In the digital age, a simple “like” or “share” has become the default way to express our appreciation for the content that moves us. Yet, behind every mesmerizing performance, insightful article, or breathtaking artwork lies a creator whose dedication and talent deserve more than just a digital pat on the back. The BSV blockchain now makes microtransactions such as ‘tips’ and ‘donations’ possible.
In this article, we explore how this force transforms every act of public appreciation into a tangible contribution to the lives of artists, content creators, and performers worldwide. Discover how you can play a major part in this digital renaissance, where every tip fuels the fire of creativity and allows the world’s artists and creators to shine as never before.
Growing up, I often accompanied my mother to the markets to buy weekly groceries. There was a blind man who had an electric guitar plugged into a small amplifier. He was in his 40s, and he would sing in front of his microphone. He had a bowl where people would throw coins as they passed by.
Buskers and street performers are a common sight worldwide, showcasing a variety of talents, including music, acting, magic, dance, or even miming as statues to startle the unsuspecting audience. They share their crafts, and the audience decides whether to appreciate them financially, determining the amount they wish to tip.
For thousands of years, people have been performing in public places for money in every major culture worldwide. Before the advent of recording equipment, many musicians relied on street performance for their livelihood. The rewards could extend beyond cash to food, drinks, or gifts.
The money given to buskers and street performers is often referred to as tips or donations. People give this money to show appreciation for the performer’s talent and to support them financially. It’s a direct way for audiences to reward performers for the entertainment and enlightenment they provide. Some places have a culture of tipping generously, while others may not.
A busker can pack up at the end of the day and have coins to buy food to eat with their family. But today, in the bustling digital marketplace, people “like,” “share,” and “comment” serve as a way to engage with content, as a nod to the creators, artists, and performers who entertain, impress, and move their global audience with their performances. However, unlike a bowl of coins, these “likes,” “shares,” and “comments” cannot be used to buy a meal on the table.
Until recently, there wasn’t a digital cash solution that was cheap, quick, and accessible. For half the world’s population, owning a bank account or a credit card is not feasible. Sending money digitally using traditional payment methods is too expensive, and tipping small amounts is practically impossible. But now, a solution exists.
Remember Bitcoin? It was initially touted as digital cash. Where is it now? Most people think that Bitcoin is this project labeled in exchanges as BTC. That, indeed, cannot be used as cash as it can only process seven transactions per second globally. It is way too expensive to operate and unusable for tipping artists, performers, and creators around the world. However, the real Bitcoin is Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV). I say this because it restored the
original Bitcoin protocol and adheres to the principles outlined by its inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto. Because of this, BSV has unlocked the capability of handling microtransactions.
With BSV, we can modernize the practice of tipping and donating to artists, creators, and performers worldwide, aligning our spirit of gratitude with the digital age. Tipping is not charity. It’s about valuing the effort and labor that fuels our daily dose of information, entertainment, and enlightenment.
Here’s why this practice could be transformative for the digital ecosystem:
Monetary motivation:
A tip is a tangible token of appreciation. It’s a pat on the back that carries financial value, potentially motivating creators. Further, unlike receiving a like on a post or a tweet on a social media site, tips and donations can amount to something substantial that can make it possible for creators, artists, and performers to make money from their passions online.
Sustaining quality content:
Monetary support can lead to better resources for creators. They can save some of the tips and donations they receive and use them to pay for the expenses they need and buy better equipment and materials that can help them create superior content.
Global applause:
With BSV, tipping transcends geographical boundaries, serving as a universal nod of approval. There are so many talented artists around the world, but many of them remain unseen, unheard, and unrewarded. With BSV, artists, creators, and performers from countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Africa can have a chance to make money from their music, art, or performances that they post on the Internet.
How does it work?
The tips and donations are sent as BSV tokens through the BSV blockchain network that spans globally. These transactions are recorded on the BSV blockchain. Content creators post their work, whether it be an image file, music file, video, or animation file, on their website, on their Facebook page, on their YouTube channel, on Twitter, and anywhere else on the Internet. Then, with each of their performances or content, they can include their BSV address or a QR code of the BSV address.
Any person around the world who has a Bitcoin wallet installed on their phone or their computer can copy the BSV address or scan the QR code of the BSV address of the content to send their tips or donations. It is that easy!
