Join the crypto club

TommyD is a man who knows his way around music, and around the music industry.

The South Londoner is a time-served DJ. An original house music champion who was there, spinning tunes and mixing it up, at the foundation of legendary superclub Ministry of Sound. A chart-bothering producer for Brit- and Mercury-nominated indie bands. A musician with serious gigging under his belt as a member, alongside an Ivor Novello-winning singer, of Graffiti6. A songwriter and studio veteran who has helped launch the careers of multiple artists. An arranger and (re)mixer whose myriad collaborations include hook-ups with Kanye West, Beyoncé and Jay‑Z.

That deep knowledge, passion and thirst for creativity – not to mention a contacts book to die for – are now underpinning TokenTraxx. The London-based company is a new platform and community offering innovative ways to create, curate and collect music using NFTs. Next week,sees the launch of the TRAXX network token, the​“currency” which enables their marketplace.

For TommyD, his company – co-founded with Miles Leonard, the ex-Chairman of Parlophone Records and Warner Music who’s worked with the likes of Gorillaz and Tinie Tempah – is about paying it back, and paying it forward, both for fans and artists.

“We’ve all allowed the current system to come about, which is just not working for creators,” he says of the music industry.​“Creators need support, emotionally, and financially. And it’s not working because they’re not getting either.

“So at TokenTraxx, it’s about inviting artists on and saying:​‘Right, what’s your Web3 strategy? What assets have you got, what do you need? You could do this, we could do that…’ We’ve got a team of people that we put around them, and we help them come up with amazing and innovative NFT concepts that they can then put through the TokenTraxx platform. I think this is what differentiates us from other NFT platforms that are more tech focused. We’re music first, tech second.”

Or, as Leonard puts it,​“Our mission is to empower artists to easily tokenise songs, albums, and merchandise, thereby revolutionising the way fans engage with the artists they love”.

“I’ve always found artists are very loyal when you give them the freedom and space to be creative,” he continues.​“They have a desire to imagine new dimensions to their music, to attract new audiences and build their brand and following. TokenTraxx is a community that supports and encourages this.”

But what’s in it for the fans? The opportunity to join an exclusive new club where they can have a stake, emotional and financial, in the artists they love. That, and the chance to support and encourage fresh talent.

“It’s about building communities,” says TommyD.​“It’s about offering collectibles, rarities.” And in turn, by creating​“tiered membership schemes”, fans and artists are closer​“in a way that we’ve never been able to do before.”

As of 21^st March, TokenTraxx is taking its first public steps to change the way music is made, shared and enjoyed, with artists and fans able to explore the functionality and benefits of the company’s marketplace by​encouraging as many people to ​“join the guestlist”.

Watch this digital space.

Click here for more information on the TRAXX token sale