2015-ish. A Bitcoin seller’s account is punched up on the Wells Fargo ATM. Several hundred USD cash in my sweaty hand. I couldn’t do it. Too sketch…
Aside from mining it yourself, that was just about the only way to get crypto back then. Things are different now. I made a Coinbase account a few nights ago. Excellent UX. Fast. High trust. Felt leagues better than my fiat bank’s website.
Why did I open a Coinbase account?
What is Channel?
Channel is a decentralized media organization and platform that allows creators to work collectively, bundling their streamable content while maintaining distinct communities. Channel’s initial tools include a token-enabled RSS and membership system.
Who is Channel?
Channel is three leaders in para-institutional media: Interdependence (Mat Dryhurst, Holly Herndon), New Models (Caroline Busta, Daniel Keller, Lil Internet), and Joshua Citarella - working in partnership with Duncan Wilson, Cullen Miller, and James Geary.
Why does Channel exist?
Today’s creator communities remain precariously dependent on centralized platforms, which reap profits while holding audiences captive. These platforms atomize creators, requiring them to compete with each other for subscribers and to then individually serve these audiences at scale. In the past, cultural institutions provided a haven for creative production by mitigating market pressures and providing high-quality public platforms. It’s time for the new cultural institutions to be built. We believe Web 3 offers powerful tools for imagining what they might become.
What is the Channel NFT?
We are issuing a Season 0 Founder NFT as a way for Web 3 natives and dedicated community members to play a part in Channel’s launch, earning a voice in the project’s early development and its progressive decentralization. Holders will receive prioritized access to new platform features, including a private bundled RSS containing Interdependence, New Models, and Joshua Citarella pods, as well as direct access to the devs.
And that’s it.
That’s all for the linkdump. This is all I’m hopeful about.
These creators have been a guiding light for me in recent times. I’m eager to support them.