Transparency in matters of contracting, privacy, security, respect for copyrights, among others, are the factors that the blockchain model aspires to improve.
Basically, the blockchain is a data structure on the internet that is grouped into sets (blocks) to which information related to another block of the previous chain is added in a time line, which allows to secure digital transactions of any nature ( economic, bureaucratic, etc). In particular, this model eliminates intermediaries, decentralizing all management .
Thus, the blockchain would be like an account book in which the records (the blocks) are linked and encrypted to protect the security and privacy of the transactions.
This new paradigm would make it easier for a content creator to be the center of their production and not the record companies, publishers, distributors and other intermediaries.
The case of a musician
Alex Tapscott and Don Tapscott give the following example in their book The Blockchain Revolution of a musician uploading a song to a portal: “So all the other parties, not just record labels, music publishers and tour promoters, but also companies looking for music for commercials, television producers looking for soundtracks, mobile phone service providers looking for ringtones and the many fans who make videos, could decide whether to accept the terms of use ”.
This model, that of the blockchain , would not exclude intermediaries, but it would make them equivalent to the author, and not the dominant members of the ecosystem. In addition, the author’s remuneration could be made through cryptocurrencies , money also based on blockchain , such as bitcoin .
In conclusion, this new ecosystem has a series of beneficial characteristics for the content creator that can be summarized as:
- Transparent contract templates that respect the artist and consider him an entrepreneur. In addition, the contract or certain clause can be renegotiated openly at any time.
- Inclusive copyrights that distribute profits fairly. As Alex and Don Tapscott write: “Artists also need automated subsidiary rights management, wherever possible or desired, that allows potential licensees to accept or reject the artist’s terms of use and payment. The same contract applies the agreements and can notify the artist of violations and rescissions ”.
- Transparent records on the benefits produced by a creation (song, text, illustration, etc.) and how the percentages are distributed.
- Possibility of micro-profitability of creation . Andreas Antonopoulos, a leading blockchain theorist, gives the following example: “Streamium is an Argentine streaming video provider that allows video producers to charge thousandths of a cent for downloading, say, two hundred milliseconds of video.”
- More transparent copyrights , terms of use for each purpose, contact information, terms of that sale, etc.
- Fairer reputation system that will be based on the information of the history of downloads, views, transactions of a work. This will allow the creator to establish unambiguous credibility with future contractors or with their followers.
In short, the blockchain allows the creator to be the center of the system, that there is more transparency, that there is greater flexibility and that borders, both bureaucratic, financial or political, are reduced to their minimum expression.
