BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY AND MUSIC: PART I

Welcome to Part I of Gender Amplified’s series BLOCKCHAIN AND MUSIC, a series inspired by Tolli, Inc.’s event “Blockchain X Music,” on blockchain technology and its implications for the music industry! Over the next couple of weeks, we will be diving into what blockchain technology is, for whom it is useful, how it can be integrated and utilized in the music industry, and its groundbreaking possibilities for women artists of all types.

Part I will provide a recap of the Tolli, Inc.‘s event “Blockchain X Music,” which was hosted by artist-turned-entrepreneur Tiffany Carvalho of Tolli Inc. and self-producing musician Rae Isla.

What was the goal of the event?

We are currently situated in a technological space that is adapting and changing at light speed. The blockchain technology, while not new, is being applied and utilized in different industries (including cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin) to put the power back into the hands of creators, artists, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. The increasing interest in decentralization through the blockchain technology is starting conversations in the music industry and among artists.

Hosts Tiffany Carvalho (Co-founder of Tolli, Inc.) and Rae Isla explain that “too often artists — especially women identifying artists — are the last to get involved with new technologies. By providing opportunities for artists to learn about and invest in emerging technologies from the ground floor, you give them the tools to have more control over their careers, their art, and their industries.”  The Blockchain X Music event’s aim was to show women artists how blockchain technology could disrupt the music industry by shifting power into the hands of artists.

Who was involved?

HOSTS

Rae Isla (left) and Tiffany Carvalho (right). Image Source: Khitam Jabr

Tiffany Carvalho and Tolli App

 Tolli, Inc is a platform created by artists, for artists that aims to eliminate the stigma of the “starving artist” by providing resources for collaboration and education for creatives of every discipline. Tolli increases recognition, visibility and employment opportunities for artists of all types. The collaborative and artistic community that Tolli fosters is a backbone upon which artists can rely for networking, creative content creation, and more. Tolli gained great momentum when Tiffany Carvalho and her teammates competed on Girl Starter, a reality-style competition series for female entrepreneurs that aired on TLC and Discovery last Spring. Together, they pitched an idea for a mobile networking application that matches artists with collaborators, as well as with job and educational opportunities, based on their geographical location. Their pitch and business plan won them the $100,000 grand prize in seed funding and services. Tolli is new and growing, and it holds great promise for the future success of artists.

Rae Isla

Rae Isla is a rising unsigned, self-producing artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She is a singer, a songwriter, a composer, and a producer! Her most recent music video for her song “Just Because” has been playing on MTVLA all around Latin America and beyond. This video is produced, co-directed, edited, and shot by an all female team including Guadalupe Giordano and Nathalie Basoski. Look out for a new song of hers coming out July 6th.

PANELISTS:

Ebonie Smith. Image Source: Khitam Jabr

Ebonie Smith

Ebonie Smith, in-house producer at Atlantic records, is the founder and president of our great organization, Gender Amplified. As an award-winning music producer, engineer and singer-songwriter, Ebonie is utilizing her expertise in music production and technology to transform culture. Ebonie Smith received her Master’s degree in Music Technology from NYU, writing her Master’s Thesis on Peer-to-Peer Electronic Music Sharing.

Alisa de Rosa. Image Source: Khitam Jabr

Alisa de Rosa

Alisa de Rosa is the founder of Aria Ventures LLC., a company that offers critical early stage development services to growing businesses in a unique model that is completely performance driven. Pairing with entrepreneurs, Aria Ventures seeks to create dynamic and successful businesses through strategic guidance and business plans.

Sydney Lai. Image Source: Khitam Jabr

Sydney Lai

Sydney Lai is the Head of Strategy at Token Foundry, a company whose goal is to develop infrastructure that makes the tokenized future accessible to people of all backgrounds. The decentralized network, facilitated through blockchain technology, provides an unparalleled opportunity for new business opportunities and transactions, and for the exchanges of services and goods.

What’s next?

Gender Amplified will be de-mystifying blockchain technology for you! Stay tuned for more information regarding this series.