I interview Tom Norwood from Loop.Fans, a platform designed to empower musicians through Web 3.0 technologies. We discuss the unique features of Loop.Fans, including the integration of NFTs, the importance of direct artist-fan relationships, and the potential for merging physical and digital merchandise. Tom shares his journey from running a live music venue to developing blockchain solutions for the music industry, and we explore the future applications of Loop.Fans beyond music, including partnerships with various creators and industries. In our conversation, Tom discusses his innovative platform loop.fans, which simplifies blockchain technology for musicians and fans. He explains how the platform allows artists to create NFTs and engage with their super fans through a reward system. Our discussion highlights the potential of blockchain to revolutionize the music industry by providing transparency, fair access to concert tickets, and new marketing models that benefit both artists and fans. Our conversation emphasizes the importance of empowering super fans and the need for innovation in the music space.

Chapters00:00 Introduction to Loop.Fans02:14 The Role of NFTs in Music Investment07:22 Web 3.0: A Return to Direct Artist-Fan Relationships10:06 Integrating Physical and Digital Merchandise13:11 The Journey to Loop.Fans: From Live Music to Blockchain15:59 Expanding Beyond Music: Future Applications of Loop.Fans18:57 Partnerships and Industry Engagement20:38 Simplifying Blockchain for Musicians23:05 Integrating NFTs into Music Portfolios23:46 Building a Rewarding Ecosystem for Fans25:54 Revolutionizing Access to Concerts and Events28:19 Empowering Super Fans through Blockchain30:22 The Future of Music Innovation33:07 Challenging the Status Quo in the Music Industry

As a creator, in today's world you don't own your data - the platform does. Fancircles.com is changing that with allowing creators to build their own artist-branded app.

I interview Kevin Brown the CEO from FanCircles.com discussing the innovative approach of creating artist-branded apps that foster direct relationships between artists and their fans. Kevin shares insights on the importance of ownership, monetization strategies, and the role of push notifications in engaging fans. The conversation highlights the shift from passive listening to active participation in an artist's career, emphasizing the need for artists to build a loyal fanbase and collect valuable data for future growth.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Fan Circles

03:08 The Artist-Centric Approach

06:01 Benefits Over Content

09:11 Direct-to-Fan Relationships

12:01 Push Notifications and Engagement

15:00 Monetization Strategies for Artists

18:02 The Importance of Data Ownership

20:59 Building a Loyal Fanbase

24:06 The Future of Artist Apps

Vibecoding is a fun and powerful way of creating apps, games, and SaaS products very quickly. However, AI is not perfect, and there are a lot of AI models to choose from while coding. None of them are perfect... yet. In the meantime we have to deal with bugs that they create. Here are the 5 types of bugs that I've run into while vibecoding and some basic coping strategies.

Learn about the chatbot tool for content creators Mookee.io that allows creators to interact with fans using their own style and voice. Tools like this allow artists to scale their efforts, while also allowing fans to have more fun and interaction with the artist in a new way. Mookee also has SMS support, which allows the artist to combine push notifications with intelligent text chat. This can increase sales and awareness around events.

I give my assessment of what's happening with AI coding tools and how they're changing software development. I'm a longtime designer and product manager and I'm finding that they are powerful, but you still have to know software engineering as the models can still write code that isn't appropriate for the scenario. Designers and developers are now having overlapping duties with AI being able to do each others' jobs. The tech industry may see a shift towards smaller development teams, as a result. It's clear these tools will be changing software development significantly. Have you tried any yet? Let me know in the comments how these tools work for you and which ones you've tried.

Chapters

00:00 The Rise of AI Coding Tools

03:17 Low-Code Revolution and Its Implications

06:11 Navigating the Complexities of AI-Assisted Coding

07:37 The Future of Software Development Teams

This week I talk to Emmanuel Saccoccini "Sacco" from Riff Raff an app that allows musicians to collaborate from anywhere. This app is fun and is a perfect example of expanding the music market in a casual way, but also letting more committed artists find new audiences. Music tech can reach many and the "casual musician" and "social musician" are good personas to explore.

The app aims to rekindle the joy of playing music by connecting musicians who share similar tastes, providing a platform for creativity and community. Socko discusses the app's features, the importance of collaboration, and how it motivates musicians, especially those who may have lost their passion for playing. Our conversation highlights the app's potential to bring musicians together and encourage participation in music, regardless of skill level or experience.

IndyRiot.com is a direct-to-consumer, white label, marketing platform for music artists. Kimberly is the CEO and founder and she gives an overview of the features of the platform including web site generation, hosting of downloadable assets, livestreaming events, analytics, and more. Music tech continues to explode and IndyRiot.com has been a pioneer in the space.

In this episode of the Make a Fun Island podcast, I interview Dan Conley, a Microsoft engineer and musician, at the Music Tectonics Conference in Santa Monica. We discuss the intersection of music and technology, focusing on the ethical use of AI in music creation, the challenges artists face with revenue, and the potential of edge computing in enhancing music production. Dan shares insights on how AI tools can empower creators, especially in mobile environments, and the importance of keeping data secure and local.