Audius, the leading decentralized music community and discovery platform, has announced the global expansion of its groundbreaking monetization feature, previously available to select artists. This innovative tool allows any artist to set their own pricing and manage the sale of their music directly, enabling fans to support their favorite musicians through seamless payments. Fans can now use their credit cards to send payments in USDC, which artists and rights holders can convert into any currency of their choice.
As part of this marketplace expansion, Audius will now allocate 10% of each payment to the Audius community treasury. The use of these funds will be determined through on-chain governance, with a proposal currently pending final approval.
“We’ve been impressed by the creative ways artists have utilized our marketplace to engage with their fans and unlock new revenue streams,” said Roneil Rumburg, Co-Founder and CEO of Audius. “From selling music downloads to hosting innovative contests, artists have customized the platform to suit their unique needs.”
The Audius music marketplace was first introduced in beta in November 2023, with over 100 artists taking part. One early adopter, producer Kato On The Track, quickly generated revenue by selling downloads of his music and beats.
“I enjoy being an early adopter of forward-thinking platforms like Audius,” Kato said. “It allows me to build new fan communities and interact with them in ways that aren’t possible on other music platforms.”
Rapper MadeinTYO also embraced the platform, selling beats and challenging his fans to create songs with his stems, which they uploaded back to Audius. He later selected a winner and flew them to Tokyo for a studio session and a chance to explore the city with him.
“Today’s artists need to create memorable, meaningful experiences for their fans,” said MadeinTYO. “Audius offers a unique space for me to connect with fans while keeping the focus on the music.”
Several independent record labels and distributors have already partnered with Audius, including DistroKid, EMPIRE, Nettwerk Music, Ninja Tune, Merge Records, Ampsuite, Circus Records, Anjunadeep, and Anjunabeats. Last month, Audius also signed a licensing deal with Kobalt, one of the world’s largest independent music publishers. Earlier this year, Audius secured agreements with top performing rights organizations ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR.