Yesterday was my last day at Mask Network.
I shared a few consumer mega trends and how Firefly, Orb, and the Mask Ecosystem should position themselves to win these markets. I also shared a word of caution.
Gambling vs. Consuming – A Final Caution
Crypto is at a crossroads. Stablecoins work. They bring in real businesses and people. They build trust by delivering a product that solves a big problem – better money.
But rampant gambling via bonding curves and token launchpads are eroding trust. Social media algorithms amplify addiction, and most new entrants lose money.
Sure, it is possible to coin a social media post on a bonding curve and do the same for profiles. In crypto, we say this is empowering creators and giving real value to culture assets.
But the reality is these are markets and most people lose money.
If you were the one hundredth person to buy a new toilet on Amazon and it cost you $25,000 dollars while the other guys paid $250 because the toilet was trending I think you’d be pretty pissed. You’d probably call your local politician and ask for the business to be shut down or at least regulated. This is why we had gambling regulation in the U.S. and they are forced to give 1-800-GAMBLER disclaimers on all their ads. People who are bad at math or have bad impulse control get addicted.
We are better than that. Sure casinos are fun. Yes, we should totally make it easy for people to bet on games, politics, and the games in life. At least in crypto the dynamic pricing and markets are transparent while outside of crypto is not (See uber dynamic pricing). But, let’s not pretend there is an illusion of choice here when algorithms and addictive devices are involved.
Be smart. Educate, set guard rails, and when possible choose consumerism (e.g. collectibles) over gambling (e.g. Zora posts).
It’s been an incredible run. Firefly, Orb, and Mask sit at the intersection of multi-decade trends. The foundation is here. The future awaits.
On to my next adventure: @relayzero - M&A advisor firm creating founder exit market fit from consumer to defi.
Hey 👋 did you know you can stream music NFTs from any #Ethereum layer on @spin_amp for free!? ✨ As well as directly mint your favorite tunes, create playlist, & tip your favorite musicians/bands!
🔗 ⬇️
At Devcon? 🎶🎉
We don't have a stand or free t-shirts, but we offer a lot of free music all year round. You can recognize our team in the crowd by carrying a boombox on the shoulder (just joking).
Investors and hardcore listeners, reach out! We'd love to chat, jam, play or sing together.
Did you already check the new Explore page? Not just some visual improvements, but also the content is different. This way, you can discover new music more quickly and listen to the songs you love again.
Artists, please smile, profiles now feature bigger pictures!
No more crazy paths to find the song that is in your head, no need to go to your favorite songs or remember the track name. Now it's probably there on your Explore page under "Listen Again." Discovering new music is great, but when you are obsessed with a song, it's better to play it ASAP.
Don't worry, you will still feel at home, we just cleaned up a bit. Artists have bigger pictures, horizontal scroll is clearer, and you can listen to the songs you have been playing recently again. Check out how your explore page looks now: https://t.co/4dG7x67hJE
@mera_takeru@agablismusic@djmode3@dead_marcelo @metawoofer @Mukenio@YoshiroMare
Thank you for uploading your music on Spinamp—we're so grateful to have you on board!
Building strong relationships and trust with your fans can make the music they listen to feel even more meaningful. That's why we recommend you enhance your profile by adding more social links and a description that gives collectors insight into what drives your creativity.
You can even write your dirtiest gossip; we will not stop you.
Notification history is live!
You can go to your notifications page to view historical notifications you want to check-in on. Notifications and history are also now live on web too!
New Feature: Updated notification controls!
You can now go to settings and have more fine-grained control over which artists you get notifications from when they drop new tracks~
By default, you'll get notified whenever an artist you follow drops a new track so you don't miss it!
We have some tips for you.
We enable listeners to tip artists at any moment. Those are two of the biggest practical reasons. Are there more? Loving and supporting the work of an artist is a reason big enough?
Each member of the Spinamp team has been asked once in their life, "Can we upload songs on Spinamp?" Well, team, now you can say YES!
Drop your music directly on Spinamp today!