Advantages of tipping using the openness of BSV blockchain and the Internet
Many artists, creators, and performers have steadily built a following on platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. It takes a while to satisfy the requirements set by these platforms before they can earn their first cent of earnings. After months or years of sustained effort, the revenues from these platforms can suddenly dry up because the platform may decide to implement a policy or a change in the platform’s algorithm. They would have to rebuild again, perhaps on another platform.
BSV, on the other hand, can be used on any platform. Creators, performers, and artists can post their content across multiple platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and many others to reduce reliance on only one or two platforms, which can always set restrictions at will, setting rules that make it difficult, if not impossible, to earn BSVs. As a content creator, artist, or performer, you should also have your website or a blog on which to start hosting your content. Over time, you can build enough followers there that you will not need other platforms. With the open nature of Bitcoin and the Internet, you have the freedom to move around.
Tips and donations for digital content can be used to rank the best content around the world
People love ranking things in order of how good it is relative to other similar items. Examples include “Top 10 books in 2023,” “Top 50 songs of the 90s,” “Top 20 of the Internet Funniest memes,” and “Top TV shows you need to rewatch.”
How do they determine which items should be “top”? For books, it could be the number of books sold. For songs, it could be the number of downloads using one or a few apps. On Reddit.com, people click an arrow up or down to rank content according to their preferences. The problem with these methods is that the data used to categorize items depends on a few distributors or retailers that report sales, or it could rely on one website or platform. The data is not truly open or global, and it is not publicly verifiable.
If creators assign a unique Bitcoin address to every digital content, they can track how many tips they get for each work. They can then start monitoring these to see which of their content is more popular, and therefore, would give them an indication of what type of work people like more.
Every bitcoin or satoshi received as a tip, or donation is a vote from whoever tipped or donated those satoshis to the creator or performer of that music, photo, or video. The amount that a piece of content receives as tips or donations can serve as an indicator to see which content has been “voted” by those people moved or entertained enough by the performances.
The tips or donations that a specific piece of content receives can, therefore, be used as a proxy for quality, likeability, or support from the public. Much like books are ranked by how many they have sold or the top 10 most requested songs to be played by a radio station, people can start comparing and sorting songs, music, artworks, ebooks, and everything else that has its assigned tipping Bitcoin address, according to how much tips and donations they have received. Lists will be curated to find out the most tipped content per country, per region, per genre, or per type to find the best or the most popular content.
The great thing about this, again, is that the data is public, open, and verifiable. The content being ranked is not limited to a specific internet platform, like only content from Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. Instead, all content from around the world on any website is included. This, indeed, uses the open protocol nature of the Internet and BSV blockchain.
The tips are public. This transparency paves the way for a fair assessment of content quality. It brings a measure to rank and recognize quality content relative to others, providing a level playing field for all creators, artists, and performers worldwide.
I have been watching YouTube videos of performances of a singer from Indonesia. So many people, many from the U.S. and the U.K., love his performances. They’re making reaction videos to his moving expressions of music. It would be great if people like him could get financial rewards and support for all the years he had put into his craft from people worldwide who now discover him as an artist.
Conclusion
Imagine a digital ecosystem where each “like” could be accompanied by a small tip. This practice could redefine the creator-audience relationship, nurturing a world that values and rewards creativity. This article calls for many of you creative people, artists, hobbyists, and professionals to share your talents and skills with the world. Create a Bitcoin wallet for each of your songs, videos, images, or any other medium, and include it along with your posts on your favorite social media network, on your website, and on your blog.
This article is also a call to people who admire and appreciate the value of hard work, music, the arts, wisdom, and entertainment. The next time a piece of content sparks joy, think twice before you move on after hitting the “like” button. Check for a BSV address or a QR code, and take a moment to tip the creator to appreciate the effort that went into crafting that content. In doing so, you’re not just supporting a creator; you’re fostering a richer, more rewarding digital ecosystem and are allowing more creativity and talent in the world to shine through.
About the author
Marquez Comelab believes that Bitcoin SV is ready to be used as cash for the world because it costs little to use and is accessible to most people on the planet. He founded BSVSearch.com, a free website that allows people to find others with whom to buy and sell goods and services in BSVs. He also produces videos that complement the topics he writes about in his articles, exploring what can be done and is being done with Bitcoin SV. You can watch his videos on YouTube or at RealWorldPodcasts.Com.
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