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Sonu ( antecedently know as Sona ) is a newfangled web3 streaming communications protocol that uses DeFi primitive ( decentralize finance basic edifice blocks ) to put the financial power back into creative person ’ workforce with its reward modelling , auctions and advertizing - free streaming . Sonu emerged from stealth today , announcing the open genus Beta launching of its first product — Sonu Stream , a spare music streaming service with zero subscription or ads combine with a marketplace where artists share music and auction bridge off SONUs , “ digital twins ” or digital assets of song that can only be owned by one person at a time .

Alongside the launching news , the company also announce its $ 6.9 million seed funding round from Polychain Capital , Haun Ventures and Rogue Capital . The store will be used to develop new features and hire applied scientist .

Sonu ’s marketplace allows artists to auction their SONUs to collectors for 24 minute . They set a minimum cost and betray to the high bidder , getting instant liquid . What ’s most noteworthy is that the owner of a SONU receives 70 % of the stream payout rewards based on a pro - rata share of entire streams on the platform . Meanwhile , artists get 30 % and the company contract a 7 % fee . Plus , the rewards pool is funded from a percent of SONU sale , mean each purchase support all artists on Sonu Stream . In the future , Sonu will include other transactions like tipping , merchandise , ticket purchase , stalk downloads and fixed - price audio downloads for DJs

“ It ’s pooled every two calendar week and then redistributed to every creative person and collector , proportional to how much [ the specific song ] is well out , ” cobalt - founding father Laura Jaramillo explain during a private demo with TechCrunch . “ So , you ’re paying creative person for their workplace apace , incentivizing the creation of that work , and then also rewarding the citizenry that are actually support those artists . ”

The primary musical theme with SONUs — andmusic NFTSin general — is that it encourages fans to invest in their favourite creative person and promote their workplace . In this subject , when a SONU owner share the song on societal media , their following are take aim to Sonu Stream , help the streaming service grow its drug user pedestal and earn tax income at the same prison term . And unlike other medicine NFTs , SONUs are unrelated to royalties from other swarm platform . Rewards are from the Sonu ecosystem only .

“ The artist and rightsholders retain 100 % possession of the original Sung dynasty — so that ’s a bit unlike and why we do n’t really see ourselves as a euphony NFT political program . We ’re focused on the relationship between creative person and devotee , ” Colorado - father Jennifer Lee , aka producer and DJTOKiMONSTA , tell apart us . Last twelvemonth , TOKiMONSTA sold 100 editions of her latest single , Loved By U , onSound.xyz , a marketplace for euphony NFTs .

Collectors must know in the U.S. and be at least 18 year old to buy a SONU . They are also let to deal and patronage SONUs , both on Sonu and third - political party marketplaces .

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Sonu ’s streaming service is presently home to five million tracks by artists Rochelle Jordan , CRi , Adam Oh , Cakes da Killa , Gavin Turek , Dakytl , Aquiles Navarro and Sara Hartman , among others . By next class , Sonu will have 16 million song on the platform .

Jaramillo , a long - time NFT product architect , make Sonu to help her mother Raquel Gonzalez , a Puerto Rican artist and activist , along with other independent artists who find it difficult to earn a living off their music .

“ I wanted to create something that at last my mom could use , who is running into some of the biggest challenges that an artist faces — establish an consultation and make sustainable revenue . I design a protocol that she could use to monetize off those 100 to 1,000 true rooter who need to show how much they appreciate her euphony , but then also have sustainable tax income descend in every two weeks and battle the fact that artists are not making that much on streaming . And if they are making something on streaming , they do n’t see it for three to six months , ” Jaramillo said , while also revealing to us that musical talent carry in the family unit . While her music career was short - live , Jaramillo was 16 old age old when she was offered a label deal .

“ The mysterious story is that when I was in primary school to high school , I was a competing songwriter and Isaac M. Singer who represent Puerto Rico multiple prison term … The [ euphony recording label ] wanted me to drop out of high school day , move to LA and be a Romance dada star . But that was the opposite of my music . I write music to help you go through katharsis , so I very quickly gave up on that dreaming because I was like , ‘ Oh , they see me as what they could sell me as and not what I can produce , ’ ” Jaramillo said .

“ [ Sonu ] is trying to make it gentle for someone to recruit euphony without completely sell out or being taken advantage of , ” she added .

Sonu will host its first - ever auction bridge tomorrow , December 7 at 8 p.m. , featuring TOKiMONSTA ’s Grammy - put up track Rouge . Released in 2017 , the song score her monumental return to medicine after her battle with moyamoya , a rare head condition .

Updated June 7 , 2024 at 11:25 a.m. ET with the new name . The startup rebranded after get a cease and refrain from the copyright holder , Sonu .