Justin

In 2010 I was 19, making edm mashups from my dorm at Wash U & begging blogs to share them. I played frats for free bottles of jack while trying to stay afloat as a finance major. Dropping out of school to be a pro DJ was a lofty idea. To "make it" both financially and in the public eye, I aligned my music with the "current thing" - whatever could expand my audience & success metrics. I wanted to play big shows, hit charts, earn high fees. 15 years later, I'm 34 now; l've learned that none of those things created fulfillment or purpose. While I might not be the best musician, I'm ready to make music purely as myself. I hope it impacts people deeply, which matters more to me than the ephemeral enthusiasm of infinite internet audiences. I became deeply fascinated with Bitcoin in 2014 & Ethereum later in 2017. I've learned that crypto is THE force to fix music, an art-form that creates immense value, but is controlled by few. As Al music accelerates & content reaches superabundance, blockchains are more relevant than ever. In 2021 I started a company called royal; our vision is to democratize the economics of music. We raised $71m from our friends @ a16z, Founders Fund, and Paradigm to solve music's deepest issues with distributed ledger tech. Artists only earn 12% of the $ in the "music industry" - a categorical typewriter bound by copyright laws, relationship gates, zero sum games & late-stage desperation. Being a CEO has completely changed me. It has dampened fears of failure and pushed me toward better habits of iteration. I'm a different person now; they say "the privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are." From now on I'll go by my name, Justin Blau, because I want my digital identity to reflect my real one. I'll release new music, test crazy ideas, and invest my time at the intersection of crypto & music. Pushing boundaries makes me feel most alive. As an artist I want to give the next generation of creatives the best shot at expressing their deepest and most potent emotions. As a CEO, I want to test the limits of what's possible with revolutionary tech, even in the face of resistance. It's time to build. I'm glad you're on the journey with me.