Listen to the podcast discussion to get more insight into the New Audius Artist Coins!

Audius Introduces Artist Coins!

Think of an Artist Coin like a digital fan-club pass. You make a coin under your artist name on Audius. Fans can buy it inside Audius. Holding your coin gets them into your inner circle: early listens, coin-only posts, private chats, special drops, and whatever else you decide to offer. It’s all built into the same Audius site where your music lives, so fans don’t have to learn a bunch of new tools. On day one, Audius already lets you gate music for coin holders and send message blasts to those holders, which makes the coin useful immediately—not some “maybe later” promise.

Why this is a big deal for indie artists: it gives you a direct, ownable fan club inside a streaming platform. You set the perks and the culture, and you earn a small cut of every trade of your coin over time (we’ll cover fees and earnings below). This is a practical on-ramp into the decentralized music world that doesn’t ask you or your fans to become crypto pros.

What’s actually happening behind the scenes

Audius built a Launchpad for Artist Coins. If your Audius artist account is verified and you connect a simple digital wallet, you can press a few buttons and launch a coin in minutes. Fans can buy and sell your coin right there on Audius. There’s even a public leaderboard where coins show up by trading volume, market cap, and what’s trending, so discovery isn’t an afterthought.

Every coin shares the same rules so it’s fair and easy to understand:

• Total supply: 1,000,000,000 coins (that number is fixed).

• Your allocation: 50% of the supply is set aside for you, but it unlocks a little each day over five years. That discourages “pump and dump” behavior and signals to fans you’re in it for the long haul.

• Trading fee: When anyone buys or sells your coin, there’s a 1% fee. Half of that fee goes to you (paid in Audius’s native token, $AUDIO). The other half goes to Audius’s community treasury.

• Buying options: Fans can buy with USDC, $AUDIO, or even other Artist Coins through Audius. They don’t need to mess with obscure exchanges.

• Pricing model: Coins start on a bonding curve—think of it as a standard, transparent price ramp for early days—then “graduate” to open market trading when your coin grows. Audius sets the same starting and graduation targets for everyone, so it’s not a mystery.

Those details are all visible in Audius’s help docs and blog posts, so you can point your team to official language if they want to nerd out further.

What it costs to launch

There is no big platform “minting fee” listed just to create your coin. Instead, you’ll pay a tiny network fee on Solana (the blockchain Audius uses) so the system can record the creation of your coin. Audius’s help guide advises having at least 0.03 SOL in your wallet to cover those network costs. That’s it to launch. If you want to be the very first buyer of your own coin at the lowest possible price (“First Buy”), you’ll also need some $AUDIO in that same wallet—but that’s optional.

Once you’re live, every trade of your coin has a 1% fee, and you receive 50% of those fees automatically in $AUDIO. That’s how you earn off activity over time.

If you also plan to sell music on Audius (separate from coins), Audius uses a 10% network fee on those music sales—90% goes straight to you instantly. I’m mentioning this because most artists will run coins and paid releases together.

Bottom line on costs:

• To create your coin: have a verified Audius artist account + an external wallet with ≥ 0.03 SOL for the on-chain transaction. Optional: some $AUDIO if you want to do the “First Buy” at launch.

• After launch: you earn 50% of the 1% trading fee on every buy/sell of your coin. Fans can buy with familiar options (USDC/$AUDIO/other Artist Coins).

Step-by-step: launch your own Artist Coin (no prior crypto knowledge needed)

We’re going to walk this like you would explain it to a bandmate who hates apps. Follow this once and you’re through the hardest part.

Step 1: Make sure you’re verified on Audius

Log in on desktop, confirm your artist profile is verified. Only verified artists can launch. If you’re not verified, apply in-app.

Step 2: Install a simple wallet (this is just a “keychain” for your coin)

Download Phantom (a popular Solana wallet) as a browser extension or mobile app. It’s like adding a secure key to your browser so you can sign the few pop-ups Audius shows you. Create the wallet, write down the recovery phrase, and set a password.

