A future led by blockchain will return power to creators and users.

Author: Chris Dixon

Translated by: Deep Tide TechFlow

We should be in a golden age for creators.

Today, technologies like the internet, media hosting sites, streaming platforms, social media, and smartphones make it easier for people to access and engage with creators' works. If you want to listen to Olivia Rodrigo's latest hit, watch Mr. Beast's new challenge, or enjoy the latest independent film, you can do so with just a tap of your finger.

However, most creators still struggle to make a living from their work.

While tech platforms have helped us discover more artists, especially independent ones, only a few mainstream artists can influence these platforms. Taylor Swift single-handedly forced Apple to change its payment policy for creators because the company did not compensate artists during the free trial period. When she threatened to remove her catalog from Apple, the company announced a policy change the very next day. Swift expressed her gratitude, stating that "they listened to us" — and made the change within 17 hours — but most other creators and small artists do not have that kind of influence or power.

This is a structural issue in the entertainment industry, related to how many tech platforms operate: creators need power, and power comes from control, which in turn comes from ownership. Although a platform cannot exist without user-contributed content, the profits that users derive from it are minimal. They also have no say in the affairs of the platform.

The question is how to return control to creators and fans.

The original promise of the internet was to connect people directly, eliminating intermediaries. Tech companies have connected 5 billion people globally, but these companies later shifted from attracting users to profiting from them. They first attracted and locked us in with convenient tools and irresistible network effects: the more people use the network, the more valuable it becomes for each user. Today, the platforms owned by these companies hold all the power. Contrary to the original promise, the internet has become as stagnant as the era dominated by the three major television networks, filled with intermediaries.

Don't like these platforms? Sure, you can opt out of Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, and X/Twitter. But you cannot take your fan lists, data, or even social relationships and interaction records with you. Sometimes, you can't even take your own content. As a result, these popular social networks tightly control their audiences and can charge high "commission rates." The commission rate refers to the percentage deducted from revenue by the platform, rather than distributing more income to participants on the network. For Instagram and X, this rate is nearly 100%. (And these terms are often not transparent enough.)

Worse still, the CEOs of these platforms have almost unrestricted power to change user rules at will. They can raise commission rates at any time, kick artists and developers off the platform without any compensation, and change the algorithms that attract our attention overnight (which directly affects artists' views and plays). We have all witnessed the various challenges faced by today's creators: from the Hollywood writers' strike over streaming residual rights to the question of who truly owns creators' works (as Taylor Swift knows all too well), to the situation where musicians earn meager income despite thousands of plays.

How can creators receive the compensation they deserve? Some legislators suggest addressing this issue by regulating platforms, but in reality, such regulation would only increase compliance costs for small companies, further entrenching the monopolistic positions of large corporations. Last year, Taylor Swift once again pushed policymakers across the U.S. — from Minnesota to New York, Texas, and Washington — to challenge Ticketmaster's monopoly. Several policymakers have also proposed federal legislation to ensure price transparency, among other things. But these measures are merely stopgaps, attempting to mitigate the harm caused by platforms to artists and fans without addressing the fundamental structural issues.

Meanwhile, some people hope for a transformation within the platforms themselves. Jack Stratton, the leader of the independent band Vulfpeck, called on Apple to "reclaim dominance in the music market." He believes that Apple could provide artists with more opportunities to receive direct fan funding, rather than relying on the current play-based revenue distribution model. Stratton also suggested that Apple adjust the music revenue split from the current 70/30 to a more creator-friendly 90/10. While this is a good idea, implementing it is not easy.

However, such changes are still only stopgaps, as creators remain subject to the decisions of platform owners. What artists truly need is more autonomy on the platforms they contribute to. Specifically, creators need higher revenue shares, more direct fan interaction, and the ability to exit platforms freely without losing connections, content, and data. Most importantly, creators should have the right to participate in setting platform rules to prevent sudden changes from affecting their interests.

While existing platforms can be more user-friendly, this does not address the fundamental issue: ownership. This is where emerging technologies — such as crypto and blockchain — can play a role. Setting aside the price of Bitcoin and the jokes about Dogecoin, blockchain is not just a vehicle for cryptocurrency; it is the foundation for building a new internet — one that shifts power from companies to communities, including the communities of fans and creators.

Blockchain is a community-owned, tamper-proof, permissionless network — meaning you do not need approval from an intermediary to operate or participate. Users (whether creators or fans) do not need to rely on the promises of large tech platforms because the technology itself has encoded those promises. Through blockchain technology, artists can receive ongoing royalty income, decide how their music is remixed or utilized, and even allow fans to engage more deeply and own their works. Creators and artists can regain control of their online livelihoods.

Through blockchain technology, creators can truly own their most important asset — their network — and thus control their own destinies. When users can manage their own relationships, they can choose to leave one platform and move their business elsewhere, a possibility that forces platforms to remain fair. This freedom effectively reduces the commission rates that platforms charge creators and users: for example, some current blockchain-based creator platforms have commission rates as low as 1% to 2.5%. In contrast, traditional platforms like YouTube have commission rates as high as nearly 50%.

Indeed, our digital and creative worlds are broader, richer, and more convenient than ever. However, this comes at an important cost: creators are overly reliant on a few tech companies that hold all the power. These companies depend entirely on the people using their apps and platforms, yet share very little control, ownership, or profits. Big-name creators may be able to cope, but small and medium-sized creators struggle to thrive. It is time to change this status quo. A future led by blockchain will return power to creators and users. Blockchain means ownership, and ownership means independence.

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