Toby Ganger is a Hip Hop and Rap artist previously profiled in Bitcoin Weekly for a song he produced named “Welcome to the Blockchain (The Bitcoin Song).” In the song, his vocals speak to the economic and political interests of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency community and the technology itself.

I had a chance to catch up with Ganger in his busy music-making schedule to ask him a few questions about why he wrote a song about Bitcoin and how he feels about the technology and community.

Be sure to check out his work on Bandcamp and Facebook. You can also find his songs on iTunes.

Interview with Toby Ganger about “Welcome to the Blockchain (The Bitcoin Song)”

Kyt Dotson, SiliconANGLE managing editor: When and how did you originally get involved in the Bitcoin community?

Toby Ganger, Hip Hop musician: I first heard about Bitcoin in the early summer of 2012 from a friend of mine.  I was intrigued, but suspicious.  I spent the next two weeks poring over as much information about Bitcoin as possible.

As soon as I understood what it was, how it worked, and what the implications were I came to the conclusion that Bitcoin and blockchain technology might end up being one of the most influential inventions in history.  I was hooked.  (Some might say obsessed.)

Dotson: Your song “Welcome to the Blockchain” mixes the lyrics of your music into a discussion with a little technology and a little politics. How do you see these three things intersecting technology, politics and music?

Ganger: Any major technological advance will change the way society interacts and operates and therefore will change the political environment surrounding it.

The more gatekeepers have their monopolies challenged by the technology and the more political weight you will see thrown at it.  If that technology is able to break down those gates, the implications for governments, industries, and individuals tend to be enormous.

With regards to music, Bitcoin brings about new possibilities for distribution, marketing, and sales.

One could conceivably sell or distribute shares in their songs to fans or collaborators, keep records of it in the blockchain, and create a system that distributes a percentage of profits automatically to all those with a percentage of ownership without any of the middle men or accounting concerns.

Also, as music tends to be consumed today on a song to song basis instead of whole albums, it’s better to make a 99 cent sale without having 30 percent come out in fees just to process the transaction via credit card/paypal/distributor.

We may very well be looking at a completely different paradigm in both politics and music over the next 10-15 years due to this technology.

Dotson: Do you think that artists and musicians can benefit from Bitcoin currently and would you tell them to get into it if they have not already?

Ganger: I would tell anyone to at least explore the technology and try to think about the implications of it towards their lives, their industries, and their worldviews.

It will have different meaning and relevance to different people but I think it’s hard to spend time exploring this new technology without coming away with some new way to approach things.

Dotson: Do you hold bitcoin when you receive it as a payment or donation, if so, what’s your preferred percentage from payments?

Ganger says that 100 percent of bitcoin payments for “Welcome to the Blockchain” is held in bitcoin. photo credit: Bitcoin IMG_1924 via photopin (license)

Ganger: As of now, we are holding 100 percent of the payments we’ve received from “Welcome To The Blockchain” in Bitcoin. Due to the nature of the song, the supporters are usually further along the learning curve than those who support our other musical projects so we don’t have to explain how to send a tip.

With regards to payments for our other projects, it’s still a work in progress to explain the technology to new people, and to get them involved to the point where they buy Bitcoin and send you a tip.  I imagine it will take time and I understand why most are hesitant or even resistant to exploring Bitcoin on that level.

Dotson: Can you tell our readership a bit about your other projects or where they can find more of your work?

Ganger: My partner Decap, (who has been a producer/composer for Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, Tim Kile formerly of Arcade Fire and more) is continuing to produce fantastic instrumental albums as well continuing to work with a wide variety of artists on new projects.  You can find his music at Decap Music.

I have released two albums with my former group Inverse, as well as two solo projects that are available for listening at ListenToby.  I am currently in the pre-production stages of working on another full length album entitled “Freedom As A Machine” that will be finished when circumstances allow.

Music is everywhere, but there’s still few quality Bitcoin music distribution sites. photo credit: Apple & Beats via photopin (license)

Dotson: Can our readers get your albums or other music using bitcoin as a payment?

Ganger: As of right now, due to lack of a quality Bitcoin music distribution site, the best way to get my music is to download it for free from ListenToby and then send a Bitcoin tip to the address included on the site and on the YouTube link for Welcome To The Blockchain.

We want our music to reach as many people as possible so we made it available for free. That way we can tell who really appreciates what we do by what people decide to send us voluntarily.

Dotson: Are there any Bitcoin projects that you find particularly compelling that you think people who listen to your work and want to know more should look into?

Ganger: It’s hard to stay on top of all the Bitcoin projects that are coming down the pipeline.  Some of the 2.0 platforms have grabbed my attention for various reasons.

I do find the Bitshares platform to bringing a lot of interesting ideas and value.  Also, the Ripple platform (as much hate as that garners in the Bitcoin world) one doesn’t need to use the currency involved to recognize the value and possibilities with a network like that.

I’m intrigued to follow Ethereum as it unfolds and of course any new developments that harness the Bitcoin blockchain to reach and impact more people and more industries.

Image credit: Decap and Toby Ganger, mix of EP covers.