program like Hip-hop, Pop, Rock, and EDM, though culturally relevant, hasn’t typically resonated with donors who solely associate supporting music education with instruction in symphonic and choral music. We do not seek to reduce the importance of these traditional genres by any means but instead to raise awareness of the importance of contemporary genres as an essential part of the path that will inspire youth to explore, create and record music. It is our openness to any musical path a youth may desire that lives at the heart of our mission. Yet, it has become apparent after over 15 years of trying to reach traditional arts funding sources that this ethos may be limiting our appeal amongst traditional music education funders. The current system tends to favor a hierarchy of relationships to open doors and often limits the ability for small, innovative and unconventional organizations like N4N to get on the radar for even a chance at securing funding. Understandably, due to overwhelming need and related requests for support, large institutions create processes, leverage automation and deploy resources (time and personnel) to filter opportunities. But, not unlike an investment strategy focused on a stable portfolio of assets that incrementally accrue with minimal risk, the opportunity to invest in the future with a forward-thinking business can often be overlooked. As we continue to grow, we hope we can find the opportunities and
open the doors that allow us to communicate the power of our work so that institutional investment can be a pillar of a diversified revenue strategy. Regardless of whether we are able to establish this funding, it is building a community of supporters across multiple sectors that is paramount to ensuring lasting sustainability. Throughout this journey, we’ve found a community amongst artists, music manufacturers, innovative sponsors and passionate individuals who have sustained and grown our mission. Where we have struggled on one side of fundraising, we have succeeded on the other in building community and we believe wholeheartedly that a new community of crypto supporters will resonate with N4N’s ethic, strategy, and perseverance and help us in Producing Tomorrow’s Musicians. On the programmatic side of our crypto endeavors is a strategy that could not only provide equitable access for youth from some of the most marginalized backgrounds but also give them an early advantage in the future of the crypto economy. As blockchain technology and cryptocurrency continue to hack its way through the mainstream everglades there will be many traditionalists who ignore or actively fight these opportunities. While the rest of the world navigates if and how blockchain tech could/should coexist or replace the current systems, N4N members will be learning, experimenting and innovating from an early age how their music can range from being just a private outlet of expression to a professional career. As a FREE program, N4N provides any youth with the opportunity to explore, create and record music. When youth walk through the doors of our physical or digital studios they find a place where their economic background, race, or sexual orientation do not play any role in their access to music making opportunities. It is a classless environment where everyone is treated as equals and musicians. In this equalitarian creative space youth find an experience rare in the (current) real world. With unrestricted access to making music established from the onset at N4N, cryptocurrency and NFT music and audiovisual art represents an exciting advantage for aspiring young artists to seize. So often paths are presented for young people to follow that may not always be congruent with their interests, abilities and financial realities. At N4N, a strong sense of agency is cultivated where their passion and curiosity are supreme. They can pull a guitar off the wall or jump into software and begin experimenting with music creation or they can sign up for a lesson where we can help them carve a path for learning. As youth are bombarded with but a few choices in their formative years or some not at all, it is vitally important to continue exposing them to new opportunities and empowering them to explore. The crypto/NFT space represents just the beginning of whole new set of opportunities for young artists to explore, pioneer and elevate. The next generation of musicians will find a path neither we nor them could have imagined possible.
2.
Process:
The future is calling, N4N is answering. As of April 2021, N4N is now accepting donations in a variety of crypto currencies and building out strategies for NFT releases to support our mission and cultivate a platform and community where young creators can establish themselves, promote and sell their music. N4N believes that accepting donations in crypto will increase awareness of our mission amongst a community of forward thinkers, artists and investors who will resonate with our innovative approach to
artistic and emotional growth through recording original music. Like the punk rocker ethos at our core, we know that the pirate radio frequency we broadcast on will connect with those outsiders who enjoy taking the road less traveled, appreciating the journey to success. We believe the crypto community is filled with them and we aim to authentically and patiently find and be found by those who connect with our approach. We also believe that part of our contribution to the community is raising awareness of blockchain technology to drive wider adoption. However, the most important aspect of our crypto strategy is preparing youth for a future music scene they can not only survive in but, more importantly, thrive in. If N4N, with the support of the crypto community, can play even a small part in inspiring, educating, and guiding youth through the process of collaborating and minting their art as NFTs, we will multiply the options they never imagined they’d have access to. While our strategy to accept cryptocurrency donations, launch NFTs and educate and guide youth to create their own sets N4N on an intentional path, at our core we are focused on relationships and community. We envision an inclusive community of crypto advocates, musicians, artists, and young musicians around the country (and eventually the world) benefitting from a unified passion to support each other in pursuit of great art. Through collaborations, strategic drops and awareness we hope N4N can enhance communities already pioneering crypto as well as find our place in the broader movement building artistic sustainability and a global community of like-minded individuals. It is always the early adopters that bear the risk… yet reap the rewards. Patience is paramount. Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency will not solve our revenue strategy overnight, nor should it as a heavy reliance on any one source leaves us vulnerable. It must be a combination of strategies with a strong community at the heart supporting and innovating for the betterment of all. 3. Conclusion: While our entrance to this space is recent, we humbly approach it with a collaborative, generative and patient ethic to do right by the existing crypto community, our mission and the youth we serve. We ask for your support in a variety of ways from donations to collaborations and education to awareness. Your contributions create a feedback loop driving mass adoption, opportunity and elevation of young creators. We seek to learn from those who have already invested and believe in the possibilities of this space with the hope that N4N can enhance it and be a catalyst for more sustainability and creativity in the music industry. At the time of this writing, the NFT technology remains comparatively young and we truly have no idea what direction it will ultimately take, however, we can trust that a community built on connection, appreciation, collaboration and a pursuit of authenticity can navigate the ups and downs forging a path to a more beautiful sounding world.