At the convergence of blockchain and music, a paradigm shift is quietly gaining momentum. CCN sat down with Mag Rodriguez, CEO of EVEN, and Jake Cvengros from Ava Labs at the Avalanche Summit in London to talk about how EVEN, a direct-to-fan music platform, is leveraging blockchain to return ownership to artists and deepen connections with fans.
EVEN, now powered by its own custom layer-1 blockchain built using AvaCloud, is setting the standard for scalable, creator-first infrastructure in Web3.
Rethinking Value in the Streaming Age
“Music Shouldn’t Be Free”: That was one of Rodriguez’s clearest messages. Not in the sense of putting art behind paywalls, but in challenging the culture of mass consumption that streaming has created.
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“We’ve been living in this all-you-can-eat buffet of music that’s devalued creators. We’ll spend seven pounds on a coffee, but balk at paying that monthly for a streaming service that supports thousands of artists.”
This frustration, shared by many artists, isn’t new. But Rodriguez’s take is grounded in direct numbers. Most artists, he says, earn nothing from streaming. EVEN’s model flips the metric: one fan, one sale. But the tech layer powering that idea? That’s where Avalanche comes in.
Blockchain That Stays Invisible: UX Without the Tech Overload
Rodriguez admits he’s not a blockchain developer. That’s why the decision to build EVEN’s own layer-1 chain using AvaCloud was surprising, even to him.
“Before meeting the Avalanche team, building your own L1 wasn’t something we even thought was possible. My co-founder and I aren’t blockchain devs. But they made it work in days.”
Still, the motivation was clear: fraud. “There are a lot of fraudulent transactions and streams in the music industry,” he said. “Transparency was non-negotiable.”
Cvengros from Ava Labs explained it simply: users don’t need to know they’re on blockchain, just like most people don’t know how email is sent.
“The tech should disappear. It should enable better ownership and experience. That’s it.”
Why EVEN Chose Avalanche
Since launching out of beta in April 2024, Rodriguez says the platform has been onboarding thousands of artists weekly. But tech friction quickly became a bottleneck.
“We were manually creating accounts. We wanted to move fast, but it wasn’t seamless. Now we’re onboarding 40,000 artists at a time.”
AvaCloud’s role was less about hype and more about infrastructure that doesn’t buckle. General-purpose chains made them compete for resources with other apps. Running on their own Layer 1 gives them control over gas fees, congestion, and reliability.
“Some days gas was one thing, then a major launch would happen on the same chain and our costs would spike. That’s not sustainable when you’re trying to support millions of users.”
Instant Artist Payouts and the Road to USDC Integration
Despite the blockchain backbone, EVEN still relies on Stripe and fiat currency for artist payments, for now.
“Artists wait two to three months to get paid through streaming. We pay them daily. Right now, we use fiat. But we’re starting USDC payouts in 110 countries.”
The choice is strategic. For many artists globally, Rodriguez says, introducing crypto too early creates friction.
“In parts of Latin America or Southeast Asia, people still don’t trust banks. Teaching them about blockchain on top of that? You’ve already lost them.”
Redefining Fan Data: Ethical Engagement and Direct Access
What artists and fans want from data isn’t what traditional platforms offer. EVEN’s approach is intentionally direct.
“They want early ticket access, merch. For many artists, it’s the first time they know who their fans are. And fans opt in, willingly.”
Rodriguez emphasizes that data ethics is foundational, not an afterthought.
“We work with Reed Smith for compliance. We’re not just collecting data, we’re protecting relationships. And in music, people want connection.”
As AI increasingly enters the music conversation, both guests remained optimistic but grounded.
“Just because you can generate a Mona Lisa doesn’t make the original worthless,” said Rodriguez. “AI will make the real thing more valuable.”
Cvengros echoed that sentiment from a tech lens:
“AI will make production tools more accessible. But copyright frameworks will need to evolve too. Especially if people want to use another artist’s voice.”
Lessons in Web3 Adoption: Build for Humans First
This interview wasn’t about celebrating a product. It was about pointing to a pattern: When technology serves human needs quietly and effectively, it gets adopted.
“We’re entering a new era where artists are saying, ‘What is your platform without my music?’ That shift in mindset is what excites me,” Rodriguez said.
Cvengros added:
“If we want mass adoption in Web3, it has to come from products like this, products people use without needing to understand the technology behind them.”
They conclude by saying that: It’s not that blockchain or AI will save music. But when the tools are aligned with the incentives of creators and fans and disappear into the background, they offer a glimpse of what future platforms might look like: not more technical, just more intentional.
Disclaimer:
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