Ethereum

Ethereum App Builders X Space #8: The Onchain Creator Economy

How Ethereum is reshaping media, monetization & ownership

With @0xl @humpty.eth @levy & @db3045 

https://x.com/i/spaces/1jMKgkdXdplKL

🧵 0/23

Building /blueprint  | Podcasting /mintpod | @a16zcrypto CSX alum

Founder /cryptosapiens, Onchain Creator House architect. Pushing creator ownership forward—media, value, and community onchain.

Bringing media onchain with @pods & @paperview |🔥_🔥

getting /louder. creating @hume. @deathpixie @angelbaby @kai-wav. 

/ethereum foundation | opinions are my own but more than likely they come from Vitalik's blog paragraph.xyz/@chaskin

🧵 1/23 What is the Onchain Creator Economy?

@0xl: "It’s not just monetization - it’s programmability. You can build virality, payment, and community right into the content."

No middlemen. No closed platforms. Just creators + fans.

🧵 3/23 AI + Crypto = Onchain Artists

@db3045 is building virtual musicians with real fanbases.  
- Release on Spotify + TikTok  
- Also publish onchain  
- Fans collect, vote, engage, and even shape artist direction  

Ownership meets creativity.

🧵 4/23 No Audience Too Small

@humpty.eth: “Web2 monetization is permissioned - only the biggest creators win. Onchain tools let every voice earn, build, and grow.”

This is about empowering longtail creators. Not just the top 1%.

🧵 5/23 How Sponsorship Works Onchain

@0xl explains:  
- Sponsors fund token incentives  
- Fans mint episodes  
- Creators earn, fans gain token upside, brands get wallet-level engagement data  

No more untrackable podcast ads.

🧵 6/23 Onchain Creator, Defined

@levy: “Creative entrepreneurs using crypto rails to monetize attention. Not just content… but ownership, reach, and culture.”

Blueprints show creators how to go viral natively onchain.

🧵 7/23 The 2035 Vision

What if every post, song, and podcast was minted?  
What if creators could own their audience’s social graph?

Social is going fully programmable. And Ethereum is the OS.

🧵 8/23 Why @farcaster?

Creators across the board praised it.  
- Web2-style UX  
- True onchain social  
- Great discovery engine  

It’s the entry point into the onchain creator stack.

🧵 9/23 Fan Behavior Has Changed

Fans want to support creators - if given a reason.

Minting ≠ charity.  
- It’s proof of fandom  
- It’s a loyalty layer  
- It unlocks access, status, and rewards  

Let them collect.

🧵 10/23 From Monetization to Fan Intelligence

Onchain media gives you:  
- Direct revenue  
- Data-rich social graph  
- Wallet-level fan history  

Not just views. Not just likes. But traceable, verifiable engagement.

🧵 11/23 Minting Is Social, Not Financial

Creators aren’t just chasing token pumps.  
@humpty.eth: “We need to make minting cool again - fun, social-first, and free from stigma.”

Most creators still hide their onchain drops from Web2 fans. That has to change.

🧵 12/23 Case Study: Mint Podcast

@levy earned real income by minting old episodes + driving targeted mint incentives.

It created a repeatable loop:  
- Incentivize  
- Mint  
- Aggregate exposure  
- Monetize archive  

Changed his life.

🧵 13/23 Case Study: @toadyhawk.eth

His “spend-to-win” spin on sponsored podcasts:  
- Fans mint content for a chance at 100x reward  
- Brands get exposure + token holder base  
- Creators earn via viral, gamified engagement

🧵 14/23 Monetization = Table Stakes

@0xl: “You’re leaving money on the table if you’re not onchain.”

Onchain publishing = additive to Web2  
Not replacement  
Not friction  
Just extra value

🧵 15/23 Speculation vs. Virality

@0xl: “Speculation fuels virality. It’s not a bug—it’s a feature. Just use it responsibly.”

Good speculation → fun, gamified, opt-in  
Bad speculation → pressure, burnout, exit scams

🧵 16/23 Earnable Actions Are Key

@humpty.eth: “Crypto’s advantage is programmable rewards. Onchain media must lean into that.”

Fans don’t just watch. They collect, remix, sponsor, and amplify.

🧵 17/23 AI + Content Creation

- Transcripts  
- Captions  
- Localization  
- Repurposing  

Tools like PodSqueeze, Runway, and OpenArt are already changing how creators scale.

🧵 18/23 Localization = Massive Unlock

Translate your voice, not just captions.

Make content global with AI dubs + onchain rails.  
- One podcast = 10 markets  
- One creator = global graph

🧵 19/23 Tokens as Culture

Creators are coining memes, attention, and moments.  
@humpty.eth: “It’s not ‘coin everything.’ It’s ‘coin meaningfully.’ Let fans co-own your culture.”

🧵 20/23 Success ≠ Going Viral

It’s about sustainable income. Even $3–5K from an onchain drop = 5 million Spotify streams.

Not hype. Not pipe dreams. It’s already happening.

🧵 22/23 Where to Start

- Use Pods for podcasts  
- Apply to @levy’s builder program  
- Explore AI music with @db3045  
- Onboard with @humpty.eth  
- Use Farcaster for onchain social  
- Experiment with Zora and Mint.fun

🧵 21/23 Still Early: Big Bottlenecks

- UX friction (wallets, onramps)  
- Cultural stigma (crypto = scam)  
- Discoverability (platform-native content ≠ global reach)  

All being solved. Slowly.

🧵 23/23 Big thanks to @0xl, @humpty.eth, @levy, @toadyhawk.eth and @db3045 for pushing the onchain creator economy forward.

This isn’t theory. It’s working. It’s growing.

Let’s build the future of media onchain.

🧵 2/23 Podcasts, Onchain

Pods is making it dead simple to publish audio natively onchain.  
- Creators mint episodes  
- Fans mint to support  
- Sponsors allocate token incentives  

A new model: ad revenue becomes shared upside.