What Is Gala Music?
Gala Music is a decentralized platform built on GalaChain that utilizes blockchain technology to offer artists control over their music, while providing listeners and fans with a more rewarding experience that is directly connected to musicians, merchandise, and other exclusive access.
Key Takeaways
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Gala Music is a decentralized music streaming platform powered by Gala’s Layer 1 blockchain, GalaChain.
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Gala Music employs blockchain, smart contract technology, NFT, and fungible tokens to deliver a music platform that claims to return value to artists, listeners, and fans.
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Iconic musicians like Snoop Dogg, Jordin Sparks, and Earl Sweatshirt have shown support for the Gala Music platform by hosting their music on the platform and exploring ways to reach out to their fanbase and build communities using the platform.
Oftentimes, artists and record labels fall out due to issues regarding ownership of music and how revenue from the music is distributed between the artist and the supporting crew, including the record label. Elsewhere, musicians and labels are looking for ways to connect to their fans, be it through loyalty programs or arranging interaction opportunities. Gala Music, a decentralized music streaming platform, claims to be offering a solution that introduces decentralization, tokenization, and fan engagement to the music business.
Understanding Gala Music
Gala Music is a decentralized streaming platform on the Gala Layer 1 blockchain, GalaChain. Gala Music synergizes blockchain technology, smart contracts, and tokens to deliver an engaging platform for musicians and their fans.
For musicians, Gala Music claims to be the destination for creators in search of a platform that gives them more control over their intellectual property. In addition, Gala Music claims to offer transparency and improved monetization. For music lovers, it claims to offer a platform for fans who crave a more rewarding experience that's directly connected to music and musicians.
The Gala Music project is headed by Leila Steinberg, an American businesswoman, writer, and poet famed for her contribution to the success of American hip-hop icon, Tupac Shakur. Gala Music has seen a positive reception from music fans in the crypto space and outside of it. Notable artists like Snoop Dogg, Earl Sweatshirt, and Mount Westmore have shown support for the platform. These musicians, alongside other existing and new artists, host their songs on the platform and connect with their fans on the Gala Music platform. Over 100 music creators are currently registered on the platform.
How Does Gala Music Work?
Gala Music turns songs into NFTs. Digital signatures for songs uploaded to the platform are engraved on GalaChain as ERC-1155 non-fungible tokens. GalaChain claims to offer higher transaction throughput and low fees – this enables users on the platform to transact these NFTs (songs) via a cost-efficient facility. MUSIC, the native token of the platform, is also minted on GalaChain and integrated into the platform for transactions. Gala Music creates a complete system that lets these tokens work in union with the smart contracts that control their operations.
There are three main factions of users on the Gala Music platform;
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Artists
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Listeners and Fans
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Node operators
Gala Music categorizes these factions according to their needs on the platform and tailors different facilities to meet their demands.
Artists
For artists, Gala Music introduces a distinctive approach for artists to sell their tracks through a tiered rarity system, starting with the most exclusive tier – the Signature Edition track. This rarity holds the highest distributor multiplier and is limited in quantity, making it an exclusive and highly sought-after creation. Once the Signature Edition track sells out, Gala Music seamlessly transitions to the next tier, the Pioneer Edition, followed by the Limited Edition, Standard Edition, and Open Edition.
This sequential release mechanism creates a dynamic and evolving landscape within the platform. As each rarity level, starting with the Signature Edition, sells out, the subsequent tier becomes available for purchase. This tiered system not only builds excitement among fans but also provides artists with a pathway to progressively release tracks of increasing rarity.
Gala Music's approach is also designed to allow artists to engage with their fans through exclusive events and loyalty programs. This innovative strategy aims to incentivize early supporters and foster the growth of new artists.
The revenue model revolves around track sales, with artists having the autonomy to set prices for their creations. Overall, Gala Music's innovative tiered rarity system not only creates a captivating experience for fans but also provides a progressive platform for artists to showcase and monetize their musical creations.
Listeners and Fans
Released tracks are made available for listeners. Registered and unregistered users can access this music on the platform. Gala Music provides music fans with a platform to connect with their favorite artists and play songs with a high-quality music player and no ads. Fans are also able to access rewards through earning MUSIC tokens, which can be redeemed on items such as merchandise and exclusive content.
