139 vinyl records
collecting vinyl records have become a deliberate act of preserving music culture.
it's hard to imagine a future where record collecting doesn't evolve into music nfts.
some thoughts 🧵
record collecting revolves as much around displaying as it does creating.
the thrill of the hunt and the art of crate digging (searching for obscure artifacts, often by thrifting) is a core part of the experience.
crate digging is about discovering rare and obscure records that few others have.
It's about uncovering hidden gems through hours of searching.
and everyone loves a good hidden gem. why?
first, it's way to demonstrate superior knowledge, taste, and status through the rarity and eclecticism of their finds.
collecting can often be a status game.
but hidden gems also have financial value.
if you're reading this, you've likely collected an nft, so i don't need to explain the social and financial upside of owning rare/coveted artifacts.
especially if you collect something from an artist before they become more popular.
music nfts not only add new possibilities to the form factor of collecting, but they also add new possibilities to the way they can be collected.
it might not be the dominant way we discover and consume music, but there will inevitably be limited releases of music at some point in the future via music nfts.
imagine exclusive tracks:
- airdropped to top streamers
- claimed at a live show
- sold as a limited-edition release
and the only way to hear the track/album is by owning it.
the entire meatspace becomes a giant crate to dig, not just secondhand record stores.
learning musical history and connecting to a genre's culture becomes more fun and spontaneous.
and if that ever happens, there's bound to be an ecosystem of products that form around these new music collectibles: both hardware and software.
things we display in our homes and personal spaces, where we most express our taste and identity.
the interfaces will focus more on displaying the historical provenance of a collectible than on the playback experience.
the core part of the ux is the story behind the track, and the ease of displaying and sharing with others.