Music and Blockchain Hopes Over Hype – 2019 SXSW Programming Trends

Each year at SXSW, prominent trends emerge from Conference programming that provide insight into the future of tech, entertainment, and culture. From the 10 significant trends identified by the SXSW Programming Team for the 2019 event, the Music and Blockchain Hopes Over Hype Trend discusses whether or not blockchain technology's potential is great enough to transform the music industry.

Thanks to new platforms and streaming services, there are more ways to create, distribute, and obtain music than ever before. In fact, there's more content than consumers! But even in this golden age of content, not all songwriters, producers, musicians, and sound technicians are compensated fairly or quickly. Blockchain technology has been introduced as a potential means of solving many of the problems facing anyone looking to release music: fair pay and trade for streaming, expedited payments, transparent distribution, and more.

Millions of dollars in funding has flowed into the music industry and the promise of blockchain as an agent of change. But, the disparity between optimistic projections for blockchain tech and its current applications is growing and little has actually been delivered to the market.

One of the biggest issues with blockchain converging into the music industry is a lack of education. The blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger where the records of transactions, as well as data, can be stored without a single owner. The data is run by a network of computers that each contain a constantly updated copy of the entire chain. Without physical application though, the concept itself is hard to grasp and presents a barrier to adoption. How can the music industry become more transparent through adopting a complicated blockchain platform? Can these technologies really streamline royalty payments and bring transparency to the industry?

Music and Blockchain Hopes Over Hype Trend

Join the conversation at SXSW this March and get the inside scoop on blockchain developments in the music industry. Learn how technology continues to change the landscape for DIY artists in the session Artists In Control: Technology and the New DIY. Continue learning how blockchain will enable a new era of freedom and creativity for artists by joining Keith Bearden of Greasy Films, Kim Jackson of Breaker and DJ Spooky of Sozo Artists, Inc. as they discuss how blockchain can empower artists in the session Blockchain Technology Transforming Film and Music.

Join Candice Cook Simmons of The Cook Law Group, PLLC to hear how businesses should be upping the ante on their intellectual property conversations regarding patents, trademarks and copyrights in the session Creating an Intellectual Property Strategy 2.0. And, hear from a panel of experts from the worlds of blockchain, data science and auditing in the session Self-Sovereignty, Open Protocols and Future of Music.

Make sure to add these sessions to your 2019 SXSW schedule to see what’s in store for the music industry.

Music and Blockchain Hopes Over Hype Session Highlights

• Artists In Control: Technology and the New DIY
• Blockchain Technology Transforming Film and Music
• Building a Better Music Industry on Blockchain
• Creating an Intellectual Property Strategy 2.0
• Self-Sovereignty, Open Protocols and Future of Music

Join Us for SXSW 2019

The SXSW Conference includes 10 different programming trends ranging from Job Design and the Future of Work to Evolution of Transportation and Delivery. Learn and collaborate with others during this one-of-a-kind conference and get your SXSW 2019 Badge today. Explore new opportunities over the course of 10 days filled with screenings, showcases, exhibitions, networking and more this March 8-17, deep in the heart of Austin, TX.

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Featured Image Photo by Danny Matson