A subclass of listeners exists, these are known as Track Owners. Track owners purchase music tracks. Purchasing a music track gives a listener extensive control over that particular music track. Music owners can host their music with a node operator and earn revenue according to the number of listens the song receives.
Node Operators
Node operators are known as Jukebox operators. Jukeboxes have a minimum uptime of 20 hours – this is to ensure that hosted music is available on the platform at all times. Anyone can run a Jukebox, including track owners. Jukebox operators take a share of the revenue from the music they host; for example, track owners who operate a Jukebox get to keep 100% of the revenue from their music. A Jukebox node can only host 10 songs for a start. According to the project, this can be expanded using the MUSIC token.
You can find more details on Gala Music’s official whitepaper.
Benefits for Artists
Gala Music claims to give artists on its platform an edge. Here are some of the advantages of using the platform as an artist;
Control of Intellectual Properties
On the platform, Gala Music claims that artists get to maintain full control of their music. This includes significant control over the distribution, valuation, and other aspects of their music. Compared to mainstream streaming platforms where music availability is defined by the platform, artists on Gala Music have a say on whether their music continues to be available on the platform or not, and also decide how much listeners should pay for their music.
Transparency
Gala Music uses blockchain technology to bring transparency to the music industry. First, the project claims to be open-source and accessible to private and public smart contract audits. In addition, details on artists’ remuneration, engagement, and popularity are available on the platform for the public.
Therefore, anyone can audit the financial claims on the platform, including the artists. Using available data, artists, and listeners can verify any claim, obtain due clarity, implement this information, and make data-driven decisions on issues such as campaigns and music tracks.
Monetization
Gala Music is deployed on GalaChain, alongside the MUSIC token. As the native token of the platform, MUSIC is integrated into the platform for payment. This makes for a seamless remittance of payment to artists and rewards to their fans. With payment infrastructure integrated into the platform, artists can easily define a preferred setup for claiming remuneration from their songs and rewarding their fans.
Moreover, Gala Music’s tier system opens up additional benefits for artists as they grow. For example, a Bronze artist can only have up to 100 tracks. However, once they reach the next tier (Silver), they will have up to 300 tracks.
Community Building
Gala Music claims to bring artists closer to their fans. The closer relationship between artists and fans on the platform makes it easier for creators to build and maintain a community of people who consume their art. Fan-artist relationship development facilities on the platform include ‘Experience’ – a dedicated outlet on the platform for exclusive items and events from music creators. Using facilities like this, artists can reach their fans in memorable ways and build stronger connections.
Benefits for Fans
As a music fan on the Gala Music platform, here are some perks you stand to enjoy;
Enhanced Fan-Artist Relationship
Gala Music claims to be bringing music artists and their fans together in a way that hasn’t always been done by a music streaming project. This goes on the platform level and even outside it. On the platform, fans can access exclusive content and events from music artists, such as gated events on the platform like live streams.
Outside the platform, Gala Music is extending fan-artist relationships in a similar way. Previously, Gala Music shared information on an event arranged between popular hip hop artist, Snoop Dogg and fans from the platform. This featured in-person activities and more. Through such events, fans are drawn closer to the artists whose music they enjoy and therefore, build a stronger relationship.
True ‘Ownership’
GameFi offers gamers a way to lay complete claim over their in-game items, in a similar but more advanced way, Gala Music offers music listeners a platform that lets them maintain true custody of the music they listen to. By buying a track, a Gala Music user not only gains the right to stream this music at will, but they also gain the right to extensive usage of the track, including monetization opportunities, turning music fans into ‘music owners’. As it is built on the blockchain, Gala Music claims that this right isn’t retrievable by the platform.
Borderless Payment Powered by the Blockchain
While this is not always a global problem, music fans from certain areas of the world struggle to subscribe to music streaming platforms due to financial constraints that are particular to their region. There are also cases of regional restrictions that affect users’ ability to pay for streaming services.
Using blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, Gala Music offers listeners from such regions an alternative with a borderless payment system. Even for fans outside these regions, cryptocurrency payment methods have shown significantly higher throughput compared to other payment systems. With MUSIC running on GalaChain, alongside the Gala Music platform, this is made even more efficient and cost-effective.