Step 3: Add a tiny bit of SOL to that wallet

You need at least 0.03 SOL to cover the network’s on-chain fee when your coin is created. You can buy SOL inside Phantom or move it from an exchange if you already have some. Don’t overthink this—you’re not buying inventory; you’re just covering a small transaction toll.

Step 4 (optional): Add some $AUDIO to do a “First Buy”

If you want to be the first holder of your coin at the absolute lowest price, Audius lets you bundle a first purchase into the creation step. That takes some $AUDIO in your wallet. You can skip this if you like—you can always buy later.

Step 5: Open Audius and go to Artist Coins → Get Started

In the left sidebar of the Audius web app, you’ll see Artist Coins. Click it, hit Get Started, and Audius will prompt you to connect your wallet. Approve the pop-ups.

Step 6: Name your coin, pick a ticker, upload an image

Examples: “RICHARD COIN” with ticker $RICHARD. Important: these details are permanent on-chain. Triple-check spelling. Then click Continue.

Step 7 (optional): Do the “First Buy”

If you’ve got $AUDIO in the wallet and you want to lock in that first holder status at the lowest price, do it here. If not, skip. You can buy later using USDC, $AUDIO, or even trade from other Artist Coins through the Audius interface.

Step 8: Press Create Coin and approve 2–3 wallet pop-ups

This is where your small amount of SOL gets used for the network action. If you did the First Buy, that happens in the same motion. When it’s done, you’ll see options to share, copy your coin address, and go straight to your Coin Page on Audius.

Step 9: Make your coin valuable on day one

• Add a short description on your coin page that spells out what holders get.

• Post one holder-only track immediately, so there’s a reason to buy today.

• Announce your first holder event (e.g., a vote on artwork Friday, a private AMA next week).

• If you use Discord, set up a holders-only channel—Audius points you to that in the “Next Steps.”

That’s it. You just launched a tradable, programmable fan club.

What fans actually get (and why they’ll care)

Out of the box, your coin already does real things:

• Coin-gated music: early singles, demos, live takes, stems—whatever you want to reward your people with.

• Message blasts to holders: direct notes to the inner circle so they feel close to the process.

You can build from there:

• Holders-only Discord: studio cams, AMAs, vote on setlists.

• Tiered perks: 1 coin = early listens; 10 coins = private chat; 50 coins = Zoom hang or signed art; 100 coins = soundcheck meet-and-greet.

• Merch/Ticket tie-ins: presales for holders, discount codes, or guaranteed signed copies.

All of that lives under your brand. You’re not begging an algorithm for reach; you’re rewarding the die-hards who show up first.

The economics in simple terms

Here’s the “how money moves” part without the math headache:

• Every coin starts with the same structure so fans aren’t guessing. There’s a big fixed supply (1 billion), a standard starting price zone, and a standard “graduation” target where it moves fully to open market trading. It’s designed to be predictable and fair, not a wild-west launch.

• When fans buy, the price inches up; when they sell, it inches down. That’s the bonding curve. You don’t have to calculate it—Audius handles it.

• You earn 50% of the 1% trading fee on every buy and sell, paid to you in $AUDIO. If your community is active, those small percentages add up over time.

• Your 50% allocation of coins unlocks slowly over five years. That’s a trust signal: you can’t dump all your coins on day two, and fans know it.

• Fans can pay in USDC, $AUDIO, or even swap from other Artist Coins—Audius abstracts the complexity so it feels like buying anything else online.

A 30-day launch plan you can steal

Week 1 — Make it real

• Launch the coin.

• Drop a holders-only demo immediately.

• Announce a holder vote (artwork, B-side, or tour tee design).

• Schedule a holders-only AMA in 72 hours.

Week 2 — Reward action

• Post a behind-the-scenes rough mix to holders.

• Run the vote, announce the winner publicly (FOMO for non-holders).

• Thank holders by name in a post on your main feed.

Week 3 — Turn on the social flywheel

• Hold a short “studio cam” stream for holders.

• Offer a tiny merch perk (signed postcard or sticker) for 25+ coin holders.

• Tease an exclusive clip for next week.

Week 4 — Deliver the moment

• Release the single 48 hours early to holders, then public.

• Do a holders-only Zoom for 50+ coin holders and preview your next month’s plan.

