Making a Scene – Protecting Your Intellectual Property with Blockchain

As an independent artist, protecting your music is super important. You want to make sure that when you create something, people know it’s yours—and that you actually get paid when your music is played. That’s where blockchain and smart contracts come in. Don’t worry if those sound complicated—let’s break it down step by step.

What Is Blockchain, and Why Does It Matter?

Think of blockchain like a big digital notebook that anyone can see, but no one can erase. When you upload or register your song using blockchain, you’re writing your name next to it in this notebook—along with the date and time. That way, there’s proof that you made the song, and when you made it. No one can change it or take that away from you.

This is called Proof of Creation, and it helps protect your rights if someone ever tries to steal your music or say it’s theirs.

What Are Smart Contracts?

Smart contracts are like automatic payment rules built into the blockchain. Let’s say someone listens to your song on a music app, downloads it, or uses it in a video. A smart contract makes sure you get paid automatically and fairly—without needing a manager, lawyer, or music label to chase down the money for you.

You don’t have to wait months to get paid. With smart contracts, your payment can happen right away, and you can see exactly where it came from.

Why This Is Better Than Traditional PROs

You might’ve heard of PROs (Performing Rights Organizations) like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. These companies are supposed to help you get paid when your music is played in public—on the radio, in stores, on streaming sites, or at concerts.

But there’s a big problem, especially for indie artists: the system just doesn’t work well for you. PROs use outdated methods to track music usage. They focus mostly on big radio stations, TV networks, and large venues. That means if you’re an indie musician getting played on smaller platforms, in cafes, at local shows, or on niche online stations, there’s a good chance your performances aren’t being tracked at all. And if they don’t track it, you don’t get paid.

Even when you are in the system, royalty payments are often delayed by months, and it’s hard to know where your earnings are coming from—or if you’re receiving your fair share.

Blockchain and smart contracts offer a better way. This kind of system is especially powerful for indie artists. It means your plays don’t get lost just because you’re not on the radio. Every stream, every performance, no matter how small, can be tracked and paid for in real time.

How Blockchain Protects Musicians’ Rights

1. Proof of Creation: By timestamping their work on the blockchain, artists can establish an immutable record of creation, serving as indisputable evidence of ownership.

2. Smart Contracts for Royalties: Blockchain enables the use of smart contracts, which automate royalty payments. This ensures that artists receive their fair share promptly whenever their music is streamed, downloaded, or licensed.

3. Transparent Ownership Records: The decentralized nature of blockchain provides a transparent and unchangeable history of ownership, simplifying the verification process for rights holders and reducing disputes.

Platforms Dedicated to Protecting Artists’ Rights

• Royal: Founded by DJ and producer 3LAU, The Royal protocol offers an immutable solution that verifies your provenance Enabling registration of any creative asset to secure and verify you made it. Registering a digital asset like a song or artwork secures your claim as the original creator. With your protocol registration, you can track its journey across the digital world, ensuring your provenance is always recognized, even if the creative asset changes hands.

• Blokur: This platform specializes in resolving conflicts in music rights data by consolidating information from various sources. By providing a clear and accurate picture of rights ownership, Blokur ensures that artists are properly credited and compensated.

• Mycelia: Initiated by artist Imogen Heap, Mycelia leverages blockchain to give musicians control over their music rights and earnings. It enables artists to manage how their music is used and ensures timely and transparent payments.

• LBRY: A decentralized content-sharing platform, LBRY allows artists to distribute their work without intermediaries. By publishing content on LBRY, musicians can set their terms for distribution and monetization, retaining full control over their creations.

The Bottom Line

If you’re an indie musician, blockchain gives you real power. It helps you:

• Prove you made your music

• Get paid automatically and fairly

• Keep full control over how your songs are used

And the best part? You don’t need a big record label to do it. Platforms like Royal, Blokur, Mycelia, and LBRY give you the tools to protect your music and build a career on your terms.

The Continued Adventures of Mia Carter

In the year 2030, Mia Carter, a passionate indie musician from Brooklyn, was gaining popularity online with her unique blend of indie-pop and electronic sounds. As her fanbase grew, Mia became concerned about protecting her music and ensuring fair compensation for her creative work. She’d heard many stories about indie artists whose music was stolen, improperly credited, or simply lost in the confusing maze of traditional music rights organizations.

Determined to take control, Mia began researching how blockchain technology could protect her rights. She discovered the concept of “Proof of Creation”—a simple way to timestamp her music on the blockchain, creating a permanent, undeniable record of her ownership. Excited by this, she quickly registered her latest album on a platform called Royal. Immediately, she felt empowered, knowing there was now digital proof that each song was undeniably hers.

Next, Mia learned about “smart contracts,” which could automatically handle payments whenever someone streamed, downloaded, or licensed her music. She chose Mycelia, a platform started by musician Imogen Heap, to help her set up smart contracts for her songs. Now, every time a fan listened to her tracks on a streaming platform or her songs played in local cafes, Mia was instantly and transparently compensated. She no longer needed to wait months or guess if payments were accurate.

As her music spread, Mia faced another challenge: tracking the usage of her songs worldwide. She turned to Blokur, a platform that streamlined and corrected her rights information, ensuring she received proper royalties no matter how far her music traveled. Using Blokur, Mia quickly resolved a potential dispute when a commercial overseas tried to use her music without proper credit. The blockchain record clearly showed her as the creator, and the issue was resolved fairly and swiftly.

To further connect directly with her audience, Mia uploaded exclusive content to LBRY, a decentralized platform where she could set her own terms and retain complete control over her music distribution. Her fans appreciated this personal connection and gladly supported her directly, knowing their money went straight to Mia.

By embracing blockchain technology, Mia Carter not only protected her music but also built a thriving, fair, and transparent music career—no longer reliant on outdated systems or intermediaries. Mia’s success inspired other indie musicians to explore blockchain solutions, creating a future where artists had full ownership and control over their creative work.