How Music NFTs Took Peter Saputo's Career to the Next Level
The Bay Area singer/songwriter releases new single and shares his experience releasing music NFTs
Editor’s Note: NFT digital collectibles are a new way for fans to support the artists they love. In this series, I talk to artists who have ventured into this new space to share their experiences.
Following his successful NFT release earlier this year, singer/songwriter Peter Saputo returns this week with his brand new single, titled “maybe i’ll talk to jesus,” that’s available on streaming platforms now. It’s another noteworthy release from an exciting new artist who has been stirring up a storm of interest in Los Angeles by playing gigs, frequently dropping new music, and exploring Web3 to build community.
Saputo is a compelling songwriter and gifted live performer who can confidently rock the stage but also scale things down for an intimate acoustic set. It’s proof of his versatility and the timeless quality of his music. Written together with Tommy Allen, Saputo’s new single “maybe i’ll talk to jesus” showcases his rockier side with its steady percussion, arena-sized chorus, and the singer’s searing and soaring vocals that mimic his dynamic live performance. The track is a worthy follow-up to “Wishing,” and will surely be a fan favorite during his shows.
Saputo has been playing the guitar for almost as long as he can remember. He grew up on a steady diet of rock, pop, and worship music that helped shape his knack for big melodic hooks and inspired lyricism. The first song he put out on streaming services was only intended for friends, but it was picked up by some big playlists and became the debut he’d always dreamed of. Encouraged by this first taste of success, Saputo moved down to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time career in music.
Fast forward a couple of years, which brings us to the release of new music this week. Just days before the wide release of “maybe i’ll talk to jesus,” Saputo decided to make the track available on Zora to give his fans an opportunity to hear the music early and collect it.
After his move to Los Angeles from the Bay Area, Saputo has immersed himself in the local Web3 community to learn, connect, and think about creative new ways to build his fanbase.
In fact, it was Saputo who unlocked the world of Web3 for me. For the longest time, I was a skeptic about Web3 and NFTs, but Saputo used real-life examples of how digital collectibles can radically impact the careers of creators. His perspective completely changed my outlook on the Web3 movement.
To celebrate the release of his new music, I sent Saputo a few questions to hear about his experiences navigating Web3 as an independent artist to give others the encouragement to dig in and participate.
Arjan: Making songs available as an NFT is a great way to engage with fans. What was your experience doing your first drop via sound.xyz?
Peter: “My experience doing a drop on sound.xyz was insane! Prior to my drop, I was tuning into practically every single Twitter Space and listening party that sound.xyz hosted since they launched. I also got to meet some of their team at the SXSW event they hosted, so I had a lot of hype and excitement built up by the time they asked me to do a drop. It worked out perfectly because I already had a song ready and scheduled to release on DSPs on the same day that they wanted me to do the drop. It couldn’t have worked out better. I sold 25 editions at 0.1 ETH each, and it sold out within 30 seconds. It really just blew me away with how supportive people are in this space. I had never felt properly valued as an artist until this drop.”
How has the response from fans been on the sound.xyz drop? Did that inspire you to do a drop on Zora?
“The response was honestly something I’ll never forget. Because it had sold out so quickly, there were a few people that weren’t able to collect it from the initial mint, but wanted it so badly that they bought it on the secondary market. It was so incredible seeing so many people, who were either prior fans or new fans, directly connect to the song right away. It made me so happy. I’m honestly still on such a high from all of it. Since my sound.xyz drop, I have had multiple collectors buy tickets to my shows and come show further support. It’s all made me very eager to keep minting and building community, so I minted my new song “maybe i’ll talk to jesus” as a 1/1 music NFT on Zora.co.”
How do you think NFTs will support creators including yourself? How has it helped it in your career?
“To me, one of the coolest things about NFTs is being able to connect with your true fans. Rather than Instagram and TikTok, where you gain followers who maybe will stream your new song when it comes out, you are able to build a community of supporters who want to pre-save your songs, who want to buy tickets to your shows, and who want to collect your music. It’s such a beautiful thing and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced within the music industry. I think anyone can directly see how Web3 has helped not only my own career but many other artists’ careers. It has provided me with top-tier fans and supporters, a way to connect with people on a different level and find funding to be able to pay rent and keep making music full time.”
Are there other NFT advocates in the space you look up to?
“I definitely look up to the homies Grady, Daniel Allan, DLG, bloody white, Reo Cragun, Karma.wav, Bruno Neves, and so on. The list could go on forever honestly. They all have really paved the way so that an independent artist like myself can just hear about Web3, learn, adapt, and get plugged into the space. It’s very clear how hard these people work. Also, I can’t forget about Cooper Turley, who is one of the first people I met in the space and someone that I have consistently been able to learn from. I honestly feel bad not going on forever, there are so many amazing humans, artists, builders, and others that I look up to in this space. Everyone is working so hard and doing so many cool things.”
What do you think holds artists back to jump into the NFT space? What do you recommend to other artists who want to get into the space? What's a good way to start?
“I think one of the biggest things that hold back artists to jump into all of it is that it’s not exactly the easiest thing to get into. There is still a lot of work that I believe needs to be done to make onboarding artists (and fans) easier, but we will get there—we are still so early. I also think that not everyone necessarily wants to hop on Discord and Twitter Spaces, and start building community. It can sound kinda corny. Truly the greatest way to start is to get active on Twitter and join a Discord, and just talk to people. It’s a lot more fun than people might think. Regardless of starting out in Web3, Discord has been such an amazing tool to engage and interact with my Web2 fanbase. It’s way more fun than making TikToks, lol.”
Stream Peter Saputo “maybe i’ll talk to jesus”
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