Ad-Free Music Streaming
Users on centralized music streaming platforms have to deal with unwanted and (sometimes) unstoppable ads. The only way to prevent this is to subscribe to a relevant pricing tier. The Gala MUSIC App offers listeners a platform that lets them enjoy music without a flood of advertisements.
Incentivization
Gala Music claims to offer music fans a way to ‘earn’ from their hobby. By streaming music on the platform as a registered user, fans earn MUSIC tokens. Users can also earn passive rewards by purchasing songs on the platform and staking them on a validator node. MUSIC tokens can be redeemed on the platform’s stores or spent like any other cryptocurrency. Holders can also trade their MUSIC tokens with other crypto assets on supported trading platforms.
How to Use Gala Music
The Gala Music interface shares a similarity with other music streaming platforms. Here are some of the basic operations you can perform on the platform.
Registration
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To register for a Gala Music account, visit the Gala Music platform.
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From the landing page click Sign Up
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Enter the required details and click Continue to complete.
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Check your mailbox for directions on how to verify your provided email.
Now you can use the platform!
Personal Profile and Wallet(s)
You can access your profile by clicking your profile icon from the top right corner of your dashboard. Here you can see your wallets.
Go to Settings to modify your profile as desired.
Explore Artists and Genres
To check out artists and songs on the platform, navigate to the Discover section.
Here you can see featured tracks and artists.
Navigate to the Artists section to view featured artists.
Use the search function to find your favorite artists.
Click Charts to navigate to the Charts section, which features songs and artists, arranged according to their current engagement levels.
The Top Tracks section shows trending songs on the platform, Click Top Artists to see trending artists on the platform.
Click on any of the featured artists to view their full portfolio.
Play a Song
You can create your personal playlists or freely stream any song on the platform. Use the search function to find songs or search by artist.
Other features you might like to check out include Experiences. This section features exclusive events from artists on the platform. You can also explore other operations like buying and running a node and building a collection of your favorite tracks.
Gala Music Referral Program
The Gala Music referral program gives users an opportunity to earn extra rewards by inviting their friends to the platform. Know a music lover? You can share your referral link with them and earn when they join and use the platform.
To obtain your referral link, click Refer a Friend from the bottom left corner of your dashboard.
Click on the Copy icon to copy your referral link from the pop-up and share it with your friends.
MUSIC Token Utility
MUSIC is the native token of the Gala Music platform. A total of one billion MUSIC were issued on GalaChain – 50% of the initial 150 million MUSIC token supply was dedicated to the conversion of the BEAM tokens used during the application testing stage at a 1:1 ratio. The rest of the initial supply is committed to the project’s development.
MUSIC tokens are being integrated into the platform as an integral part of the project’s economy and operation. Here are some of the use cases of the MUSIC token:
Song and Merchandise Purchase
Songs on the platform are priced in MUSIC tokens. To purchase desired songs, users pay the stated amount of MUSIC tokens. Track owners and Jukebox operators’ revenues are also paid in MUSIC tokens. MUSIC forms the core of the platform’s financial activities, encompassing all active and passive earning. Gala Music also runs a fan store with branded and exclusive items for music and specific artists’ fans. These items are also priced in MUSIC where shoppers can pay in MUSIC for these items.
Incentivization
Registered users on the platform are rewarded for streaming songs on the platform using MUSIC tokens. Fans can redeem their token rewards in the platform’s stores, spend them like any other cryptocurrency, or trade them on accepted exchanges
Users are also incentivized through other means such as loyalty reward programs and exclusive events. Some of these are valued in MUSIC. MUSIC is the native reward token of the platform.
To Increase the Capacity of Player Nodes
Gala Music player nodes are limited in the number of songs they can host. Using the MUSIC token, player nodes can increase the number of songs they can host.
Final Thoughts
Gala Music offers artists, fans, and listeners a decentralized music streaming platform that places control back in the hands of artists, while providing fans with ownership and engagement opportunities to support their favorite artists.
This article is only for educational purposes and should not be taken as financial advice. Always do your own research before interacting with any protocols.
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