Introducing Bitcoin Takeover Radio

Meet Jane: a 21 year-old who lives in a futuristic metropolis and is slowly beginning to discover the advantages of sound money. She’s impatient, finds it hard to resist the temptation to trade, and yet she is willing to learn the fundamentals that strengthen her conviction.

This is why Jane is listening to the Bitcoin Takeover Radio: a project which combines education and entertainment is order to promote both the content and its creators. There are hundreds of articles, dozens of podcasts, and at least a handful of songs that get released every day on the topic of Bitcoin. And even though many of them tend to be great, there are times when some really good ones get buried by social media algorithms or the short attention span that we get forced to develop in our information era.

Bitcoin Takeover Radio curates the best content that you may have missed, from creators who are most likely too busy working on their next project to spend every day spamming you with self-promotion posts. Podcasts that may have been buried by the Twitter newsfeed receive their chance to get in the spotlight and get introduced in a playlist which combines fun with learning.

There is something special about the radio format, as it exposes you to a degree of randomness. Normally, if you were to create your own playlist, you would only choose the content that you know is good. But if you allow somebody else to surprise you, there are high chances that you will discover a great podcast or song that you would have never found in your daily routine.

These are some of the practical and philosophical considerations behind the Bitcoin Takeover Radio project: the idea is to promote both the content and elevate the creator. Bitcoin is such a broad topic and it can be presented from so many points of view, that we often discover unique perspectives. So it’s always a good idea to step away from the comfort zone or information bubble and expose ourselves to something new. You think you know it all, until a new voice takes you down a whole new rabbit hole.

Some say that there are too many Bitcoin podcasts, but I disagree and I’m here to prove you wrong every week with a fresh playlist which helps you discover more great content.

The same people say that there isn’t enough Bitcoin music – and I only partially agree. I’ll try to write a new song for every livestream and push other musicians to also follow the trend.

Where does the Bitcoin Takeover Radio get streamed?

By virtue of a very nice piece of software that’s called Restream, I will broadcast the weekly playlist on YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter. Make sure that you follow/subscribe all of these channels.

In the future, if there is enough demand, I can also stream the broadcast on Facebook. But according to my observation, there isn’t enough Bitcoin-only activity going on and the groups tend to be flooded with uninteresting shitcoinery.

Furthermore, you can talk about the content with other enthusiastic listeners on the dedicated Bitcoin Takeover channel on Telegram. Become a member and join the conversation.

If you’re on Sphinx chat, you can also chat in the Bitcoin Takeover tribe.

Rewarding excellence in Bitcoin podcasting and music

Every broadcast will feature a QR code in the description. If you choose to make a donation, then the funds will get divided equally between all content creators involved in the episode. If you want the donation to only go to one or a handful of them, then please write me an e-mail and mention your preference. But it would be ideal if you contacted the podcasters and musicians personally and sent them the donation directly, to minimize the friction, the costs, and the blockspace occupation.

In the event of a small base layer donation which needs to get split in a dozen of tiny amounts, I’ll most likely use the Lightning Network

Anyway, these individual efforts deserve recognition and the kind of rewards which encourage content creators to keep going. And if I’m able to facilitate the process, then I will gladly do it.

In a perfect world, hard work and excellence should always get better results than relentless marketing and engagement tactics. Unfortunately, the reality is different and we often allow hype to steal our time and attention. Though I probably won’t be able to make a significant change, I will do my best to provide better incentives for Bitcoin podcasters and musicians.

Why are there sponsors?

Producing an online radio show requires an investment in equipment and production. Curating the best content around also takes time. And last but not least, there are electricity costs involved in keeping a computer online all the time – and a low-powered Raspberry Pi won’t be able to handle the task.

This is why I’ve decided to start looking for sponsors. They help me break even in financial terms, and also make use of their marketing teams to promote the project. I see it as a huge win-win opportunity. Not only that, but I’m very strict when it comes to selecting sponsors and only choose true Bitcoin believers who are in this space for all the right reasons.

No, the content creators who allow me to use their podcast episodes and music will not benefit from any sponsored financial compensation. But it’s likely that someone from the company that sponsors the show will listen to their show or at least share the broadcast on social media channels and make it easier for the work to get discovered. To compensate for this inconvenience, I’ve created the donation system that I described in the previous section.

Also, I will use the sponsorship opportunities to give back to the community. I’ll try to do giveaways and organize all sorts of engaging events that give everyone more reasons to listen to the entire stream and pay attention to some fine details.

How often does the radio content change and how can you submit your own work?

I’ll do my best to create a different show every week and replace the ongoing stream with new podcasts and music. If, for whatever reason, I can’t do the replacement in a week, then I’ll let the existing broadcast get looped until I put together all the fresh content. Though I like to think that I’ll be consistent about it, I’d rather make pleasant surprises than break promises.

If you want your podcast or music to get featured on the Bitcoin Takeover Radio broadcast, then send me an e-mail or Twitter DM. Attach your best work and I’ll give it a fair evaluation. If it’s really good, then I’ll make sure to add it to the next livestream and mention something nice about you and your work in the introduction.

Since the livestream plays in a loop, theoretically there isn’t a time limit for how long it can be. However, I’ll try to keep it under 24 hours because otherwise it’s gonna require more work than I can handle in a week. You’d be surprised how long it takes to edit or clean up only a few minutes of audio.

When launch?

On Wednesday, May 12th 2021, 8 PM CET (1PM EST for Americans), I will start streaming the first broadcast. It includes podcasts from 9 other content creators (some of whom you know and most of whom you’ll love) and music from myself and another artist.

This first broadcast is sponsored by Vaultoro and ShiftCrypto’s BitBox02. The former will give you the chance to win 100 bits (10000 sats) through a Lightning faucet at the end of every episode, while the latter will teach you about Bitcoin history and might just do a hardware wallet giveaway.

I will also promote Wasabi wallet (their podcast Wasabikas is also part of the playlist and I can’t praise their product enough) and THNDR Games (I’m a big fan of Jack Everitt’s Bitcoin Bounce and Turbo 84 and we’re doing a cross-promotion).

Is Jane single?

Yes, she is! But then again, she hasn’t met you yet.