Pinned post
The @3lau chapter has come to an end.
I am now just my given name @justinblau
In 2010 I was 19, making EDM mashups from my dorm at Wash U & begging blogs to share them. I would DJ frats for free bottles of jack while trying to stay afloat as a finance major.
Dropping out of school junior year to be a pro DJ was a lofty idea. To “make it” both financially and in the public eye, I aligned my music with the “current thing” that was popular; whatever could expand my audience & success metrics. I wanted to play big shows, hit charts, earn high fees. 15 years later, I’m 34 now; I’ve learned that none of those things created fulfillment or purpose.
While I might not be the best instrumentalist or musician by training, I’m ready to release music purely as myself. I hope it impacts people deeply, which matters more to me than the ephemeral enthusiasm of infinite internet audiences.
But being a DJ is only half of the story. I grew fascinated with Bitcoin in 2014 & Ethereum later in 2017. I’ve learned that crypto is THE force to fix music, an art-form that creates immense value, but is controlled by few. As AI music accelerates & content reaches superabundance, blockchains are more relevant than ever.
In 2021 I started a company called @join_royal ; our vision is to democratize the economics of music. Artists only earn 12% of the $ in the “music industry,” which is a categorical typewriter bound by copyright laws, relationship gates, zero sum games & late-stage desperation. Our new product is coming very soon, the timing is perfect, and we think it’s a banger.
Still, being a founder / CEO has completely changed me. It has dampened fears of failure and pushed me toward better habits of iteration. I’m a different person now; they say “the privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
From now on I’ll go by my name Justin Blau instead of 3LAU because I want my digital identity to reflect my real one. I’m going to test crazy ideas and continue to invest my time at the intersection of music & crypto as I have for the past 9 years. But it’s time to go harder.
Pushing boundaries makes me feel most alive. As an artist I want to give the next generation of creatives the best shot at expressing their deepest and most potent emotions. As a founder, I want to test the limits of what’s possible with revolutionary tech, even in the face of resistance. Turns out, you can just do things.
All that said, this is my first release as my given name.
This is Shotgun.
A visceral shichōkaku of our entanglement with the machine.
🎥 directed by @slimesunday + me.
Please enjoy all 154 seconds.
Especially the last 15.
I am now just my given name @justinblau
In 2010 I was 19, making EDM mashups from my dorm at Wash U & begging blogs to share them. I would DJ frats for free bottles of jack while trying to stay afloat as a finance major.
Dropping out of school junior year to be a pro DJ was a lofty idea. To “make it” both financially and in the public eye, I aligned my music with the “current thing” that was popular; whatever could expand my audience & success metrics. I wanted to play big shows, hit charts, earn high fees. 15 years later, I’m 34 now; I’ve learned that none of those things created fulfillment or purpose.
While I might not be the best instrumentalist or musician by training, I’m ready to release music purely as myself. I hope it impacts people deeply, which matters more to me than the ephemeral enthusiasm of infinite internet audiences.
But being a DJ is only half of the story. I grew fascinated with Bitcoin in 2014 & Ethereum later in 2017. I’ve learned that crypto is THE force to fix music, an art-form that creates immense value, but is controlled by few. As AI music accelerates & content reaches superabundance, blockchains are more relevant than ever.
In 2021 I started a company called @join_royal ; our vision is to democratize the economics of music. Artists only earn 12% of the $ in the “music industry,” which is a categorical typewriter bound by copyright laws, relationship gates, zero sum games & late-stage desperation. Our new product is coming very soon, the timing is perfect, and we think it’s a banger.
Still, being a founder / CEO has completely changed me. It has dampened fears of failure and pushed me toward better habits of iteration. I’m a different person now; they say “the privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
From now on I’ll go by my name Justin Blau instead of 3LAU because I want my digital identity to reflect my real one. I’m going to test crazy ideas and continue to invest my time at the intersection of music & crypto as I have for the past 9 years. But it’s time to go harder.
Pushing boundaries makes me feel most alive. As an artist I want to give the next generation of creatives the best shot at expressing their deepest and most potent emotions. As a founder, I want to test the limits of what’s possible with revolutionary tech, even in the face of resistance. Turns out, you can just do things.
All that said, this is my first release as my given name.
This is Shotgun.
A visceral shichōkaku of our entanglement with the machine.
🎥 directed by @slimesunday + me.
Please enjoy all 154 seconds.
Especially the last 15.
2:32