• Keep repeating the cycle monthly—use the coin like a key to the clubhouse.

This rhythm keeps momentum steady and avoids turning your coin into a one-day spike.

Clear answers to the common worries

“I don’t know anything about wallets.”
You don’t need to become a crypto expert. Install Phantom, write down the recovery phrase, fund it with a tiny amount of SOL (≥ 0.03), connect it when Audius asks, and approve 2–3 pop-ups. That’s the entire wallet experience for launch.

“Is this risky or scammy?”
Audius is a known platform. The rules are standardized and public (supply, fee split, unlocks). You’re not secretly handing coins to insiders; the system is designed to be transparent and fair. The utility (gated music, messages) is live on day one.

“Do my fans need to learn crypto?”
Not really. Audius lets them buy with USDC or $AUDIO through its own interface, and the site handles the complex parts. Treat the coin like a digital membership with clear perks, and they’ll get it.

“How much will this cost me?”
To create the coin: a small network fee (have ≥ 0.03 SOL in your wallet). If you want to be your own first buyer, you’ll also need some $AUDIO. There isn’t a big platform mint fee just for launching. After that, you earn half of the 1% trade fee on all buys/sells. If you also sell tracks on Audius, those sales use a 10% network fee (90% to you instantly).

“How do I set the right perks?”
Start simple. Promise one meaningful perk you can deliver right away (holder-only track + AMA). Add tiers later: 1 coin (early listens), 10 coins (private chat), 50 coins (Zoom hang), 100 coins (VIP soundcheck). Keep it human and consistent.

Copy-ready “utility matrix” for your coin page

Use this as a starting point—edit to fit your brand:

• Hold 1 coin → Hear new singles 48 hours early + holder badge in my community + holder-only posts.

• Hold 10 coins → Access to private Discord channel + monthly behind-the-scenes drop.

• Hold 50 coins → Quarterly Zoom listening party + signed digital artwork.

• Hold 100 coins → VIP soundcheck at one show + name in digital liner notes.

Tie every perk to access, participation, or recognition. That’s what fans want most.

Docs and receipts

• Introducing Artist Coins (feature overview; coin-gated music and message blasts are live day one). blog.audius.co

• What makes Artist Coins different (why it’s fan-club-first, not hype-token; fee split and 5-year unlocks). blog.audius.co

• What is the Artist Coin Launchpad? (verified-artist requirement, trading inside Audius, leaderboard, tokenomics summary). blog.audius.co

• How to launch an Artist Coin (the literal step-by-step, including have ≥ 0.03 SOL, optional First Buy, and the 2–3 pop-ups to approve). Audius Help Center

• Artist Coins: Details & Key Terms (1,000,000,000 supply; 50% to artist with 5-year daily unlock; 1% trade fee split 50/50; buy with USDC/$AUDIO/other coins; standardized starting and graduation caps). Audius Help Center

• Costs & Fees on Audius (separate but useful context for paid music sales: 90% to artist instantly, 10% network fee). Audius Help Center

The short version

1. Get verified on Audius.

2. Install Phantom, create wallet, add ≥ 0.03 SOL for the small on-chain fee. (Optional: add some $AUDIO if you want to be your own first buyer.) Audius Help Center

3. In Audius, go to Artist Coins → Get Started, connect wallet. Audius Help Center

4. Name, ticker, image → double-check spelling (on-chain and permanent). Audius Help Center

5. (Optional) First Buy at the lowest price using $AUDIO. Audius Help Center

6. Click Create Coin, approve 2–3 pop-ups. You’re live. Audius Help Center

7. Post a holder-only track and announce your first holder event (vote/AMA) immediately. blog.audius.co

8. Keep delivering small, real perks every week. That’s what makes people hold—not hype.

Final take

The traditional music business makes you rent your audience from someone else. Audius’s Artist Coins let you own the connection. You don’t need a blockchain degree. You need a verified account, a tiny bit of SOL to push the “create” button, and a plan to reward the die-hards who show up first. The rest—trading, fees, visibility—Audius handles under the hood with standardized rules that fans can understand and trust.

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